Didn't Jesus have any thoughts about living in 2010?

Since he was a Palestinian Jew living inthe ROman Empire 2000 years ago I'm going to go with no.

Did he and those who wrote about him have thoughts relevant to life today?  Yes.

So does Homer Simpson.

hmmmmm ...choice between what has been recorded about the thoughts of Jesus as a guide or the thoughts of Homer Simpson.........

Hard one for sure ....... ummm .... I pick Jesus.......

Homer is fun for sure and does raise some interesting issues and points of view ....

But for reliability ..... I will stick with Jesus' thoughts......

Hugs

Rita

Jesus knew as little about the world of today as we do about the world of 2,000 years from now.

We, however, can make Jesus' 1st century teachings relevant to the 21st century.

As a spin-off topic from other threads, I would be interested in a discussion re:  "How would Jesus post on wondercafe?"

What do you think?  Would he talk in parables?  Just imagine the debates we could have about his posts

I am reminded of a story about the poet Robert Browning.  When asked by a fan about a particular line of poetry and its meaning, Browning replied, "I am not sure.  You'll have to ask the Browning society."

Chansen: Homer Simpson is a make believe cartoon character. Homer is not real. 

I await you response, "Jesus same", but that would make you look a shallow fruitcake, so I know you're not going to go there.

Jesus taught very clear ways of living that are valid now: he taught the practices of loving (giving our hearts to)  "god" and unconditional love for each other, of not judging, of forgiving beyond count or measure, and of seeking truth and wisdom like "silver and gold". He spoke against greed and gave no sanction to violence or earthly power hunger. He counselled against fear. All of this IS do-able, and does make sense, and is possible. His "kingdom" is within EACH of us and that's where we have to start changing the world: in our OWN hearts and souls. It is far clearer that want to allow.

Homer Simpson spouts the kind of trite, bollocks that's generated in a greedy, unkempt, stupid, irreverent, fear-ridden, cynical, multiply-addicted and narcissistic society that's amused by violence and driven by greed, puts a monetary value on everything it can think of and, as a consequence, is well on the way to -- just for example -- exterminating a third of the life forms that have have over 3 billion years to evolve.

Take your pick.

I totally concur.

To me (and acknowledging Gord's comment) the stories on justice, inclusion, the reality we're all part of Creation, are just as relevant now as they ever were. Probably more so since, for the first time in history, we can actually see, through this medium and its counterparts, the "truth" of that perspective.

For me, one of the most powerful sermons that comes out of the message of the Christ is that, even though we're not perfect - nor ever will be - it's still up to us to transform the world. To "seek justice and resist evil". To do that even though we know that we're going to get it wrong, to make mistakes, to stumble.

And we can keep on doing that, no matter how many times we get knocked down,  -  not because of some lollipop reward if we're "good", and not because the world is just a matter of random evolutionary luck and then ya die boo hoo

We can keep on doing it because we're an inseverable part of God/Theos/Creation.

That seems to me like a pretty good thought for living in 2010.

Homer has his moments as well.  But he is just an example.  You could look to the works of Shakespeare or other classic authors.  Some modern childrens authors write some wonderful stories with moral messages behind them.  On TV, I think the WonderPets are a terrific team and teach good life lessons.

Jesus is reported to have said some cool things.  Could have been by a guy named Jesus, or the stories could be a compilation of history and myths passed down with names altered.  We simply don't know.  We do know that Jesus also is reported to have said some foolish stuff and some rather hateful stuff.  Like a lot of cult leaders, he recommended followers leave their families if necessary (Matt 19:29).  Matt 10:34-37 is even more lovely.  The Jesus of the bible is hardly all sweetness and light.

Do you have some historical evidence for the existence of Jesus that nobody else does?  Is that the ace up your sleeve?  Otherwise, to suggest that Jesus is on par with Homer Simpson on the "existence scale" does Homer an injustice.  The words attributed to Jesus were written down decades after his supposed death.  Homer's words are written by real people for comic effect, and make it to TV within months of writing.  You could say that Homer is an extension if his writers and their inspirations.  Supposedly, Jesus inspired people, too.  His inspiration just took a few decades to kick in, that's all.

Homer is comedy, and the good messages in The Simpsons are often metaphorical - a word used often at WC to explain how atheists don't understand the bible.  As pointed out above, your Jesus character was hardly a real "family valies" kinda guy.  That I'm aware, Homer never abandoned his family.  For long, at least.

There is definitely wisdom in the teachings of/attributed to Jesus of Nazareth that can be applied today. Mike's already outlined most of the good points. The myths about him (Virgin Birth, Miracles, Resurrection) contain a wisdom all their own if you read them carefully (and not literally). However, assuming he really existed, I don't think he had 2010 (or any future date) in mind. Nor did those who recorded/made up the stories in the Gospels. He (or they) was very much teaching to the here and now, to the realities of 1st century CE Palestine. The fact that these teachings contain wisdom that we can still take away today is related more to the universality of some of their themes than to any specific effort to teach far future generations.

I think the issue of whether he existed is moot, here. Krishna is likely a mythological figure as well, perhaps more so than Jesus, and yet there's plenty of wisdom in his stories and teachings, too. We can't be certain that Lao Tzu really existed and really wrote everything in the Tao Te Ching, but the wisdom contained in those words still stands. Confucius is a bit more certain historically, but there are still questions about how much of the Confucian canon he actually wrote vs. what his pupils recorded after his passing. Wisdom is wisdom, regardless of who really taught it or wrote it down.

Mendalla

More excellent Mike thoughts. 

I think that he showed us how to live using spiritual principles.

Homer tries to live without them....