Why does Jesus not make himself obvious today?

[marco]

Jesus promised to be with us till the end of the world. Many claim they speak to him and he offers guidance. But the lessons they learn seem to be no more substantial than the footnotes in some good advice book and less penetrating than a university course in moral philosophy. No more miracles; no more public displays. It's as if he really did die with no resurrection.


Would we expect a real Jesus to offer clear evidence of himself today?


Even if there is no Jesus around, is it still a good, comforting thing for some to believe he is?

Are there any dangers in believing Christ is around today?

[Willum]

[Replying to post 3 by JehovahsWitness]

His bow and horse vs my automobile and gun?
I'll take that farce.

A literal interpretation of my title.

[bluegreenearth]

[Replying to post 3 by JehovahsWitness]

His bow and horse vs my automobile and gun?
I'll take that farce.

A literal interpretation of my title.

Actually, killing god might only do him a favor since he required himself to be killed once before in the form of a human according to Christian mythology. There may even be some logic to the concept of deicide. Any eternal god with the qualities attributed to him by Christians will be so physically, emotionally, and intellectually bored with having already existed for an eternity into the past that he will likely devise some means by which it will possible for him to end his own existence rather than continue to exist for an eternity into the future.

[SallyF]

[Replying to post 1 by marco]

He will. But you might not like it when he does.




JW

An explicit threat if ever I saw one …!

What was all that about "love" and so forth …?

The most obvious reason Jesus does not make himself obvious today, is, that if there ever WAS a Jesus, he was just a human who died nearly 2,000 years ago, and exists only on the pages of his propaganda and the imaginations of Christians.

BUT …



The "End" of mankind, which has been long predicted by Jehovah's Witnesses, could happen as soon as THIS YEAR - according to latest announcement from the Christian religion.

In the latest edition of Jehovah's Witnesses monthly publication Watchtower, an article – translated into 700 languages - urges people to join the religion or face certain death when God sends his forces from the heavens to "remove all world leaders," "exterminate his enemies" and "rid the world of Satan".

Critics have lambasted the warning of a coming Armageddon as yet another "failed prediction" by the religion, which has previously delivered similar alerts such as a foretold apocalypse in 1975.

Indeed, Jehovah's Witnesses have been warning people of the need to recognise Jehovah or face certain death when the "End" comes for more than 100 years. https://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/5 ... noes-Earth

Jesus and those legions of genocidal angels may just burst through the clouds at ANY MOMENT.

So many people can't be wrong ALL the time … can they …?

But SOME will receive SPECIAL TREATMENT …!

[Tcg]

[Replying to post 1 by marco]


One rather obvious possible answer would be that Jesus no longer exists. He was a man who had a temporary and rather brief existence and now exists no more.

Another possible answer would be that as a literal man, he never existed at all.

I suppose a third would be that given the result of his supposed first visit, he has decided to stay in hiding.


Tcg

[Tcg]

Indeed, Jehovah's Witnesses have been warning people of the need to recognise Jehovah or face certain death when the "End" comes for more than 100 years.

Unless the JWs implode, there is no reason to think that in another 100 years, they won't still be making the same unsupportable claim. If humans last that long, even in a 1,000 years, JWs may still be making this claim and those who are swayed by scare tactics rather than verifiable evidence may still be fearing their version of the "End" which there is no reason to believe will ever come.

Just like the water thrown on the Wicked Witch of the West, ask for verifiable evidence and watch the clear shriveling of those claiming to know future events.


Tcg

[Zzyzx]

.

Why does Jesus not make himself obvious today?

The Jesus of lore appears to have been either:

1. A wandering Jewish preacher who died
2. A fictionalized / composite character

In either event, reappearance seems doubtful.

[Difflugia]

It is said:

"He said to him, 'If they don't listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.'"
Luke 16:31

I believe the same is today, Bible and its message is enough. People who don’t receive the message now, don’t receive it in any case.

That sounds to me like homeopathy, acupuncture, and chiropractic medicine: If they don't listen to internet testimonials, neither will they be persuaded by proper clinical trials.

[1213]

…That's all fine and dandy if the unfalsifiable claims in the Bible are true, but what will it mean if those unfalsifiable claims turn out to be false? Would it mean people who don't receive the message are wise to be skeptical? Would it mean people who are persuaded by the Biblical message are gullible?

Hmmm… …for me Bible is mainly about good and right. For example it is good to love others, it is good not to murder, lie or steal…. …I don’t see how those matters could be proven wrong and untrue. Is it wise to be skeptical about “don’t murder�? Maybe so, however, I think it is not matter of belief, I think it is a matter of understanding something correctly. In my opinion right understanding is greater than belief in something. Bible tells that even demons believe, so I think believing is not the crucial matter, right understanding is.

[bluegreenearth]

…That's all fine and dandy if the unfalsifiable claims in the Bible are true, but what will it mean if those unfalsifiable claims turn out to be false? Would it mean people who don't receive the message are wise to be skeptical? Would it mean people who are persuaded by the Biblical message are gullible?

Hmmm… …for me Bible is mainly about good and right. For example it is good to love others, it is good not to murder, lie or steal…. …I don’t see how those matters could be proven wrong and untrue. Is it wise to be skeptical about “don’t murder�? Maybe so, however, I think it is not matter of belief, I think it is a matter of understanding something correctly. In my opinion right understanding is greater than belief in something. Bible tells that even demons believe, so I think believing is not the crucial matter, right understanding is.

If the Bible inspires you to be a moral person, I take no issue with that. The content of a book need not be non-fiction to inspire moral behavior. Many people have learned valuable lessons from fictional stories throughout the ages. Where I take issue is when people act immorally based on what they believe to be "moral" guidance from the Bible. If the objective consequence of a Bible-inspired behavior is demonstrably and unjustifiably harmful, then belief does matter because belief in the Bible is the source of immoral behavior in that situation.

[JJ50]

There is a lot that is very wrong in the Bible, downright evil in fact!