Starbug

What was so special about Jesus?

Did he teach or say anything that hadn't already been taught or thought of?

Setting the miracles and healings aside, what good works did he do?

This time of year (the holidays) there are commercials on TV which give unsubstantiated claims about him:
"he's influenced the world" -- maybe his followers did with their interpretations of him and his teachings, but then they tended to misrepresent him

"he helped those in need" -- refer to the above questions

"he gave hope when there was none" -- how subjective is that?

I know I'm just ranting and raving here, but I do think these are valid questions. I apologize in advance for rehashing all this.

Marduk

What was so special about Jesus?

He came back from the dead!!!


Did he teach or say anything that hadn't already been taught or thought of?

He taught freshman calculus for a year at MIT.

Setting the miracles and healings aside, what good works did he do?

He built the Brooklyn Bridge, the Pyramids, and my 2nd floor deck!



[ November 29, 2001: Message edited by: marduck ]</p>

cloudyphiz

"jesus built my hotrod"

aikido7

He taught people to live in a novel way during a difficult period of their history. He had a captivating vision of a life lived in direct contrast to the Roman status quo and he lived in a confluence of hopes and fears from centuries of Jewish mythologies and types.

He was orally brilliant, and, even though a member of the peasant class, taught in a unique way using short, pithy sayings which reversed conventional wisdom and enacted puzzling parables which also challenged dominant ways of seeing reality and the character of God.

Besides being a healer and an exorcist (except in John's gospel), he was also compassionate to the outcasts of his day and seems to have been a bit of a party animal. He didn't care much for the codified "purity" rules of his time, either.

He was no doubt killed because he was unwilling to relinquish his "Kingdom of God" vision of reality and after his death his followers believed he had been swept up into God's power and would soon return. None of this Jesus ever actually said or believed (in my view) but the attendant "religion" that grew up after his death had its roots in Jewish typologies of the "valiant death," a historical precendent involving a wish for a redeemer/messiah and a political mandate from the Roman general Constantine in 325 AD to declare the empire a "Christian" one.

Pope John Paul, Pat Robertson and David Koresh, of course, came much later.

[ November 30, 2001: Message edited by: aikido7 ]</p>

Marduk

"Jesus built my hotrod"


Ministry! cool. Psalm 69

HelenM

Well if Jesus is God I'd say thats special