Is Jesus the most influencial person in human history?

Question

Is Jesus the most influencial person in human history. Whether or not he was Gods son aside, history recognizes him as a man that actually did exist. Is he the most influencial person in human history, Id like both atheist and non atheist views.

P.S. This is for a school project so if you could explain why you believe what you that would be great. IF you dont think so please tell me who is.

Answer 1

Throughout history, the influence Jesus had on the lives of people has never been surpassed. No other great leader has inspired so many positive changes in the lives of his followers. People who encounter the risen Christ are totally transformed. Their outlook on life is altered forever. Staying true to their faith, they do not hesitate to face hardship, persecution and even death. Many consecrate their lives to serving others, minimizing their own needs and desires.

First Century Christians

Following Jesus' crucifixion, his disciples were devastated. They had forsaken him in the Garden of Gethsemane to save their own lives. But after they met the resurrected Christ, they were radically changed. Suddenly, they were willing to give their lives to tell Jesus' story to the world. Many were tortured and killed because they proclaimed Jesus was alive.

Skeptics and enemies were also transformed. Jesus' younger brother, James, didn't think Jesus was anybody special. But after his resurrected brother appeared to him, James not only believed Jesus was Lord but became the leader of the Jerusalem church and died a martyr in 62 AD.

Saul of Tarsus was the chief persecutor of early Christians. He dragged people to prison. When they did not recant their faith, he was a party to their execution. But he had a dramatic encounter with the risen Christ on his way to Damascus and he was transformed from Saul, the enemy of Christianity, to Paul, the main propagator of its message. He left his position of prestige in Jewish society, to become a traveling missionary who experienced incredible suffering in order to share the love of Christ throughout the Roman empire.

Roman governor Plinius Secundus wrote in his Epistles X96 that Christians were people who loved the truth at any cost. Although he was ordered to torture and execute them for refusing to curse Jesus, he was continually amazed and impressed with their firm commitments "not to do any wicked deeds, never to commit any fraud, theft, adultery, never to falsify their word, not to deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up." For centuries, true Christians around the world have stood as shining examples of the standards of truth and love established by Jesus of Nazareth.

Historian Philip Schaff described the overwhelming influence which Jesus had on subsequent history and culture of the world. "This Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Mohammed, and Napoleon; without science...he shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of schools, he spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion, and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art, and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times."

Modern Day Christianity

The power of Christ knows no boundary of time or space. In our own age, many skeptics have been convinced just as thoroughly their first-century counterparts. For example, Lew Wallace, a famous general and literary genius, was a known atheist. For two years, Wallace studied in the leading libraries of Europe and America, seeking information that would forever destroy Christianity. While writing the second chapter of a book outlining his arguments, he suddenly found himself on his knees crying out to Jesus, "My Lord and my God."

When confronted by solid indisputable evidence, he could no longer deny that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. Later, Lew Wallace wrote the book Ben Hur, one of the greatest English novels ever written concerning the time of Christ.

Similarly, the late C.S. Lewis, professor at Oxford University in England, was an agnostic who denied the deity of Christ for years. But he, too, in intellectual honesty, submitted to Jesus as his God and Savior after studying the overwhelming evidence for his deity. Over the years, he wrote many books to uphold the ideals of Christianity, including Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters.

Many other men and women in our century have dedicated their lives to spreading the Christian message, often braving torture and death. For example, one of Romania's most widely known Christian leader, Richard Wurmbrand, spent 14 years in prison and was repeatedly tortured for running the underground church under Communist rule. Even after international pressure secured his release from Romania, he continued to receive death threats from the Communist regime. But these attempts at intimidation did not silence him. He kept publicly spreading the good news of Christ.

Similarly, in Korea, Joon Gon Kim, a well-known Christian leader, witnessed his wife and father slaughtered before his eyes by Communist sympathizers from his own village. He himself was beaten senseless and left for dead. He survived the beating and asked God to give him love for the souls of his enemies. He eventually led 30 Communists to believe in Christ, including the person responsible for the death of his family members.

Not only does the love of Christ impel Christians to face persecution and death but also to work to make the world a better place. Mother Theresa was an outstanding example of a life poured in the service of Christ. Of her well-known ministry among the poor, she said: "Our work is only the expression of the love we have for God."

Like her, many others have given their lives to serve the destitute and the outcast, either in their homeland or abroad. William and Katherine Booth, founders of the Salvation Army, believed that ministering to the poor was like ministering to Christ himself. The movement they launched enlisted the tireless efforts of enthusiastic people who wanted to make a difference in the world around them.


All of these Christian men and women have found fulfillment and joy in following the teachings of Jesus. They were transformed when they met Christ and yielded their lives to him. Each of them has made a positive impact on the world. They realize that agnosticism, atheism, and secular humanism hold no true answers. Christianity is still relevant to the needs of today. To read how Jesus still changes lives, click here.

You may also wish to encounter the living God and experience His transforming power. Christ's desire is to enter your heart and give you a new life in him. To learn how to develop a personal relationship with Jesus, just go to the You section.

Answer 2

That's hard to say, because if certain things had gone just a little differently, we may not even know who he is. You have to approach the question from a non-religious standpoint. If you are religious, you may say yes but only because of what you believe he did for humanity. After cutting religion out of the picture, the Roman emperor Constantine and the rest of the Council of Nicea are responsible for making Jesus as influential as he is. So if they had decided to back the traditiona polytheistic Roman religion, imagine how different the world would be. Ultimately, you could say the Council of Nicea directed the course of human history, using Jesus as their tool (no I don't believe in the Da Vinci Code; it is strange though that the Christian church reorganized its beliefs several centuries after Jesus died).

Answer 3

...Without a doubt, it is Jesus Christ.
...ONE SOLITARY LIFE
...He was born in an obscure village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was about thirty. He then became an itinerant preacher. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He didn't go to college. He had no credentials but Himself.
...After preaching three years, the public turned against Him. His friends ran away. He was turned over to His enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for His clothing, the only property He had on earth. He was laid in a borrowed grave.
...Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today He is the central figure of the human race. All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned have not affected the life of man on the earth as much as that ONE SOLITARY LIFE.
...Added note - our calendar is built around his birth (B.C. - Before Christ and A.D. - Anno Domini meaning "in the year of our Lord, or "after the birth of Christ").

Answer 4

The Church its self was the most dominant institution in western history so yes the figure Christ was the most influential person in western history.
But the Church was a tool and extension of the Roman Empire which layed the foundation of the Church and protected its spread so maybe another JC could hold that claim.
Julius Caesar.

Answer 5

no- no one knows anything truely about his life. jesus was not the only messiah of his time. there were lots and most were beatin and crucified just like jesus. how do you know jesus was not a criminal- the only fact that we know is that a king that lived during the time as jesus was alive said that he was crucified. I would say that Jesus is the most influecail imagniary person of OUR time (but garfield is real close)- not human history. The man who discovered fire would be the most influencial person in human history.

Answer 6

The effect of influence greatly depends upon society, what is socially acceptable, and what they have done in their life.
It also depends on who you ask.

If you go to a country predominately governed by Christianity they will tend to say yes. Go to India though, and they will tell you it was Gandhi, go to China ad they would most likely say it was Buddha, in the Middle East they would probably say Muhommad.

Was Christ influential? Yes, do I feel personnally that people have his message wrong? Yes, do I think he was the *most influential* No, I do not.

Answer 7

While the world waited on the messiah,the great deliver.When he came,not lifted up as a King.But in a manger,he was rejected by his own.Jesus is the one man who changed the course of the world.He is still today the most,powerful man ever to walk earth.While many have tried to deny him as the messiah,he has proved over and over that he is.Many Jews today have come to know and love Jesus as their savior.
I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep me against that day.<><

Answer 8

Most influential definitely. Genghis Khan, King Richard, Thomas Edison, Hitler, Muhammad Ali, George Washington... name 200 of these men, add em up and multiply by 10 and STILL it is Jesus. I believe 1/3 of all land mass on our planet is owned by churches and they are in Jesuses name so to speak. Millions have died in his name. MY religious or spiritual beliefs are irrelevant to this question. Jesus is clearly the only game in town.

the churches, the literature, the TIME and COMMITTMENT given over to the word of Jesus (regardless if they are real or not).

Answer 9

Sorry, you can not push the "God's son" thing aside. Thats what made him the most influential. Thats like saying "make me bacon and eggs, but push the eggs and bacon aside!" anyway, he is the most influential in the past 2000 and the next 2000.

Answer 10

Yes he was...you see its not just history, its HIS story. In philosophy you have 3 kinds of people...
1)the utopianist---who lives by the slogan "Utopia, Utopia, Utopia!" its for the future, the future, the future.

2)the traditionalist--who yells out its tradition, tradition, tradition! The past is important

3)the existentianlist--who lives for the NOW "I dont care about the consequences, I want it now.

Its absoltley amazing what Jesus said.JESUS on the other hand, took bread, gave it to his disciples and said..."Take this and eat from it. As often as you drink and eat of this bread NOW, you proclaim the Lords death in the PAST, until he comes in the FUTURE......

he fused all of history with meaning..And to the Christian, his/her past, present and future are rich with meaning.

Answer 11

Yes, JC was the most influential human being.

More wars were started since his existence has been proven, more lives lost and more lives changed since he has been born. True or not (his story)..he is the most influential being since recorded time.