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July 20th, 2013
10:00 PM ET
Reza Aslan: Why I write about JesusOpinion by Reza Aslan, special to CNN (CNN) - When I was 15 years old, I found Jesus. I spent the summer of my sophomore year at an evangelical youth camp in Northern California, a place of timbered fields and boundless blue skies, where, given enough time and stillness and soft-spoken encouragement, one could not help but hear the voice of God. Amid the man-made lakes and majestic pines my friends and I sang songs, played games and swapped secrets, rollicking in our freedom from the pressures of home and school. In the evenings, we gathered in a fire-lit assembly hall at the center of the camp. It was there that I heard a remarkable story that would change my life forever.
Through his words and miraculous deeds, he challenged the Jews who thought they were the chosen of God, and in return he was nailed to a cross. Though Jesus could have saved himself from that gruesome death, he freely chose to die. Indeed, his death was the point of it all, for his sacrifice freed us all from the burden of our sins. But the story did not end there, because three days later, he rose again, exalted and divine, so that now, all who believe in him and accept him into their hearts will also never die, but have eternal life. For a kid raised in a motley family of lukewarm Muslims and exuberant atheists, this was truly the greatest story ever told. Never before had I felt so intimately the pull of God. In Iran, the place of my birth, I was Muslim in much the way I was Persian. My religion and my ethnicity were mutual and linked. Like most people born into a religious tradition, my faith was as familiar to me as my skin, and just as disregardable. After the Iranian revolution forced my family to flee our home, religion in general, and Islam in particular, became taboo in our household. Islam was shorthand for everything we had lost to the mullahs who now ruled Iran. My mother still prayed when no one was looking, and you could still find a stray Quran or two hidden in a closet or a drawer somewhere. But, for the most part, our lives were scrubbed of all trace of God. That was just fine with me. After all, in the America of the 1980s, being Muslim was like being from Mars. My faith was a bruise, the most obvious symbol of my otherness; it needed to be concealed. Jesus, on the other hand, was America. He was the central figure in America’s national drama. Accepting him into my heart was as close as I could get to feeling truly American. I do not mean to say that mine was a conversion of convenience. On the contrary, I burned with absolute devotion to my newfound faith. I was presented with a Jesus who was less “Lord and Savior” than he was a best friend, someone with whom I could have a deep and personal relationship. As a teenager trying to make sense of an indeterminate world I had only just become aware of, this was an invitation I could not refuse. The moment I returned home from camp, I began eagerly to share the good news of Jesus Christ with my friends and family, my neighbors and classmates, with people I’d just met and with strangers on the street: those who heard it gladly, and those who threw it back in my face. Yet something unexpected happened in my quest to save the souls of the world. The more I probed the Bible to arm myself against the doubts of unbelievers, the more distance I discovered between the Jesus of the Gospels and the Jesus of history – between Jesus the Christ and Jesus of Nazareth. In college, where I began my formal study of the history of religions, that initial discomfort soon ballooned into full-blown doubts. The bedrock of evangelical Christianity, at least as it was taught to me, is the unconditional belief that every word of the Bible is God-breathed and true, literal and inerrant. The sudden realization that this belief is patently and irrefutably false, that the Bible is replete with the most blatant and obvious errors and contradictions — just as one would expect from a document written by hundreds of different hands across thousands of years — left me confused and spiritually unmoored. And so, like many people in my situation, I angrily discarded my faith as if it were a costly forgery I had been duped into buying. I began to rethink the faith and culture of my forefathers, finding in them a deeper, more intimate familiarity than I ever had as a child, the kind that comes from reconnecting with an old friend after many years apart. Meanwhile, I continued my academic work in religious studies, delving back into the Bible not as an unquestioning believer but as an inquisitive scholar. No longer chained to the assumption that the stories I read were literally true, I became aware of a more meaningful truth in the text. Ironically, the more I learned about the life of the historical Jesus, the turbulent world in which he lived, and the brutality of the Roman occupation that he defied, the more I was drawn to him. The Jewish peasant and revolutionary who challenged the rule of the most powerful empire the world had ever known became so much more real to me than the detached, unearthly being I had been introduced to in church. Today, I can confidently say that two decades of rigorous academic research into the origins of Christianity has made me a more genuinely committed disciple of Jesus of Nazareth than I ever was of Jesus Christ. I have modeled my life not after the celestial spirit whom many Christians believe sacrificed himself for our sins, but rather after the illiterate, marginal Jew who gave his life fighting an unwinnable battle against the religious and political powers of his day on behalf of the poor and the dispossessed – those his society deemed unworthy of saving. I wrote my newest book, "Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth" in order to spread the good news of the Jesus of history with the same fervor that I once applied to spreading the story of the Christ. Because I am convinced that one can be a devoted follower of Jesus without being a Christian, just as I know that one can be a Christian without being a follower of Jesus. Reza Aslan is a bestselling author and a scholar of religion. This article was adapted from his newest book, "Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth." The views expressed in this column are Aslan's alone. |
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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It is senseless to worship, or even trust, Jesus in his human nature only. This is so because he said he would rise from the dead, and then he did. If you do not believe he is God, then you do not believe He rose from the dead. If you do not believe that He rose from the dead, then you must conclude that he was a liar. If he was a liar, why would you follow him at all?
Why would you not follow my invisible pink unicorn?
There are no ancient books to read, no requirement to profess your love for her, and she won't torture you if you don't believe in her.
Plus, did I mention she is invisible? How cool is that?
Talk to me when you and your pink unicorn have had followers for over 2000 years, many of whom are a lot smarter than you. Hard to believe, I am sure, for a smug and belittling atheist. Grow up.
There were followers of the invisible pink unicorns all over Europe for thousands of years, but then the Christians came along and killed them all for not believing in the lie that is Jesus.
PC, your logic is a bit deficient. There could have been a man named Jesus who didn't claim to be the son of god, and never claimed that he would rise from the dead, and those statements attributed to Jesus were fabricated. There could have been a guy who said things like, look after the poor, and do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Excellent ways of living life, regardless of who may have said them. Try to ignore the mumbo jumbo of religion (although catholicism has a lot of it: mumble over your morning toast and claim that it's turned into Elvis Presley and they'd put you away. Do the same thing over biscuits on Sunday and you're a catholic.
How very, very odd.
There is no reason to believe that Jesus did not say the things attributed to Him.
OF COURSE THERE IS! Biblical scholarship shows that there were more differences in the various copies of the gospels than there were words in the gospels themselves! Think about that – until they were standardized in the 4th-5th century, no 2 copies of John matched! Not mention the dozens of other gospels that existed that were determined to be "non-cannoncial" even if they had previously been used in various churches for centuries.
We have every reason to approach any "quotes" in a book from this time period from a position of doubt. Ever looked into how historians (tacticus, josephus, etc.) "quoted" the speaches of these famous people (outside of the bible)? THEY MADE THEM UP! And they admit it. It wasn't considered disingenous to paraphrase what you thought they might have said at that time. Accurate reporting of the actual words used by someone wasn't considered a primary concern.
Okay, play out your scenario. Jesus was somehow co-opted by those who came later, who fabricated not only his divinity but his claim to divinity, fabricated his rising from the dead, fabricated miracles, fabricated the hordes that followed him everywhere etc. etc.
Had it been done, it would had to have been done right away, right after he died. Otherwise, the legend borne of his death would not match the legacy you say was fabricated.
For instance, you could now start a fabrication that MLK Jr. had claimed to be God, rose from the dead, and had performed miracles. Like Jesus, MLK was a great man, smart, a visionary etc. But you do as you say the Apostles did, taking MLK to the divine level via fabrication. You purport him as God; you claim him as the Savior we missed out on. What would happen? This is what: your own generation would not believe you, because we know he said no such thing, and we know there is no record of miracles he performed. As a result, your fabricated claims would die on the vine. They would not stand up for two days, let alone 2000 years.
Furthermore, would you die for those fabricated MLK claims? All of the Apostles were martyred. Why would they die for a story they fabricated themselves? Just to sell the con? Does that actually make sense to you? It does not to me.
The men who wrote the bible are the liars. They created this character , even though he may have been based on an actual person, the stories are clearly made up. Is it lying or writers embellishment?, not really since they made up many stories that certainly did not play out as written. For instance, no one knows if Jesus said any of the things that are attributed to him. We do not have his words (odd for a god to inspire humans to write the bible, but when god had the opportunity to actively write some himself, while physically on earth, he didn't take the time to write anything for posterity)
Calling Jesus a liar is the same as calling Harry Potter a liar.
1. "no one knows if Jesus said any of the things that are attributed to him."
Wrong. The people who heard what he said know what he said. They wrote it down. Now we know.
2. "they made up many stories that certainly did not play out as written."
If no one knows what he said, how do you know the stories are not accurate?
3. "We do not have his words."
Yes we do; they are in the Bible, verbatim in many instances, albeit translated into English.
All of the things you said are not true. First, wee cannot even be sure he existed., Secondly, all of "his words" were handed down, not written by those who allegedly heard him, but written many decades later. Third, I was not there, but the likelyhood that all of the stories about him being accurate, when we know the bible has been edited over and over, is near nil.
At no point did Jesus write anything, so everything you have that is attributed to him is second hand at best, most often it was fourth, fifth hand or greater. Those who allegedly heard him did not write the encounters down at the time, they were written much later. To think that the accounts are accurate is simple lunacy.
Gee, how "scholarly" to write about the Jesus Myth, which is amazingly similar to other myths that predate it.
Just one example is the Egyptian Horus - born of a virgin, birth heralded by the morning star, walked on water, healed the sick, made the blind see, was crucified, resurrected after three days...
Sound familiar? There are others. Do some research, do some critical thinking, don't be a lemming.
EEEewww a raptor head, perfect for the rapturists!! Big bad Horus!!
Wiki,
".................He was most often depicted as a falcon, most likely a lanner or peregrine, or as a man with a falcon head......"
How many bird bwains do you see walkin' around that need savin'??
Horus did not do those things. It is a myth. Go read his articles and see for yourself. Dont believe everthing you read on the internet. http://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-myth.html
This is a veiled attempt to bring Islam to America and to desaturate Christianity, do not be fooled, this is what it is and nothing more, Islam is not real. Jesus is. That is why you are perpetrating that he was "a great teacher." How many teachers do you know that were beaten, put on a cross, died a awful death and then rose in 3 days. If Jesus is not all of human kind's savior, then who is? Certainly not Muhammad, who performed no miracles. Stick with the bible and you will be blessed. Do not buy this garbage.. Do not buy this trash.
Not nice to judge. Isn't it the "christians" who say GOD is the only judge.
Islam gwows just fine in the socie prisons.
O People, if you should be in doubt about the Resurrection, then [consider that] indeed, We created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then from a clinging clot, and then from a lump of flesh, formed and unformed – that We may show you. And We settle in the wombs whom We will for a specified term, then We bring you out as a child, and then [We develop you] that you may reach your [time of] maturity. And among you is he who is taken in [early] death, and among you is he who is returned to the most decrepit [old] age so that he knows, after [once having] knowledge, nothing. And you see the earth barren, but when We send down upon it rain, it quivers and swells and grows [something] of every beautiful kind. – 22:5
From the Book of Alex Lifeson, Clevelands 2:13: Blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah. BLAH! Blah blah blah? Blah blah.
I also have spent years and money researching the origins of Christianity and have come to very different conclusions from Mr. Aslan. While I do find a very large gap between the Jesus of the gospels and the Jesus found in much of modern Christianity I also have found that the Jesus who opposed the Roman empire or who was a crusader for the poor to be largely a modern myth resulting from a very selective reading and interpretation of the scriptures. Jesus may have been many things but He was never a Zealot.
I believe both the presentation of Jesus and the comments made about the Bible and a Christians faith in it in Mr. Aslan's blog to be inaccurate and prejudicial. If Jesus was just another "marginal Jew" then why is He still followed by so many today while men like Bar Kochba have been reduced to mere historical characters? As a historian I know that Jesus was killed. That should have been the end of it, but it wasn't. Something happened that caused people to be ready to die to follow Him. And by that I don't mean following just what He said before He died but also what He was saying to people after His death.
I believe that the "Christian religion" will have much to answer for. But those who accept and follow Jesus, the Son of God, won't be included in that number. I am sorry Mr. Aslan failed to find the "deep and personal relationship" that Jesus offers. Jesus really does make a wonderful friend.
The reason "Jesus" lives on is the same reason "Socrates" lives on. The historical existence of both men is poorly accounted for, but they were convenient mouthpieces for their followers because they were perceived to have deep-running integrity. This may be connected to how people are incredibly susceptible to the Ad hominem fallacy. A person's actions can be reported on to discredit or credit their particular argument though there is no logical bearing on the argument. Both Jesus and Socrates appeal to us as blameless victims, so the common man considers their words moral without struggling with their literal content. We readily empathize with perceived victims, and nothing shuts down analytical thinking like empathy (and vice versa). You don't need to be certain of their existence or the literal truth of the their words to understand why people attribute moral-goodness to peripatetics like Socrates and Jesus. In fact it is probably because of Plato and Socrates that the Jesus-the-man-archetype even makes any sense. Socrates spent decades walking around making the powers which be look hypocritical and misinformed on topics they were expected to be experts in. Eventually the establishment got sick of him and made him a scape goat. Socrates surrenders himself to be killed. Sound familiar? There is nothing original about the Jesus story, and it has been accepted over and over again for deep psychological reasons which are near-universal to human beings, not because the empirical claims it makes are true. That "personal relationship" you have with Jesus is a mere conversation between two disparate parts of your brain taking place in the space of consciousness, but if it leads you to be thoughtful and reflective when undertaking tasks of ethical and moral import then I guess it doesn't matter if you're "talking to Jesus" or reflecting on the wisdom of Socrates.
After a few years as a Christian, I realized that, like the author, I was actually a "Jesusist." Jesus was a great spiritual teacher, but the Christ part was a bizarre distortion added by his nonspiritual followers who didn't understand what he was saying. Christianity has caused a great deal of horrible things throughout history, but Jesusism - the original teachings of Jesus - has been nothing but a positive influence.
And that's a fact
That Jesus was the Christ was the central part of His message.
"That Jesus was the Christ was the central part of PAUL's message."
There you go Bob – I fixed it for you...
Mark,
Sure... there are some good bits of practical wisdom there. OTOH, they are not unique to Christianity, nor were they innovated by Jesus (or whoever wrote those alleged quotes & teachings). Many philosophies echo these bits of wisdom. Christianity just got good press and great PR from Paul of Tarsus and the luck to be picked up by some powerful Romans and Greeks who fostered its spread.
Sorry, Mark. What you wrote doesn't match with history at all.
Actually – I'd say he got the broad strokes about right. Care to elaborate?
The Deity of Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ (Savior God Messiah) is the Son of God, God Incarnation In The Flesh, The Second Person of the Triune God (Holy Trinity,) the Actual Word of God, and Lord & Savior.
Isaiah 48:16,17
"16 “Come near to Me, listen to this:
From the first I have not spoken in secret,
From the time it took place, I was there.
And now the Lord God has sent Me, and His Spirit.”
17 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel,
“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit,
Who leads you in the way you should go.”"
Matthew 28:19
"19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,"
John 1:1-5
"1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."
John 10:30
"30 “I and the Father are one.”"
John 15:26
"26 “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,”"
The Word Made Flesh & Sacrificial
Jesus Christ, when on earth, was a fully God and a fully man. That was not at random. The death in the flesh that is without a blemish was the requirement for atonement (for the remission of sins;) the once and for all sacrificial "Lamb of God;" the "Penal S u b s t i t u t i o n!" (All sacrifices before where temporal)
Isaiah 7:14
"14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel."
Matthew 1:23
"23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”"
Luke 2:11
"11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."
John 1:14-18
"14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” 16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him."
Galatians 4:4,5
"4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons."
1 Timothy 3:16
"16 By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness:
He who was revealed in the flesh,
Was vindicated in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Proclaimed among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Taken up in glory."
Hebrews 4:15,16
"15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Hebrews 9:25,26
"25 nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself."
Jesus Always Is
John 8:58
"58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”"
John 1:1,2
"1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning."
John 17:5
"5 Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was."
All Scripture Is From:
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
http://www.biblegateway.com/
That sums up the divinity of Christ very well, Vic! Jesus is indeed Christ.
What a waste of time. No matter how much you quote that work of fiction you will never convince me of God and Jesus.
I agree, Vic. I never will. Have a nice day.
It is not a waste of time. It will only be a waste of time when you run out of time. Then you'll be in eternity, but then no one would have to convince you. But then it would be too late to change your mind. No matter what you say, you won't be able to to convince me to stop praying for you. But then time will run out for me and I'll be in eternity... Jesus, call on Jesus. He loves you stubbornly. God Bless
@Neo Atheist. Don't let fear talk scare you. From the beginning the whole point of religion was about fear and control over the masses. Too bad it's still working after all these years.
Yes, tund, when you die it will be too late for you. You will have discovered that you were worshipping the WRONG god!!! This god – the one true god – rewards those who lived their lives based on logic and reason, but sends those who rely blindly on faith and refuse to use that big ol' brain that god gave them to hell forever. Too bad so sad.
tundexxdisu,
"But then it would be too late to change your mind."
How do you know that?
Nobody has any verified evidence about what goes on in "eternity", if it even exists.
cnn and its customary anti Christian propaganda.
CNN denies relativity and geology, hardly scientific.
Really? Have a link to that official position?
"Make-believe wizards who live in the sky" are the creations of those who don't believe in God, and have nothing to do with those who do.
The foundation and cornerstone of Christianity is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Believe in that and everything else falls into place. Tons of arguments/books/studies on both sides of the fence. In the end it's all a matter of faith, a leap of faith actually. Science and faith (not to be confused with organized religion) coexist in perfect harmony and complement each other.
Very interesting that scripture was what turned the author away from acknowledging Christ's divinity, since so much of what Jesus said in the Bible expresses it explicitly. In order to put Jesus in the "just another great guy" category, you'll need to ignore a great deal of what He said. I wish the author well in their search. God bless you.
You are sub-idiotic, Chaco.
Chaco...What's a chaco?
Does anyone else find it funny that every picture of this cult leader with this story shows him as a white EUROPEAN, instead of a Jewish middle-easterner? If this cult leader ever actually even existed, he would have been the same sort of person that you'd be nervous about sitting next to on a plane.
LMOA....OMG. So true.
Ephraimites are Black.
New idea / religion? Sounds like Thomas Jefferson and the Jefferson's Bible to me, which is about 200 yrs ago.
She explained herself as Muslims should. A Muslim is not a Muslim if he/she does not believe in Jesus Christ – Nabiullah Issa, alaihi salam.
Dave Bowman is god.
And this is why we need a "like" button!
Dave's not here.
Can I see your licence?
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
If it's that great, you should enter heaven now.
O man, why is thine heart so full of hate?
So?
One can follow Jesus' teaching of peace without buying into the fairy tales of him being a deity.
Christ Jesus' Deism completes humanist's mannerisms of subjective reasoning(s)...
I like the synchronicity.
In bits and bytes do the pieces come flowing together until they become as a unifying preamble...
There are those who say I have come to bring peace; I have come not to bring peace, but a sword. To turn brother against brother and father against son.
You are thinking of Ba'al, the god of the sodomites, also called the cross burners; although gays are often slandered by the church in that mistaken understanding of who the sodomites are. Also called hippies.
Sired John P T...
Is not the challenges of most all humans; one of seeking righteous morals and conclusive civil mannerisms in order for social discourse to be alleviated of its contrite ways where no good done deeds can be seen by all...?
Christianity is a means whereupon a human may overcome their own self destructive nature. It is not the only means to this end, but it does avoid the many malignant spiritual paths available. Even the as the atheist harms society by retarding science in education, these demons real or imagined are bad for our families.
How do know christianity is the only way one can overcome his or her destructive choices. You must have to know and have practiced other belief systems to genuinely know this. Not nice to judge. Isn't it the christians who "teach" that GOD is the only judge.
Kind John...
Could not our socialized departures away from moralized benevolences once hindered by the elderly religious constraints become as offsets of antiquity that was shackling the socially burdensome wrangling(s) of mortally subversive undulations...? Is death all of humanisms finalities..? Where will our spirited essences find its departures from one's embodied containers if not their ever being as a spiraling inwardness into the atomic kingdom domains...?
Relativity and Quantum Mechanics require a sentient being to make the universe real; and are the basis of all our modern technology.
A goodly Sunday to you Tiff...
It is of more importance that each and every humanist establishes within them a moral compass of righteous civilities then believe in things they find hard to consider... Christ Jesus would rather see people being morally upright and civilly constrained in their scruples then to give Him falsely impure considerations...
You seem to think that people are suppose to live for Jesus. Now why would Jesus need anybody to live and make choices for him? I live and make choices for me. It'z called free will.
Truthful John...
Spatial relativities dare I say; needs nothingness in order to sustain order among the celestial bodies and even within quantum mechanics nothingness endures itself to be a state of relative order in-between each and every atom... I would dare consider the wholesomeness of nothingness as being the missing link being between all matters of the physically based...
If Jesus wasn't God, then either
- he knew he wasn't, in which case he was a con man
- he thought he was, in which case he was a madman
In either case, why would you pay the slightest attention to what he said?
Jesus claims to be the Logos, that spell of creation for who everything that is made is and for him and by him. So then, under Christianity, all of creation was done so God could live as a Jew for less than 45 years. It is not about us at all.
No... only one author of the gospels refers to him as the Logos (a greek term/concept that Jesus and the disciples would be very unlikely know).
Because he said that we should 'love thy neighbor as thyself', that's why! (Another statement of the Golden Rule.) He recognized that we are truly all one on the level of Spirit. This made him a revolutionary, & far ahead of his time, which is why some people felt he deserved to die. This is not rocket science, people! It's the only way to live that really makes sense. Whether or not he was the 'son of God' is immaterial – it's what he urged us to do that's really important. (And btw, even a casual reading of Indian literature as concerns the development of human consciousness will clarify this 'son of God' stuff, but all most of you are interested in is the Bible – & it's too bad the Bible is all we have to guide us, because most of it is crap.)
If you love your neighbor as yourself because it is a good way to live, then you are not doing it because Jesus said it. If Jesus was the Son of God, then His words have authority behind them. But if he was a con man or madman, then they do not. What difference does it make (if He was not God) whether Jesus said them or not?
Good thing the author doesn't have to pay income tax on his new book. Why, because the tax code isn't real. If you study the tax could you'll find its "replete with the most blatant and obvious errors and contradictions."
Maybe, but then there are a bunch of living humans who we see updating them.
Are they geep or shoats??
Sheep will follow a goat.
I don't think anyone is claiming that the tax code is divinely inspired and inerrant, nor does it claim to be instructions to eternal life, nor does it claim any moral authority, nor does it claim....
Why would you think this comparison makes any sense?
Why do people pay taxes?? Guns.
What is it with CNN??!! Why do they seem to revel in printing this anti-Christian junk on Sundays. And I'm not sure where the author of this garbage comes up with the characterization of Jesus as an "illiterate, marginal" Jew, other than to justify his leaving the faith.
You mean "why Sundays?" or "why anti-Christian?" Or maybe "why revel?"
You clearly did NOT mean "What's there about it that keeps me personally coming back often enuf that I could detect a pattern?", because that would just make you a self-flagellating dope.
What are you doing reading a story like this on the Internet, on a Sunday no less!
Did you go to church?
How does one go to church??
Remember these words on the day of judgment
Fairy tale dude! You aren't going anywhere when you die except to have your corpse 1. burned to ash , or 2. rotted in the earth to feed worms that might have a better understanding of 'life' than you. Keep dreaming (praying?) Its all just garbage to feed your ego and make you feel better (you're still going to have beaucoup couch time, video time, and eat crap today aren't you, all the while being a "good Christian" LOL, no wonder humans are so messed up in this epoch
Chuck: Why should I believe as you do?
easy answer, because cnn aims at destroying the moral mindset of Christian nations such as the US. sad but true.
The first graphic on this page above says:
"Religion scholar Reza Aslan's new biography of Jesus seeks to separate the man from the diety."
Why?
If you don't think God can do miracles, you will have to come up for a reason for the "big bang", the largest supernatural event over all eternity, that had a start, which requires a controller to start it... and power, lots and lots of power, raw energy to form matter and separate it. If you think it's not possible for Jesus to be an extension of God's power to save men, why not? If God is going to take the time to make a creation, he can also take the time to save it using any means he wants, including Jesus saving us from our sins.
Actually, I think the "diety" books are 2 shelves over.
o Think infinity and recycling with the Big Bang expansion followed by the shrinking reversal called the Gib Gnab and recycling back to the Big Bang repeating the process on and on forever. Human life and Earth are simply a minute part of this cha-otic, sto-cha-stic, expanding, shrinking process disappearing in five billion years with the burn out of the Sun and maybe returning in another five billion years with different life forms but still subject to the va-ga-ries of its local star.
Once again all the experts come out on these posts. It is totally fruitless to argue on these blogs, a total waste of time, closed hearts and minds,ear that cannot hear and eyes that will not see. PP
Bye, then.
Nice hook.
It is foolish to have a debate with regards to one's faith. I don't see where anything is gained since no one goes into these discussions wishing to have their POV changed.
@polycarp pio,
No, it isn't.
Don't suffer these idiots any more. Go straight to heaven now. Why wait?
Playin' god agin??
Now, THIS comment makes sense!
His belief now is just as false as his former belief. The author needs to seek out the truth. All he does is takes what he wants and leaves the rest. Try to find a historical Jesus............... if you can.
And are you still seeking Wild or have you found the "TRUTH"?