You know, I recently believed that Jesus was a cool guy....

Muddy Waters

After leaving the Jdub world, for awhile it still seemed like the bible was still a holy book, something valuable, worthy, etc., and that the JW religion had just corrupted it and used it to their own ends.

I thought that Jesus was like a Bhudda, a guy going around taking about peace and love and who exposed the hypocrisy of the religious leaders.

But he also said some hurtful things, harmful things, things like dividing up your family, things like whoever had more affection for their family than for him was not worthy of him, to not take time to bury your father but go preaching instead... To send out his followers without any food for the day but to rely on the kindness of others and believe that that kindness and charity expressed gods blessing and favour.... Bah!

I now believe jesus was just another man, saying both good things and stupid things. And he didn't even write his own stuff down, but other people wrote stuff about him and made a whole new religion and following-a-man thing out of him....

Why cant people just do good things and be good people just because it is a good thing to do?

Crazyguy

He also said some thing even worse then you mention, I to was in your boat about jesus being the "Man" but then I read a small blip about a Canaanite god names EL and so started doing some research. Things have changed a lot since then and let say the scales have fallin from my eyes....

Heaven

Suspending for the moment that there is really no proof Jesus actually existed.... the 1 question to ask yourself is, why didn't the Jews follow him? I figure it this way. He probably came off the same way as our modern 'Messiahs' and men claiming to be Jesus... nutball!

MadGiant

If, and this is a by IF, Jesus really existed (evidence for the historical existence of Jesus of Nazareth as portrayed in the Bible is only found in the bible and church's documents), the guy was a jerk.

How to tell your friends Jesus was a dick.

http://double-woe-seven.blogspot.com/2013/11/how-to-tell-your-friends-jesus-was-dick.html?m=1

Take care,

Ismael

snare&racket

Hey slaves.....be faithful and discreet and do your jobs!

What a douchey move

Apognophos

That's a good article, thanks for the link MadGiant.

Yes, I too went through this phase where I wanted to a non-denominational Jesusist, but as I considered Jesus' words, one thing that stuck out for me was that, now that I lacked faith that the Bible was inspired and totally accurate, I could see how many of the things Jesus said were probably put into his mouth later on. Whether it was explaining the need for his own upcoming death, or predicting the fall of Jerusalem, or issuing warnings for things that early Christians were having to deal with like false prophets and ridiculers, it seemed like a lot of his sayings could have come from later writers who had certain things on their mind that they wanted to have Jesus address.

Additionally, Jesus still demonstrated some morality that is now considered outdated. The link of MadGiant's addresses this pretty thoroughly. One example is his supporting the idea of a Flood that his father used to kill almost all life on earth. It's not hard to find some moral failings in an all-powerful God that would use this method to execute sinners, with all the collateral murders of animals that it entailed.

jam

Jesus had A big ego, I'm the son of God. But Jesus, Paul said

in 1 Cor.13;4-8 Love is kind, does not envy, does not parade

itself, not puffed up, not jealous.. Screw Paul, I''m the man.

Don't you dare love the woman that brought you into this world

more then me....how long can you tread water??

Wild_Thing

The truth is ... we have no idea what Jesus said or didn't say. It is a story written long after he may or may not have existed.

I personally believe that someone named Jesus probably did exist. I also think he was simply a human, like you and me, except a bit crazier and narcissitic. I think the story of Jesus today is nothing more than a tall tale. An exaggeration. Like Paul Bunyan, or Johnny Appleseed.

jam

Why didn't Jesus come for all of mankind instead of the lost sheep of Israel.

It would have been so easy to make a world wide announcement,

I am the son of GOD, we (my Father and I) are giving you a second chance.

Make no mistake, I am him..

The poor people in North and south America didn't find out about Jesus until

when?? Maybe a few 100 years.... Agree Wild Thing "simply a human'.

Band on the Run

I will not accept Jesus as Hitler, evil man. Reading the New Testament requires some level of sophistication. First, how do you know he did the bad things if you negate the good things. The gospels are not histories but works of faith. I am almost finished reading Bart Ehrmann's latest book on how Jesus became God. The Church Fathers knew there were descrepancies in the gospels yet felt the faith was better explained by the four gospels than a single uniform gospel. You are reading on a superficial level. It is your right. The canonization was a political process. Constantine wanted the controversy to stop.

The gospels record (if record is the proper word) a loving Jesus. The early church was apocalyptic. His family showed up for his crucificxion despitehis neglect of the family business. My reading of Paul and the gospels shows a complex man. His sayings often contradict each other. Carl Jung remarked that we project our hopes and dreams on to Jesus, regardless of whether the actual man would agree with them. I would conclude that the OT YHWH and the God to whom Jesus refers are two different gods. Religion is not science or math. This forum is short on the arts and humanities.

You know, I recently believed that Jesus was a cool guy....

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