Bobzammel

On one hand, he is said to have healed people, told some good morals and advice, and apparentally gave his life as some sort of sin sacrifice.

On the other hand, he commanded people to forsake their friends, families, and homes, stated he was the "only way" and often set impossible and puzzling behavioral standards. Not to mention that he failed to practice what he preached. No matter how many ways you try to justify it, calling your enemies "Brood of vipers!" is in no way, shape or form, "Loving your enemy".


Any thoughts?

christ-on-a-stick

Yes, mostly that if there even *was* a historical Jesus it is highly unlikely that the purported story of his life is an accurate historical record.

HOWEVER, if your question refers not to reality per se but him as he is presented in the Bible, I'd say that he appeared to be a freakin' lunatic.

Thieving Magpie

In response to your 'on the other hand' comments:

The fact that he "commanded people to forsake their friends, families, and homes, stated he was the "only way" and often set impossible and puzzling behavioral standards" does not necessarily mean he was selfish.

Also, it is still possible to love your enemy, and still have them as an enemy - so calling some of them a 'Brood of vipers' would be appropriate. Please consider that 'loving ones enemy' means potentially something quite different than merely 'turning the other cheek.' 'Turning the other cheek' refers to not acting out in rage just because you have been affronted - something people often do - this was probably pretty good advice. However, to love one's enemy could mean something like being fair to them, and with them, and not hating them as people, but merely hating what they do instead. Also, in being fair to your enemy, it would be important to give them the benefit of the doubt, when reasonable, and to treat them civilly as people, unless they deserve retribution. People often point out Jesus' rage at the moneychangers in the Temple.. well, in his eyes (and supposedly in God's eyes) these people were committing a terrible sin - Jesus acted justly when he over turned their tables and so forth, according to Christianity.

In short, it is good to love your enemy because though they may be evil they also 'know not what they do' and thusly, must, and can be taught otherwise. An enemy is not a thing independent unto itself, as Satan is supposed to be, so it is not right to hate them for who they are, only for what they do. Many people hate others merely because they had spited them at some point in the past, today we may call this behaviour 'petty' or 'immature' and one might argue that that is what Jesus was trying to point out - albeit in a far more friendly, and dare I say it, soteriological fashion.

Sephiroth

The guy strikes me as a freaking lunatic. One moment he advocates no violence, the next moment he's beating up money-changers at the temple, one moment he preaches love, the next moment he's wearing a holier-than-thou attitude and hurling kindergarten-level insults at those who don't follow him. Does he ever not contradict himself? IMHO, all too often he acts, at best, like a child that never grew up.

Amie

selfless

Mad Kally

Fictional person made up by ancient superstitious goat herders.

kctan

This just demonstrates he's just as selfish as any one of us. He preached what he like due to his selfish nature & behaved what he like due to his selfish nature as well.

There's no such thing as selfless. It's still selfish in that by being so called 'selfless' it actually satisfies the person's selfish nature.

braces_for_impact

It seems to me as if he's a common everyday minor celebrity who is following his own primitive moral/religious code that he was taught by his culture, only slightly modified.

I see nothing special about him. As far as sons of gods go, he was pretty tame. As far as teachers full of wisdom, there were better. As far as a deity in and of himself, not all that striking really.

AspenMama

As a man or myth, he was selfish and power hungry. Or, quite insane, charismatic, and deluded by the popular mythology of the times.

bltl6

As God, Jesus has every right to be selfish. Claiming to be the only way is claiming his deity.

As God in the form of man (for the 33 yrs. he walked among us) he was also an example by healing and loving others (i.e. making friends w/ the "rejects" of society, etc.).

I think you're making the "brood of vipers" comment a little more than it is. He was speaking the truth. I could call a prostitute a whore and be completely justified if she had no desire to become anything eles and hated me for trying to encourage her to be different, as Jesus tried to do with the religious teachers of his day. On that same vain, Jesus did make friends with one Pharasie in particular--Nicodimas. Look at John 3.

Sorry for my poor spelling.