When I read the quote on this graphic, kindly supplied by a Facebook humanist group, part of me thought “oh, if only this were true.”
It’s not, of course. And anyone who thinks it is…well, they’re living in a world with fairies and frogs that really do turn into princes.
Be honest with me: do you really think that without “mythology and Jesus Christ”, humanity would ever rise up and deal with hunger, homelessness or any of the many other problems that we create for ourselves? Really?
Thelma “Butterfly” McQueen, the actress who portrayed Prissy (Scarlett O’Hara’s maid) in Gone With the Wind, apparently did.
I wonder, did Butterfly consider the greed, self-centredness, prejudices, dishonesty and self-delusion that plagues our race? Was she somehow immune to these horrible weaknesses? I’m certainly not immune.
In fact, my weaknesses are one of the main reasons I decided to follow Jesus, whom many people believe is is the divine Son of God.
Despite what Butterfly and other critics say, most theologians agree that Jesus really did exist–and many of them accept the claim that He really did come back to life after being put to death on a Roman cross. In fact, there’s powerful evidence in the original-source documents about His life.
In addition, Paul, one of Jesus’s earliest followers, wrote a letter where he told people that after dying on that cross, Jesus “appeared to Peter [another early follower] and then to the twelve apostles. After that, Christ appeared to more than 500 other believers at the same time. Most of them are still living today, but some have died.”
Some may think Paul was lying. I don’t see any reason why he would do so, especially since he was hardly getting rich telling people about Jesus. In fact, Paul spent much of his time in prison.
But enough on that. Consider why people like me turn to Jesus to help us deal with our weaknesses:
- By following Jesus, I have the benefit of having a clear set of timeless, unchanging rights and wrongs by which to live my life. Shifting tastes and trendy opinions have no effect on what Jesus says is good or bad.
- By following Jesus, I have access to a spiritual source of strength to deal with the many challenges of this life. Again, this source is absolutely unchanging and unwavering; how many things can you or I say that about?
- By following Jesus, I can tap into a worldwide community of fellow believers. We support each other physically and through prayers. Yes, lots of people have communities, but this one is far more meaningful than wine-tasking or extreme sports groups.
- By following Jesus, I have the same confidence that Paul had: eternal life in Heaven with Jesus. His sacrificial death pays for all the wrong things I’ve done and all the right things I’ve failed to do.
This is powerful stuff, folks. This is life-changing stuff. In fact, there is NOTHING more important than what I’m writing about here.
So, are you interested in Jesus? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.
Frank's Cottage 