Would you still believe in God, if you found out that

[Elijah John]

Would you still believe in God if you discovered that Jesus is not God? If so, what form would that new found realization take? Would you then become a Jew? A Muslim? Or a free-lance, "heretical" Christian?, A Jehovah's Witness? Something else?

[brianbbs67]

Would you still believe in God if you discovered that Jesus is not God? If so, what form would that new found realization take? Would you then become a Jew? A Muslim? Or a free-lance, "heretical" Christian?, A Jehovah's Witness? Something else?

I don't know if Christ is or isn't. Doesn't change my position on God. I do lean in the orthodox jewish way. It was Christ's. I will say, that the Jews aren't that "jewish" anymore.

[marco]

Would you still believe in God if you discovered that Jesus is not God? If so, what form would that new found realization take? Would you then become a Jew? A Muslim? Or a free-lance, "heretical" Christian?, A Jehovah's Witness? Something else?

There was a benefit in having Jesus made God, since he offered a kind face one could speak to. We knew him as a baby, as a precocious schoolboy and as a poor suffering, misunderstood preacher sent by God to help us in some mysterious way. And having viewed renaissance art, we were sad at the crucified body.

But as Paul said - but never followed the advice himself - we put away childish ideas. When we discard Jesus as God we then have to re-invent God: call him Jehovah and make him nice; call him a universal force and embrace pantheism, or add a syllable and make him something else, which is too complex for simple definition. With Jesus deposed, we have a situation vacant which many have successfully filled with their own ideas.

[Elijah John]

When we discard Jesus as God we then have to re-invent God: call him Jehovah and make him nice; call him a universal force and embrace pantheism, or add a syllable and make him something else, which is too complex for simple definition. With Jesus deposed, we have a situation vacant which many have successfully filled with their own ideas.

Or, as Jesus really seems to have taught in the first place, call him "Father". Jesus presented a Fatherly face to Jehovah, no reinvention needed.

But with the human tendency for hero-worship, that was not enough for some people. They had to go and deify the messenger, probably much to the messenger's own dismay.

[RightReason]

[Replying to post 1 by Elijah John]

Would you still believe in God if you discovered that Jesus is not God?

I think I would need more information. Does the Bible still exist? Because if it did, it couldn’t be the same Bible. The Bible that has been revealed to the Church established by Christ shows Jesus is God.

So, sounds like you would be talking about an entirely different religion –not Christianity. I guess if Jesus did not exist yet, a Christian would turn back to Judaism and still be waiting for the Jewish prophecies to be fulfilled.

[William]

Elijah John: Would you still believe in God if you discovered that Jesus is not God?

William: Who would Jesus be then, if not GOD? What would this 'discovering' have to consist of?

Elijah John: If so, what form would that new found realization take?

William: Obviously it would get down to discovering who Jesus was, if not GOD.
The way I understand Jesus, he is the representative person of the real YHWH, in human form ... who had all but being largely ignored and used as a means of manipulating people under false concepts of GOD for a large part of Israels history.

Therefore, your question takes on an interesting conundrum when supposed that 'it is/can/will be 'discovered' that Jesus did no represent the true YHWH.

Obviously Jesus was very focused upon this point when in public - making no bones about the fact that the Jews had largely already -and for a long time - abandoned the true YHWH for the false one they had chosen to create, for their own national agenda.
The promise of YHWH sending a 'messiah' was part of that deception created by Israel about YHWH. It boosted the soldiers morale to be told that GOD promised them a mighty warrior who would destroy Israels enemies...'one day'.


Elijah John: Would you then become a Jew?

William: What is "A Jew' that one could 'become' one? According to Jesus - in his time, the answer was "Follow the real YHWH by listening to my voice and following me."
It stands to reason that discovering the real YHWH is in The Christ.
Not that I am arguing that Christianity isn't guilty of the very things that Israel was guilty of when Jesus first showed up on the scene - one has to admit that the given parameters governing YHWH in relation to Humans, there comes with this the most difficult task of trying to covey your self as you truly are, when Humans just want to make you into something they think is more useful...given in general, more useful things have to do with a more instant gratification and comfortable lifestyle.

Through Jesus, YHWH obviously took this into account..."The Buck Stopped There" ...only...people still prefer to judge one another in the name of their various beliefs, theists and non-theists alike.
There is no thing left for YHWH to do in regard to Human Beings. The Job was done.

Elijah John: Something else?

William: Truly your question cannot be answered Elijah John...until you give the reader a clear example of this 'thing' your premise implies - can be 'discovered' - about Jesus, not being YHWH.

[Tcg]

Would you still believe in God if you discovered that Jesus is not God?

I came to lack belief in God, but it had nothing to do with discovering that Jesus is not God. It was the result of realizing there is no reason to believe in God. Belief in God functions to provide comfort for some who need to deny painful realities about life. I simply took the step of honestly facing the painful realities about life. Once I did that, I no longer needed to depend on an unevidenced God to provide false comfort.

If so, what form would that new found realization take? Would you then become a Jew? A Muslim? Or a free-lance, "heretical" Christian?, A Jehovah's Witness? Something else?

This realization lead me to become an atheist.



Tcg

[liamconnor]

[Replying to post 1 by Elijah John]

I would probably become a Philosophical theist: a platonist, I suppose. Although the historical credentials of Judaism are worth considering.

[William]

Elijah John: Would you still believe in God if you discovered that Jesus is not God?

Tcg: I came to lack belief in God, but it had nothing to do with discovering that Jesus is not God. It was the result of realizing there is no reason to believe in God.

William: That works for some...

Tcg: Belief in God functions to provide comfort for some who need to deny painful realities about life. I simply took the step of honestly facing the painful realities about life. Once I did that, I no longer needed to depend on an unevidenced God to provide false comfort.

William: I fully realize that not all who are theists use GOD as a comforting mechanism for dealing with the types of pain that humans develop.
Even so, it matters not to me what people use to help them with their pain. I myself do not consider it a weakness or somehow an inferior thing which should be avoided and attacked as somehow an inferior position.

Tcg: This realization lead me to become an atheist.

William: Lack of belief in GOD is different from harboring criticism about how others deal with their pain in relation to how you have decided to deal with your own.
Being an 'atheist' has nothing whatsoever to do with you having developed that attitude. If anything, the attitude you developed came through being an anti-theist...which is a sub-group of atheism.
From what you express it seems obvious that you used your lack of belief in GODs, to then develop your anti-theism.

[marco]

Or, as Jesus really seems to have taught in the first place, call him "Father". Jesus presented a Fatherly face to Jehovah, no reinvention needed.

But then this is declaration not divine instruction, and we can all decalre. Where do preachers - then and now - get their zest for preaching from and their store of private information as to God's intentions?

But with the human tendency for hero-worship, that was not enough for some people. They had to go and deify the messenger, probably much to the messenger's own dismay.

He didn't seem too upset to me. But they were just taking an example from the Latin practice where good and bad emperors entered heaven as deities. Still, the Church made better use of deification than did the Romans. Behold the Vatican.