We live in a country that is considered
the most devoted of all nations to the teachings of Jesus Christ.
A recent Gallop Poll in USA Today found that 70% of
Americans believe that Jesus is God or the Son of God. In 2000,
a Gallop Poll showed that 96% of all Americans celebrate Christmas,
which is the traditional holiday for honoring the birth of Christ.
There is no other Christian country that is comparable to the
U.S. in the number of Christians within its borders. Estimates
on the amount of Christians in America give the figure at around
225 million people or 75% of the population.
According to adherents.com, Christianity
has a total of about 2.1 billion followers, which makes it the
world’s largest religion. With such significant numbers,
we have to ask ourselves why the death of a Jewish Rabbi nearly
2,000 years ago has created so much influence, not only in the
U.S., but also around the world?
Born Yeshua ben Yosef, in the Judean Village
of Bethlehem, Jesus (Anglicized) was raised by working class
parents and apprenticed in the trade of carpentry. The details
of his early life are sparse and the majority of the New
Testament is concerned with his ministry years, which starts
at the age of around thirty and ends with his crucifixion three
or so years later.
Jesus had a difficult start to his ministry
and many people initially considered him insane. Mark 3:21 says
that, “And when his family heard it, they went out
to seize him, for people were saying, "He is beside himself.” However,
it was not long before he was able to draw crowds of people
with his combined efforts of healing and teaching. Jesus preached
in his ministry that he is the Son of God and at the
same time, he is one with God. He also made the claim
that he is the gatekeeper to Heaven and no one enters
into eternal life that does not believe in him.
However ones personal opinions differ on
Jesus Christ, I am sure that we can all agree that he is one
of the most remarkable individuals the world has ever seen.
Even Thomas Jefferson, who most people consider a deist, wrote
that, “Of all the systems of morality, ancient or
modern which have come under my observation, none appears to
me so pure as that of Jesus.” Napoleon Bonaparte
said that, "Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself
founded empires; but what foundation did we rest the creations
of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded an empire upon
love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.”
Whether or not he is God or the Son of
God is something that has been heatedly debated for the past
two millenniums. If he was telling the truth then that
would make him God, on the other hand, if he lied about his
claims, then he must be considered nothing short of a lunatic.
Either the influence of Jesus Christ has lead countless people
to the truth or it has deceived billions.
What if Jesus was telling the truth? Hitler claimed
to be doing the work of God, but in the end his evil deeds came
to light. Jesus, on the other hand, does not appear to have done
anything wrong: he healed the sick, provided food for the poor,
and reminded us to show love and humility towards our fellow man.
Some of use may not believe in Jesus Christ, but we may at least
owe it to ourselves to investigate his claim? The one thing that
we can all agree upon, is that the debate continues to make interesting
discussion nearly two thousand years later!
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