If Jesus is God . . .

[Sofiyya 1,687]

These are sincere questions, and not intended to offend. They are not meant to be mocking of Christianity in any way. Jesus is a great prophet in Islam, one who will return on the Day of Judgment, so no observant Muslim would ever disrespect Him. However, because I am a scholar and a perpetual student of religion, I'm always curious about such matters. I've asked these questions of laymen and scholars alike for years, and it's always interesting to see what individuals think. So. . . .

If Jesus is God,

- does that mean He worshipped Himself?

- does that mean He killed Himself?

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Jesus was the son of God.

[james&olya 1,121]

These are sincere questions, and not intended to offend. They are not meant to be mocking of Christianity in any way. Jesus is a great prophet in Islam, one who will return on the Day of Judgment, so no observant Muslim would ever disrespect Him. However, because I am a scholar and a perpetual student of religion, I'm always curious about such matters. I've asked these questions of laymen and scholars alike for years, and it's always interesting to see what individuals think. So. . . .

If Jesus is God,

- does that mean He worshipped Himself?

- does that mean He killed Himself?

I grew up fundamentalist christian and have wondered the same. Never could figure it out. Maybe that is why I am a non-theistic christian (believe in the moral teachings of Jesus but don't believe in the god part).

[james&olya 1,121]

Jesus was the son of God.

But if you are from one of the sects that believed in the 'trinity' as mine did, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God the father are all God!

[spookyturtle 9,466]

But if you are from one of the sects that believed in the 'trinity' as mine did, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God the father are all God!

That is true. That is what Catholics are taught. And the concept is puzzling. Jesus the man prayed to the Holy Father at Gethsemane on the night before he was crucified.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

It is a difficult concept to grasp, one God, three forms. Separate, yet one. God the Son, prayed to God the Father. The Father sent His Son to save mankind.

[Sofiyya 1,687]

I grew up fundamentalist christian and have wondered the same. Never could figure it out. Maybe that is why I am a non-theistic christian (believe in the moral teachings of Jesus but don't believe in the god part).

That's a novel concept. You still consider yourself a christian (small "c")?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

These are sincere questions, and not intended to offend. They are not meant to be mocking of Christianity in any way. Jesus is a great prophet in Islam, one who will return on the Day of Judgment, so no observant Muslim would ever disrespect Him. However, because I am a scholar and a perpetual student of religion, I'm always curious about such matters. I've asked these questions of laymen and scholars alike for years, and it's always interesting to see what individuals think. So. . . .

If Jesus is God,

- does that mean He worshipped Himself?

- does that mean He killed Himself?

Muslims don't believe in a Messiah, past, present or future? Hmmm...interesting. I did not know that.

The Holy Trinity is a mystery. Christ is God incarnate, yet wholly human. Jesus spoke, prayed to and worshiped "his Father in heaven" as a human. I believe Jesus is the Son of God because he proclaimed it. To have faith in that requires embracing the mystery of it. How is that any different from having faith in Muhammad as the highest prophet of God, in terms of rationale?

Edited December 27, 2010 by 8TBVBN

[Sunny123 44]

Am Christian by faith. I never fully under stoon the trinity the father, the son and the holy spirit. But aren't we all God's sons and daughters?

[Danno 1,228]

Am Christian by faith. I never fully under stoon the trinity the father, the son and the holy spirit. But aren't we all God's sons and daughters?

What do you base that concept on?

While I agree it sounds warm and fuzzy but what does it even mean to "Be a Child of God"?

I'm sure many scriptures in various faiths parse between Children of God (followers) and the Unbelievers or infidel.

Do Jews believe Christians are... in their Christian State... as equally a Child of God as is a Jew?

And if Christians say they believe "we are all Children of God"...... then why would Christians require a savior in the first place... if they were already a Child of God?

[Myopia 93]

Muslims don't believe in a Messiah, past, present or future? Hmmm...interesting. I did not know that.

The Holy Trinity is a mystery. Christ is God incarnate, yet wholly human. Jesus spoke, prayed to and worshiped "his Father in heaven" as a human. I believe Jesus is the Son of God because he proclaimed it. To have faith in that requires embracing the mystery of it. How is that any different from having faith in Muhammad as the highest prophet of God, in terms of rationale?

Yes Muslims do believe in a "Messiah" but not in the same way as a Christian would. The belief is that Jesus will come back to earth, before the last day and fulfill the rest of his earthy days on earth a an earthly man.

I believe Jesus is a child of God just as we all are and Jesus (Alayhis Salam) is considered a Prophet that is to be revered just in the same vein as we revere Muhammad(Sallalahu Alayhis wa selem)

[Myopia 93]

Am Christian by faith. I never fully under stoon the trinity the father, the son and the holy spirit. But aren't we all God's sons and daughters?

The idea of God the father, God the son and God the holy Ghost is founded in a statement from the Church of Chalcedon who proclaimed that Jesus was both God and Man. This is known as the hypostatic union. At that time they only mentioned two parts of the Godhead rather than the more commonly known three.

It is explained as three working in unity as one which sounds like three working as three separate entities to me but apparently means three working as one body, each responsible for a different aspect of the Godhead yet working as one. No matter how much I say it it still sounds like three separate entities working in unity rather than One working as one.

Thats basically what the trinity is about.

Once I understood what the trinity was..I left that belief for one that was purely monotheistic and satisfied my desire to worship one God with no deviation.

Edited December 27, 2010 by Myopia

[james&olya 1,121]

That's a novel concept. You still consider yourself a christian (small "c")?

It is a difficult concept for many to grasp but it is the best way I have found to summarize my personal belief. I did not come up with this though. I read some excellent books by Bishop Spong, a clergy person from the Episcopalian church. So yes, christian, small c.

[Danno 1,228]

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

Who did "our" include?

[웃 910]

Number 1 proof Jesus was not anything even remotely close to a God....Jews like to gossip. A lot of people do but maybe even Jews slightly more. If there was a dude 2000 years ago that walked on water, turning a slice of bread into enough bread to feed the masses and turning water into wine, and healing people, etc., every Jew would have been very proud of their fellow Jew (Jesus) and there wouldn't be one Jew today that didn't believe in Jesus the Son of God. But it is the opposite, the Jews (smart people, and people that like to talk) did not see Jesus as anything but a regular human being. That in itself is proof that Jesus was no God.

To answer your questions:

1) - does that mean He worshiped Himself? I guess since Jesus, while on Earth, was Human-like it would be a "deeper" question to ask if God the Father worships Himself....To give you a simple answer God, Jesus, Spirits, Devils, Angels are the same as Thor, X-men, Vampires, Ghosts, Wearwolves. They are made-up. Man has a fantastic imagination.

2) - does that mean He killed Himself? According to the fable, the way I look at it is that Jesus did indeed know He was going to die. So it was actually His Father (God) that murdered His own son to show us sinners how much He loved us! Kind of a bizarre way to show your love. If this made-up God really loved us wouldn't it have been better to make Earth more human-friendly. Why are so many hundreds of millions of people starving each day? Couldn't God have made more trees that produce fruit in these poverty stricken areas? More lakes, rivers in these areas with an abundance of delicious fish? More healthy soil for vegetable production? Why are 1 out of 7 people living on less than $1 a day? Why do so many not have access to clean water? Why is the earth so microscopic? Back in the bible days there were only about 100 million humans (provable) while human intelligence was at a 2010 year low (provable). Now there are almost 7 billion people (provable) and the earth is operating close to human maximum capacity (provable). So why did God (not-provable) make earth so small (1.3 billion earths <a number you have to really think about to understand the magnitude> is equal to our sun). Didn't God care about climate change, the environment, over population, lack of food and clean water? I guess not!

Last proof that God IS NOT KIND. You would never have places like this if God was as infinitely kind as most people seem to believe. You wouldn't have 3 day old babies with "shriveled faces that resemble an elderly man" and "pencil thin arms":

4/8/10

Sudan Hunger Crisis: Starving Children, Families Struggling to Survive

AKOBO, Sudan — Three-day-old Odong Obong lay in the hospital bed, his pencil-thin arms almost motionless and his shriveled, gaunt face resembling that of an elderly man. Emaciated babies and young children throughout the ward bore the signs of hunger: exposed ribs and distended stomachs. Outside, old villagers reclined motionless in the shade, too frail to walk.

The U.N. calls this the "hungriest place on Earth" after years of drought and conflict, with aid agencies already feeding 80,000 people here. A doctor says the worst is yet to come.

Two years of failed rains and tribal clashes have laid the foundation for Africa's newest humanitarian crisis. The World Food Program quadrupled its assistance levels from January to March in the Akobo region of southeastern Sudan.

International aid agencies are bracing for the worst. Even if spring rains materialize this year, the harvest won't come in until fall.

"And if there is no rain, it will get worse," said Dr. Galiek Galou, one of three doctors at the hospital in this town on the border with Ethiopia.

"If you stay here for a week you'll have problems, even if you have money," he said. "There is nothing to buy."

Southern Sudan lies in a drought-prone belt of Africa, but the situation has been exacerbated by rising intertribal violence that claimed more than 2,000 lives in 2009. Because of the global financial meltdown, the government has fewer available resources.

The food crisis is also a legacy of a devastating north-south civil war of more than 21 years that left 2 million people dead and many more displaced. That conflict is separate from the war in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, which began in 2003 and has killed 300,000.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/08/sudan-hunger-crisis-starv_n_531185.html