If our technology was around when Jesus was alive..?

Question

and there were the media etc...

Would the history of Jesus and religion in general still be here today?

Would we still have religion even though we have got access to 2000 year old dvd's of Jesus doing his miracles?

Or would we simply think he was just a talented magician?

And, if the real Jesus came back, who would believe him in the type of life we live in today?

(I'm not trying to make fun of anyone religious. I believe in Jesus as the son of God. I just want to hear how you would answer these questions. I will respect all answers - obviously not the answers that make fun of me.

I will be most grateful if you could share your thoughts. Ten points will not go to the christian. Ten points will go to an interesting answer.

Answer 1

If today's tech was around back then Jesus would have been laughed out of existence instead of Crucified.

That goes for 99.9 % of the "religions" out there now, as well.

Answer 2

Huh. Interesting question.

Would the history of Jesus still be around? I believe YES. It would be in a different form, but still around.

Would there still be religion? Again, I think yes, since technology wouldn't change the truth of Jesus' divinity, nor would it change the human desire to find meaning in life and to reach for something better than what he has.

I don't know that there would be DVDs of Jesus doing miracles, since he wasn't a performer doing a stage show for an audience. Someone would probably luck out and get a video shot of something, but it would be more like the chance home movie clips we sometimes come across today (think someone catching a home run baseball in a soft-drink cup or something equally unplanned). That would likely cut down on the "talented magician" theories, at least a bit. Then again, there were people in His time that believed that he was simply a talented magician. So, nothing new there. Those who will believe will believe. Those who refuse to believe will refuse to believe, no matter what.

As for whether or not "we" would believe Jesus if he were to return to Earth now, some would and some would not. Just like there are some who believe that the Pope is called of God and some who don't believe it. Just like there are some who believe that there is a true living prophet (just like Moses or Noah from the Old Testament) on Earth today, and others say that true prophets stopped being sent after Jesus came, and yet others say that there is no such thing as a true prophet and anyone who believes in them is delusional or gullible. The atmosphere of cynicism that we live in would perhaps sway those who would otherwise be undecided, but there would always be an excuse somewhere for that sort of person.

Answer 3

If technology was around then, Jesus would not have been crucified. Do you know how many religions are out there, many centers around Jesus or the messiah? Which one is the "true" religion, because every religion claims to have the true god(s), otherwise it would not be a religion, which demands faith and belief.

I too respect all those believers, but I just don't believe all that had been written was true. They were stories or fables meaning to teach a lesson, when people living in those time were not able to judge what it's true or fiction. In fact a lot of ancient history documented might not be entirely true, not only religious writing. Just look at today's tabloids or even go online and you have an idea of how much human beings like to exaggerate.

Answer 4

I'm thinking that if the technology existed and an irrifutable record existed, religion would be a world of different. Religion, God, sin, vice... it wouldn't be a question of faith, it would simply be a historical fact.

Christ's miracles'd be nitpicked, analized, and ultimately proven - we still can't spontaneously heal the sick and blind, turn water into wine, generate unlimited amounts of food, or even come close to raising the dead. Chirst's miracles are STILL outside our abilities today - the only thing the technology would do would be to highlight these facts and the validity of his claims.

And if Christ came back today, you'd be sketpical at first. Even when he FIRST came back, there were skeptics among even his closest followers. Ever hear the term, "doubting Thomas"? Sure, Christ'd come back, knock on your door and say, "Hi, I'm Jesus Christ, your lord and savior." You'd look at him funny and wonder what mental institution he came out of. Then he'd step to the side and reveal your dead grandmother, alive and well and offering you some of those cookies you so loved as a kid.

In the end, when Christ comes back, it's not going to be something we'll passively write off. It'll be nothing short of the single greatest occurance in history, and the very nature of existence will radically and permanently change.

Answer 5

I think that in today's society, people would flock to Jesus for personal gain. There would be some who would think He was a hoax. There would be others that would try and steal His shoes to put up into some kind of shrine to worship. As in His time on earth, there would be those that would end at nothing to get kill Him and destroy His message. There would be faithful followers who would then spread His word. But, I think that in today's self-centered godless society, the nay-sayers would try and drown out His message.. The politically correct would try and silence Him. The media would at first want to interview Him, but when they did not like the answers, they would start ranting the whole 'you're being too exclusionistic and not accepting of others' beliefs' shpeal. Basically, He would get a lot of press, but probably bad press. It's probably why He came when He did, so that the miracles He performed could not have been duplicated through trick photography or slight of hand. He probably came when He did so people wouldn't worship the objects He held, but worship Him instead. If Christ came back today, yes I would recognize Him because it says in the Bible that the sheep will know His voice.

Answer 6

1). probably not, it would be way more extensive for one thing.
2). assuming the content of those DVDs showed a God man, it would probably be more wide spread then it was today. I would probably be a christian today if we had such clear documentation of jesus life and mythic actions.
3). that would, once again, depend on the content of the tapes. David Blane is a talented magician, but an astute watcher can still tell the tricks.
4). probably very few people, short of opening up with a big miracle, he'd end up in a mental hospital rather fast.

Answer 7

Your question reminds me of a line in Jesus Christ: Superstar

"Why'd you choose such a backward time in such a strange land? Israel in 4 B.C. had no mass communication. If you came today You could have reached the whole nation."

Answer 8

Nothing would be any different. Jesus knew everything then that we know now and THEN SOME. He had a handle on everything that was going to happen.