Finding Jesus
February 27th, 2007 at 9:25 am by Chad (Chad's Blog)
What if they really found the physical remains of Jesus Christ, his wife and their child? Church historians believe that this sort of revelation (pardon the pun) would cause many modern Christians to lose their faith. If your faith is so fragile that mere facts can get in the way, then you believe nothing worthwhile anyway. We live in a world where we pit science and religion against one another as if one were completely correct and the other completely wrong. If the Bible contains factual errors, does that make it all untrue? Of course not. I think many modern Christians see the Bible for what it is: A book of guidelines and inspiration written by men in power thousands of years ago. The original intent is still there, if you look hard enough, but readers must realize the many translations and changes inspired by greed and power have taken their toll. Leviticus is not a “how to live your life” book at all, but more of an Old Testament price sheet for sins. If you read that whole book and not just the verses about the homos, you’ll see what I mean.
I rejoice in the very concept that they might have found proof that Christ was a real man who really walked the Earth. The miracles he performed need not be scientific impossibilities. He performed the same sort of miracles that Ghandi and Rosa Park performed — social change against impossible odds.
If you study ancient culture and carefully read through translation and open your heart, you can understand how Jesus really turned water into wine or raised Lazarus from the dead. Culturally, you need a few additional details, like at weddings only the bride and groom drank wine. As a sacrifice and well-wishing, everyone else drank water. If you drank the water, you got sick. Jesus made sure everyone had wine so no one had to get sick. Miracle. Lazarus had really hacked off the Pharisees and they had excommunicated him, which in the vernacular of the day was called dying, as you basically did. You were exiled from the villages, no one spoke to you, and you hung around at the tombs until you died of starvation or animal attack. Jesus refused to participate in the forced ostracism, and when Jesus rebelled, everyone else did, too, thus raising Lazarus. Miracle. Social Miracle.
Jesus was a cool guy even without magic.
Tags:rant,religion
Colleen said,
February 28th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
Sounds like he used headology on them! Makes me wonder if good ol’ JC had a Boffo catalogue.
Chad said,
March 1st, 2007 at 10:34 am
Reverend Rob Schenk, president of the National Clergy Council, proves my whole point in my rant above about not believing anything worthwhile.
In this article, he’s quoted as saying,
He requires that his philosophy be proved (or at least not disproved) by physical evidence. I wonder if he believes in love, since that cannot be scientifically validated?
Saint Gasoline said,
March 3rd, 2007 at 2:06 am
I highly doubt that they’ve found Jesus. Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were very common names at that time period.
GerRee said,
March 5th, 2007 at 9:00 am
Spoken like a true believer. Jesus was freakin’ cool. And how is it that Creationists do not see the sheer miraculousness of evolution???
Chad said,
March 5th, 2007 at 9:15 am
I have no idea. I’ve said for years that a creator who can come up with all the laws of physics, biology, and everything else while leaving no physical evidence of his existence is far more interesting and (dare I say it) omnipotent than a boring one that would have to stick his hands in the mud and make people like a crude and primitive sculptor. It’s a metaphor, people!
Brad said,
March 14th, 2007 at 5:40 am
I have to say I am kinda leaning more in the same direction you are Chad, I think I am becoming a closet atheist, or at least agnostic. I’m not sure what the hell I am. I’m up for some more in-depth discussions if you are interested.
Glad to see you guys updating your blog/website again! Mine is pretty much stagnant at this point. lol.