What would you say to Jesus if you met him?

You are christian, scantet so.

I have myself experienced - as I suppose most of you know :blush: - intolerance towards certain beliefs in modern society...but people never change. If some people feel the need of a god, let them feel it, let them do what they like. Let them educate their children to believe in the same god, and thus have their religion passed on and on, long after the first landing on the moon is rendered possible by science (sorry to those whom I remember to believe otherwise ;)), long after the advent of computers, telivisions, artificial intelligence...perhaps until the end of mankind. It's alright, even if a belief is incorrect, even if people have a view on truth that is a little different from what actually is. But if religion clashes with science, if creationists bombard the world with a "science" that is equivalent to pigs flying, if the masses are educated to despise those who disbelieve in their religion (or even non-religion), in short if religious strife channels through the world, how is there ever going to be such a thing as world peace? Think of the Crusades, the "Holy Wars", all the blood lost for religion. Pointless, cruel, don't you agree? My point is, being an atheist is perfectly moral...but what's the point of it if we can't tolerate other people's beliefs, however ill-founded they are? What's the point of any religion if it doesn't help people to be good to one another, to be kind to themselves? Let Christians pursue Christianity, let Jews be Jews, let Muslims be Muslims, and let atheists be atheists. There is no point in arguing about it, it only makes us hot-blooded and intolerant of others. Let's simply accept that people are different and have different needs and views. Christians should be able to accept that certain people don't mind being "damned" and atheists should be able to accept that even in the twenty-first century it is possible for people to believe in gods and witches and ghosts...we are, after all, all human. Being of a particular belief or non-belief doesn't mean that we are in any way more wise than others, just because we seem to know better...we'll always have equally strange ideas at times in our lives as the idea of God or the idea of no God (depending on your view of what is strange of course), and be whole-heartedly foolish at others.

After all, as the saying goes: to err is human, to forgive divine. To forgive mistakes in others, to forgive misunderstandings, to forgive offence. Let's finally understand that nobody is perfect.

I think I've said enough.

Eloquently put MissDarcy :)

I don't want to be moral.
I don't want to be tolerant in words on the net.
This is every-day-life business.
And I don't need a teacher.
Mein guter meister.

Moreover, you make the thing too simple, in your opinion the secret for living in peace and happy is toleration, my good lady, it is exactly the inverse: happiness induces toleration, but that is sociology not philosophy.

Further on, creeds are not simply opinions, creeds are a way of interpretating reality and, as a result, of behaving, creeds mean social advancement, for instance, in Italy Christianity is lately newly raising, adding the fact that Europe is meeting a period of economic recession, the whole situation is read as a revival of an Italy we believed to have disappeared.

Reality is very very very very complex, I cannot afford simplifying.

I would ask Jesus why he was so cruel to Judas. In front of all the rest of the disciples at the Last Supper, he created a situation in which one of them would be forced to either betray him or prove him a liar. Of course, a disciple therefore had to betray him. Then, Jesus allowed Judas to be cast as a monster by those that wrote the gospels.

Drama has its own rules, my friend.

WoOoOoOW. hmmm.....
well, my parents used to be missionaries in Indonesia, and my brother and sister and I were all pretty much raised there until I was five. In case you haven't heard on the news, Indonesia is filled with radical Muslims and terrorists, and my family was saved from countless dangers. One time, there was a riot outside of my sister's daycare, and we think my dad might have been poisoned one time.

Anyway, after crying and everything, I'd thank him over and over for all He's given me, even though I don't deserve it. Oh, and I'd thank Him for giving me hands and a voice.

"And men loved darkness rather than the light" (John; and ironically quoted by Leopardi in his "Ginestra" (Wild Broom))

That is a really good question...

I know when I am studying with friends or by myself that I think of certain things:

Some that come to mind, if I get to meet Him and chat with Him:

Why does God not directly forbid slavery? Why does He not specifically state "Thou shalt not commit slavery?"

He kind of addresses it for His chosen people in the books of law but not directly...

Why is Daniel mentioned in His Hebrew name consistently (not Belteshazzar) while Hanania, Mishael and Azariah are referred to more by their Babylonian names Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego? This question is silly but I still wondered.

I know that there are more questions. There is a lot of stuff I just don't get, but that's okay 'cause at some point I have to step back an realize I am a finite being trying to understand the infinite God and Creator of the universe. Sometimes I burn dinner so how can I expect to completely understand the infinite God.

I read a comment what questioned if dinosaurs exist and actually the bible talks about dinos with two different names: Leviathan and Behemoth. Our secular texts state that the most "explainable reason" for dinos disappearing was a meteor hitting earth some years ago. Secular texts also stated that dinos and humans did not live together, but billions of years apart, however it is not backed with science (measurable, verifiable data). I think the more indicated data from science, which the bible is consistent with, is a universal flood (remember Noah's Ark) that changed the known world at the time to what we see today. Did you know that all civilizations have some form of a flood myth? Different myths but still all involving lots of water. Read that part of Genesis carefully and write down your questions. :)

Some one asked why Jesus did not "save" everyone? I am not sure what they were referring to: do you mean now? or do you mean while He was "God-man"(as someone else referred) and doing His ministry?
If your question is regarding His time on earth doing His ministry that is simple... Jesus knew He only had three years to do what He came to do: make an eternal impact on people and die for our sins. He continued to tell His people He only had so long to do this thing. He certainly had the capability to heal the worlds hurt: sickness, demons, etc. but that was not his target. Did you notice that each time that He healed someone or "saved" them, if you will, He had something to be taught that directly related. Jesus did not come to heal everyone of their lack of sight, leprosy, demon possession (all worldly temporal hurts); He came to heal our hearts from Sin (the eternal)! It is very clear that despite all the signs and wonders many people believed one day and the next joined the crowds to stone Him to death. Jesus did not come to heal absolutely everyone because that was not His goal: we chose sin and satan over God and what He intended for us. Jesus came to fill that gap to put it simply. Jesus paid the price, that was His goal, that was His target. He did not come to heal the inconvenient worldly stuff which is temporal, but to heal the broken heart, the heart broken by sin so that we could have a chance to live eternally in heaven with God.

For those of you who are trying to interpret the book of Revelation, which was written by John (not Paul, but for credit Paul is highly suspected to have written more than half the new testament), please do not hold any of what you think it might be saying as true. Do you remember what the religious elite thought of the old testament prophets to Jesus' time of the prophesies of His coming, His life and His second coming? Do you remember that they were totally wrong. Guys, that's the way prophesy works. Hindsight is better than forsight. It will make sense when it's all said and done.

Grace and Peace to you.

Become informed, consider Christ today.

I'd show him a red-letter edition Bible. I'd take him to a couple of church services. I'd sit him down in front of the TV to watch some tele-preaching. I'd have him read the Religious Texts forum.

Then I'd ask him what he thought.

"Dude! Is it true, all that crazy stuff Milton said about your dad?"

I would ask him if he's sad that people worship him as a god [god, or son of god, or both, or...which is it???], when he's really just a prophet of God.

I would ask, "where the >>>> have you been hiding?"

I would thank him for the ability to love