I was just thinking- in my religion (catholic) Jesus was the son of God and everything, but what if...?

Question

Jesus was no more than a prophet, or even less just a preacher who claims to be the son of god. someone who preached against the Jews and his followers became what we know as christians. so he was great to us christians but to the jews he was nothing more than a rebel who was crucified for his non sense

-does this theory hold any water? i mean we really see no proof of Jesus being immortal, other than the bible.

by the way i mean no offense by this. im a really open minded person and i dont want anyone getting angry at this

Answer 1

I'm Jewish so just to clarify:

Jesus taught basic Judaism. He taught Torah - that's where he took 'love thy neighbour' from!

He was not a 'rebel' in all senses; at that time there were MANY young Jewish preachers going around, claiming to be the messiah and expressing new ideas and suggestions. So again, Jesus was one of MANY.

And he was only crucified because the Romans tended to kill all the leaders of radical Jewish sects, especially those men who claimed they were the 'maschiach'. Yet again: Jesus was NOT unique here!

Anyway, just wanted to clarify :)

http://www.ajewwithaview.com

CARMELITE

No, Jews do NOT view Jesus as a 'prophet'. We don't view him as anything, he plays no part in our religion.

Answer 2

Think; its not illegal yet.

Answer 3

Would it make any difference?  Would his teachings be any less valid?  Maybe the words are more important than the man.

EDIT:  If his teachings can't stand alone, then they couldn't possibly be perfect.  Personally, I think Jesus's words are valid even though I don't believe that he has any power to offer me a divine reward.  Tell me then, who is the better "christian"?

Answer 4

You'd probably be interested in Jesus for the non-Religious by John Shelby Spong.

Makes about the same points you did and interprets Jesus' life and teachings humanistically.

Answer 5

The Catholic Priest has definitely missed the mark with you.

Jesus the Christ said, "I am the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father God except by Me."

Jesus is the only way to heaven.  There is no other way.  The King James Version of the Holy Bible is inspired by God.  If you know God, you would know that God is more than able to protect His Word, the Holy Bible.  Consider this with your many doubts, if God can create the heavens and the earth and call all the stars by name and know the hairs on your head and can count the sand of the sea, then do you honestly think that God cannot protect His Word, the Holy Bible.

The King James Version of the Holy Bible is NOT BOUND by copyright laws.  Psalm 147:19 says, "He showeth His WORD unto JACOB . . ."  James is not an English word, but it is a Hebrew word and the Hebrew word for James is JACOB.

God told King David to put this in the Psalms for you.

Jesus Christ is the Son of God and God in human flesh who came down to the earth to walk among men.

Apostle Peter would not have been crucified up-side-down because he felt not worthy to be crucified right-side-up like Christ was.

These apostles of Jesus Christ suffered horrible deaths because they preached His word.

Do you know the Word of God?  I have found that many Catholics do not even read the Bible.  Do you not know that God commands us to read His Word?  Do you know that you will be judged according to the Word of God if you are not saved?

Jesus Christ is far more than a prophet, far more than a preacher, far more than a teacher, far more than even the Son of God, but Jesus Christ was Almighty God in human flesh.  Jesus clearly stated that "if you've seen Me, you've seen the Father God."  Jesus even said, "I and the Father are One."

Peter was a Jew.  Paul was a Jew.  James a Jew.  John a Jew.  And they were all put to death for their faith in Jesus the Christ, Almighty God in human flesh.  The only Lamb of God that could take away the sins of the world and keep you and me out of h**l.

We have Jews today that believe in Jesus the Christ, but Apostle Paul said that their hearts are partially hardened until the Gentiles come in.

The Pharisees and Sadducees of the Temple in Jerusalem rejected their Messiah and refused to believe that God would come humbly as Jesus came.  They were looking for the King coming with all power, but that is the second coming of Christ which will happen shortly.

You said, "I mean we really see no proof of Jesus being immortal other than the Bible." The Word of God is good enough for me.  I trust the Word of God, the King James Version of the Holy Bible.  But better than that is Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice."  I know God's voice and I know the Holy Spirit dwells in me.

Jesus said, "you must be born again."  Repent for rejecting Jesus as the Son of God and God in human flesh.  Without Jesus, you have no hope of eternal life.  The Catholic Church can't get you to heaven.  Only Jesus is the way to eternal life.

Get you a King James Bible and read the Book of John.  As you read ask the Holy Spirit to come into your life and help you read God's word so you can understand it.

You are missing so much. God has so much to offer you and you are rejecting Him.  There are not many ways to heaven as false teachers are telling the world today.  Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to heaven.

God sets rules and God is an orderly God and Jesus is God's plan of Salvation.  The Blood of Jesus shed on that Cross for you and me was the sacrificial Lamb of God that took your sins and my sins on Himself so we could have eternal life.  If Jesus had not gone to that cross, we would be lost with no hope, bound for h**l and eternal death.

Search for Jesus with all your heart and do not give up until you find the Lord and you know Jesus.  

Answer 6

Jews and Muslims view Jesus as a prophet and nothing more.

We Christinas see him as God's only-begotten Son -- God's word made flesh.

He did not preach against the Jews....he was a devout practising Jew throughout his life.  The proof is that the early church was a sect within Judaism and not separate from it.  Paul called himself a Pharissee some 35+ years after Jesus' Ascension into heaven.

Answer 7

If just a prophet, then your faith in his as your savior & lord is in vain & you are to be pitied more than all me.

Read 1 Corinthians 15.  St. Paul addresses this issue specifically.

Answer 8

if your what you say you are ,why don't you read the the bible  ,research everything you believe and make sure your worshiping the god of the bible!  its just a thought i did it and got a big surprise

and i believe now more than ever

Answer 9

Given that he was a Jew to preach against the Jews would have been a slightly odd thing to do, don't you think? I know John is a bit loose with his vocabulary, but in the synoptic gospels it is the Jewish establishment that Jesus is regularly at loggerheads with, not the Jews as such. After all, not only was Jesus Jewish, but so were all of his first followers.

Answer 10

To me the Bible seems really strong that Jesus was/is a very important part of getting into Heaven.

Answer 11

You will be eternally judged by exactly what you believe - careful

1Jo 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.  

Answer 12

That's not what He said about Himself though is it?

Answer 13

Keep on asking. The saner your questions are, the closer you get to the Truth.

Answer 14

Jesus did not preach against the Jews, remember he was born one.  He said that he did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it.  Christianity, is not against Jews.  In the New Testament, Paul begs us not to be ignorant that Israel will be saved after the time of the Gentiles.

Answer 15

To answer your question, no one knows the exact nature of Jesus.  Some believe he is the Son of God. Others believe he was a prophet, and still others believe he was an ordinary man.  Take your pick.  

  

Answer 16

Jesus never existed, he is a story copied from other mystery religions.  He is a metaphor for finding the divinity with in, that spark of God within you, thereby everyone is a Christ, everyone is a Blessed one, an anointed one, IF they realize this.  Then, you are basically killing your old self, in favor of the new, which is now resurrected.  Thereby, you absolve yourself of your sins of your past.

People decided to start taking the story literally, and those people happened to have risen to power, and destroyed the "heretics" (Gnostics) who knew it was a metaphor.  So now people look for salvation OUTSIDE of themselves, seeking something outside of them.  When their salvation is within them.  All these people who claim to know their religion so well, don't know it at all.

And all the information is out there.... you just need to look with an open mind.  

Answer 17

I am a Catholic as well and hope you know that it there is nothing wrong in asking this question. In fact, it's one of the most important questions we can ask so that we know we're not just blindly following a set of beliefs.

I heard it said (and agree with) that Jesus was one, and only one, of three things. He was/is either Lord, liar, or lunatic, meaning, Jesus was either truly the Son of the Lord, or a man who was able to convince a group of people to follow him, or was convinced that He was God made man, and really wasn't. This question directly coincides with this idea in seeking out whether He was more than a prophet, as some believe.

The key to answering this question is in the Resurrection (and ultimately whether you believe it happened or not). Jesus preached the message of love during His time on Earth nearly 2000 years ago and was crucified for it. Three days later, He rose from the dead and it is in His conquering of death by raising from the dead that makes Him more than a prophet; it means that what He said was indeed true, that He was and is the Son of the Living God. If He didn't come back to life than He probably would have been remembered as being a great prophet, but because He rose, He truly is Who He said He was.

You say that "we really see no proof of Jesus being immortal, other than the bible". Well, with that line of logic, why believe anything else in the Bible? If you believe anything else the Bible teaches, why wouldn't you believe this testament about Christ? Without the Bible, we wouldn't have evidence of anything Christianity preaches! It is in the Bible we find these truths. Faith in the Bible and Christian teaching requires that there is no other proof we need in order to believe.

I hope that I have showed (at least somewhat) that Jesus Christ was more than a man with a message. God Bless!

P.S. Below is a link that shows 15 logical points as to why the Resurrection is perfectly logical.

P.P.S. I hope you don't truly believe that being a Catholic is a cause for being close minded! I'm a Catholic who is quite open to other opinions and ideas, but I check them against the foundation of the Church and reason truth from all points of view. I find that Catholicism is where I find the truth to always reside. I pray that you find comfort in what you believe and that you always feel free to explore and question everything in this world, because that is what allows a mature and rational mind to grow.

Answer 18

Jesus said than when He is with the father that we well receive the Holy Spirit(comforter).  That did happen on The Day of Pntecost.  The Apostles performed great miracles.  I have seen The Holy Spirit at work. Jesus is alive.  The Book of Acts.

Answer 19

According to the canon of your religion to even think such a thing is heresy.