I think I've solved the whole Jesus/atheist thing...?

Question

... it's almost too simple. Here goes:

From here on, have everyone agree to call Jesus a philosopher instead of the Messiah. So, what do you think?

Answer 1

How do you intend to persuade at least 350million people to do that?

Answer 2

Call him a fantasy character, like Superman or Kekko Kamen. There is strong evidence to support the idea that Jesus never really existed. His birth date is given 11 or more years apart in two parts of the Bible. There are various other discrepancies in Bible accounts of Jesus. He cannot be a Messiah or a philosopher if he never lived. The Messiah was to be descended from David. Joseph was either 28 or 41 in descent from David, but if Joseph was not Jesus' father, Jesus cannot be the Messiah.

Answer 3

I would not have a problem with this at all. If there was a Jesus he would have been aware of Greek philosophy and his teachings seem to have some similarities with Stoic and Cynic, Philosophies. (Cynicism was a school of Greek Philosophy and has little in common with our present use of the word.)
However, I very much doubt if you would get many Christians to agree with you. As the divinity of Jesus is a central tenant of their faith.
Interestingly this would have been unacceptable to any beliving Jew of the time but quite acceptable to the Greeks and Romans.

Answer 4

That wouldn't work, because of the things Jesus said about himself.

He claimed to have equality with God, claiming to be the very source and essense of Life.

To call him a philosopher you would also need to call him a liar, which denies him being a philosopher.

Jesus didn't give us room to patronize him by calling him a "good man" or "messenger from God" or "prophet" or "philosopher". "Either he was who he claimed to be, the very Son of God, or he was a lunatic on the same level as someone who thinks he's a poached egg!" (Thanks, CS Lewis for the quote)

Answer 5

Nope. Bad Idea. You would deny the Christ, the Messiah, to appease? If you believe in the Bible, Jesus Christ fulfills hundreds of old testament prophecies about the coming Messiah (hundreds!!). No doubt he is God's Son. Stand up for what you believe, be strong in God, and don't pander to keep people happy!!

Answer 6

Who would believe the teachings of a good philosopher who said crazy things like "Before Abraham was, I AM!" or "No one gets to the FATHER but through ME!"

As CS Lewis says - you might as well worship someone claiming to be a poached egg!

So no sorry - your simple solution does not work for me. I choose to worship JESUS CHRIST, the SON of the living GOD.

Answer 7

I agree with Paulo: if you accept him, you have to accept what he taught. I know some people believe the gospels to lie about the things he said. I don't. I think it's a matter of people not knowing how to react to Jesus. We tend to flee from the light.

Answer 8

Hmm that does sound interesting! But what exactly is Jesus's philosophy? All we have is things written by someone else and interpreted thousands of times. Jesus did not leave anything of concrete message or writings to draw from. Everything is make believe and fabricated in the Christian Chruch!

Answer 9

Jesus was a philosopher, but he was the type that tried to build his philosophy off of the religion of the time and come up with a new way. It seems that he succeeded.

Answer 10

So everyone who believes in Jesus as thier savior should just convert to Islam (Islam considers him a prophet)?

Maybe Judaism?

Yeah no problem! Why didn't we think of that.

Answer 11

Can't deny that Jesus is God. Can't deny that Jesus is the only way to heaven.

I can't deny Jesus. He is not just a philosopher, not just a good man, not just a prophet - Jesus is God. He arose from the dead. Death couldn't hold Him and He will raise me up to be with Him.