In Search of the Real Jesus...Again
By MikeM 

"Jesus loves me this I know.... For the Babble tells me so..."

This is from a recent article posted by a Christian, a good person, and a thinking person, concerning the "Real Jesus".
Let's take yet another look at the belief system of the religious and the Christian in general and their thoughts on this Jesus in specific. My comments and questions will be colored blue after each point made.

The article quoted here can be found at: http://swanlake42.homestead.com/swanlakehomestead.html

"Without going into any Jungian personality analysis, and using only what is revealed by Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and others who actually knew him, we can still get a fairly accurate picture of what Jesus was like. Generally speaking, what a person says and the way he says it, how he treats other people, and the way he lives his life are all good indicators of the person's character. So what kind of person was Jesus?

Tell me WHO exactly were Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Then tell me exactly how it was they KNEW this Jesus personally as you suggest. Most all scholars admit the NT was written at the least around 100 years after this person's death.
So who wrote what and did they really KNOW this 'person'?
How can this book, this bible, be telling you anything truthful?

1.He was a respectful and loving boy.
Cite a specific example for this.
Show me any historically accurate document, which speaks of him in this way.
Do not use the bible to prove itself.

2.He grew up as a physically hard-working person. He wasn't a spoiled, pampered poet or dreamer.
Read #1.

3.He was mentally astute and intelligent, even as a child.
Read #1.

4.He had a deep and abiding love for God and a sense of responsibility to do God's will. And he knew what the law and the will of God required of him. (And others.)
Read #1.

5.He had a definite purpose and goals to meet, and the self-discipline to keep going even in the face of adversity and temptation.
Read #1.

6.He knew the difference between right and wrong, and though sometimes tempted to do wrong, always chose what was right. He knew that God was the ultimate authority for what was right.
Read #1.

7.He was well-read and well-versed in what the scriptures said and in their meaning.
Read #1.

8.He was strongly independent - not easily swayed by the opinions of other people. At the same time, he was very dependent on God for all he said and did.
Read #1.

9.He was sensitive and sympathetic to the needs of others - compassionate toward their problems.
Read #1.

10.He was intrepid - a fearless and bold champion of what was right.
Read #1.

11.He spoke out clearly against hypocrisy and those who practiced it - calling a spade a spade, telling it like it was.
Read #1.

12.He was often enigmatic in his speeches, but always explained his meaning to those who really wanted to know.
Read #1.

13.He was very perceptive of people's motives and agendas.
Read #1.

14.He was not a respecter of persons - he treated all alike regardless of race, gender or class.
Read #1.

15.He was tireless in his efforts to complete his mission in life. He never wavered and never gave up.
Read #1.

"I suppose there are many other things, which could be said about the personality and character of Jesus the man - not to mention that he was the Son of God. If I knew a man like that I would respect and admire him, put my trust in him, and know that I could always count on him as a friend. He left us a good example to imitate. I wish I knew more people like the man, Jesus."

Me too. I wish there HAD been a man as this writer described.
Seems to be a well-worn wish upon a star muttered by millions throughout the centuries.
My little hick mind and small ability at logical thinking leads me to believe this:
There do not exist any records, which prove this Jesus existed at all. There are tampered writings from Josephus and others which scholars recognize as being faulty.
The writer and mainstream Xianity, then, believes in the "BIBLE". NOT Jesus. For without the former, the latter is a sham and a farce.

As my friend Chris put it: From Debating Christianity http://members.aol.com/nogodhere/debatingchristianity.html

"Basically this means that Xians think God is real because The Wholly Babble says so and The Babble is valid because God says so....in The Babble. It's circular logic with absolutely no more foundation in facts or truth than books on flying pink unicorns. This leaves Xians only one reason to believe their religion has any validity. They call it "Blind Faith".


You can end all religious debates right here. Once you have established that the religion has no validity nor any basis in fact, nor any reasonable evidence to claim superiority over the word's countless other religions, then there is no point debating anything else at all relating to that religion.


You do NOT have the responsibility of proving their religion or their god as false or nonexistent. They are the ones who make the positive assertion that it's true, so they are naturally the ones who hold the responsibility of giving you good reason to believe that what they propose has validity in the first place. Why should they expect you to believe something without any just cause? Well, they do expect it, and they will become virulently petulant should you refuse to comply."
 

More concerning the mental state of this Jesus, and the often overlooked or ignored sections of the Holy Babble.....

From: http://www.ffrf.org/nontracts/jesus.html

Was Jesus Peaceable And Compassionate?

The birth of Jesus was heralded with "Peace on Earth," yet Jesus said, "Think not that I am come to send peace: I came not to send peace but a sword." (Matthew 10:34) "He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one." (Luke 22:36) "But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me." (Luke 19:27. In a parable, but spoken of favorably.)
The burning of unbelievers during the Inquisition was based on the words of Jesus: "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." (John 15:6)
Jesus looked at his critics "with anger" (Mark 3:5), and attacked merchants with a whip (John 2:15). He showed his respect for life by drowning innocent animals (Matthew 8:32). He refused to heal a sick child until he was pressured by the mother (Matthew 15:22-28).
The most revealing aspect of his character was his promotion of eternal torment. "The Son of man [Jesus himself] shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:41-42) "And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched." (Mark 9:43)
Is this nice? Is it exemplary to make your point with threats of violence? Is hell a kind, peaceful idea?

Did Jesus Promote "Family Values"?

"If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26)

What Were His Views On Equality And Social Justice?

Jesus encouraged the beating of slaves: "And that servant [slave], which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes." (Luke 12:47) He never denounced servitude, incorporating the master-slave relationship into many of his parables.

What Moral Advice Did Jesus Give?

"There be eunuchs which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it." (Matthew 19:12) Some believers, including church father Origen, took this verse literally and castrated themselves. Even metaphorically, this advice is in poor taste.
£ If you do something wrong with your eye or hand, cut/pluck it off (Matthew 5:29-30, in a sexual context). £ Marrying a divorced woman is adultery. (Matthew 5:32) £ Don't plan for the future. (Matthew 6:34) Was Jesus Reliable?
Jesus told his disciples that they would not die before his second coming: "There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom" (Matthew 16:28). "Behold, I come quickly." (Revelation 3:11) It's been 2,000 years, and believers are still waiting for his "quick" return.

Why Jesus?

Although other verses can be cited that portray Jesus in a different light, they do not erase the disturbing side of his character. The conflicting passages, however, prove that the New Testament is contradictory.
The "Golden Rule" had been said many times by earlier religious leaders. (Confucius: "Do not unto others that you would not have them do unto you.") "Turn the other cheek" encourages victims to invite further violence. "Love thy neighbor" applied only to fellow believers. (Neither the Jews nor Jesus showed much love to foreign religions). A few of the Beatitudes ("Blessed are the peacemakers") are acceptable, but they are all conditions of future reward, not based on respect for human life or values.
On the whole, Jesus said little that was worthwhile. He introduced nothing new to ethics (except hell). He instituted no social programs. Being "omniscient," he could have shared some useful science or medicine, but he appeared ignorant of such things (as if his character were merely the invention of writers stuck in the first century).

Time to draw a free breath.
Time to set the record straight.
Time to be free of "Blind Faith".
Free at last, free at last....
 

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