fictional character? historic nice guy around whom other people built a religion? historic evil guy? nut job? what??? If you could go back in time and meet him, do you think you would like him?
2007-06-25 15:49:06 · 21 answers · asked by z 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Fictional character. If you read the early epistles of Paul (the genuine ones... the later ones are forgeries) without having your brain contaminated by the 'gospels', you would quickly realize that Paul had abosolutely no notion whatsoever of a 'historical' Jesus. Paul's "christ" existed only in 'spitirual' realms... he had never walked the earth... just like the protagonists of all the other 'salvation cults' of the day... which were a dime-a-dozen.
The idea for Jesus the carpenter-preacher-healer-miracle worker - hippie did not emerge until around 70 AD, after some the the crist-cult preachers began to sense a business opportunity. The first gospel (Mark) was their first-draft marketing materials. Christianity is essentially a 2000 year-old criminal business conspiracy... the world's longest-running and most successful MLM scam.
2007-06-25 15:58:36 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
The story was made up by roman emperor Constantine(pagan). The empire was on a decline so was their religion. Its a wonderful story but just a myth used to control people and keep them subservient. If you look at the today it sure as hell did a good job of that. There is nothing not good about the Character Jesus. That still doesn't make him a real person. No real facts that he ever existed. We are still debating that so its hard to have an opinion some one we can't even prove was real.
2007-06-25 23:03:36 · answer #2 · answered by david l 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I definitely don't think that he is fictional, most people agree that he was real and walked the earth. How could he be an evil man when you look at how he lived his life and the things that he did for people. I don't think that evil is something that can be associated with Jesus. Many people say that he was a "good" man or a "prophet". But it's either he was who he said he was or he was a raving lunatic and a liar.
2007-06-25 23:01:47 · answer #3 · answered by Steve 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
fictional character?
no, but possibly
historic nice guy around whom other people built a religion?
I read the gospels and I wouldn't say Jesus is particularly nice, he is kind of weird.
historic evil guy?
no
nut job?
yep, claimed to be the son of god, that is pretty weird
If you could go back in time and meet him, do you think you would like him?
Not enough info around to know
2007-06-25 22:54:50 · answer #4 · answered by Don't Fear the Reaper 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I am not an atheist. I am agnostic deist.
I think Jesus was a man. He was certainly a teacher and maybe a prophet. He may have been an Essene Rabbi named Yeshua ben Yoseph. It is likely that Paul used this rabbi and the story of Mithra to invent Christianity.
Regardless, Jesus spoke of enlightenment as well as loving each other. I think he most assuredly studied eastern philosophies. As a Rabbi, He would have definitely been married.
2007-06-25 22:56:22 · answer #5 · answered by Gorgeoustxwoman2013 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If he lived at all, it was in a culture that I cannot begin to understand because of the distance between us. How could we understand such a culture without understanding how they prepared meals, how they toileted, how they thought about the stars, how they interacted on business, etc.
Jesus is depicted as a bit of a revolutionary, but he doesn't go far from the dominant paradigm of the day, saying the Mosaic law still counted. He is depicted as believing he was something of a messiah, but also that he expected to return to the earth to overthrow the Roman government of Palestine. This clearly has not occurred, and Christians conveniently treat those predictions of a rapid return as metaphoric, in spite of the fact they insist Genesis is historic documentation.
- {ââ} - {ââ} - {ââ} -
2007-06-25 22:55:29 · answer #6 · answered by NHBaritone 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Probably a fictional character.
Possibly just a slightly more charismatic messiah of the many messiahs of the time.
Got attributed a lot of good thoughts, and some pretty wacky ones.
Got a major revision from Paul to make it available and acceptable to the gentiles.
If people could go back in time, how many would try to save him? Would he let them?
2007-06-25 22:55:28 · answer #7 · answered by Simon T 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I believe he lived and was an all-round nice guy. And I believe that a religion was built around him. He was probably pretty charismatic, but I don't believe that he looked like pictures of him that you see everywhere today. I think he would ne horrified if he knew what is going on in his name. I think I would like him. I like honest, down to earth people.
2007-06-25 22:57:17 · answer #8 · answered by monkey 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Certainly, the religion was built up around him. He was probably a historical figure, but he wasn't anything like he's presented in any religious text. He probably wasn't anything special.
Sort of like the movie 'Titanic.' It wasn't anything great, but for some reason people built a cult around it.
2007-06-25 22:52:15 · answer #9 · answered by Minh 6 · 4⤊ 2⤋
Either he was a fictional character, or he was a man, trying to do good, in a messed up world. I doubt any of the miracles were actually performed...sounds like to me that it got exaggerated throughout history.
2007-06-25 22:52:26 · answer #10 · answered by rita_alabama 6 · 5⤊ 1⤋