What does Jesus look like? He looks like anyone who does anything in His name.

Judy, I really like that answer. Artists have been rendering likenesses of Jesus for 2000 years. It is notable that the artist depicts Jesus as a man of his own ethnicity. Oriental artists see oriental features and black artists see a man of color. I don't think Jesus minds that at all. In fact it's an affirmation of his both humanity and universal love. The lack of physical descriptions of the human Jesus in the Bible is intentional in my view. Even descriptions of the glorified Jesus are filled with symbolic language.

He looks like whatever you need him to look like. Just like any fictional character.

He had long hair, dressed like a hippie, didn't speak English, and he was from the Middle East....not a character most Americans would like today.

If he existed at all, which I doubt.

Erik,
I'm not trying to start a debate, but I have a question for you. Who do you believe Jesus is? Do you think he is a fictional character, or do you think he was real (just not God)? You might have answered this question before, but I can't remember.

John, thanks for asking. It is an important question. Maybe THE MOST important question. But before I answer it I think you have to go back further and ask another question. Not WHAT I think about JC but HOW I arrived at my conclusions. My beliefs about the person commonly called Jesus Christ (not even close to his actual name) come from careful study of the Bible along with anthropology, history, mythology and other ancient texts. My beliefs are derived from careful consideration of evidence. My beliefs ARE NOT derived from subjective experience, inner feelings, parents, friends, authority figures, fears, desires or 'intuition'.

Erik said it better than I could, but my "beliefs" are also based on a similar line of reasoning. My beliefs are based on an analytical framework, logic, reason, and my knowledge of science, history, art, music, psychology, and literature - perhaps just to name a few. My beliefs are also based upon evidence, what we know to be true, what I know of Christianity, and what I know of other religions, which actually it is not a whole lot.

But people will criticize me for this. "How can you reject Jesus when you haven't read the Bible!" they'll say. But I always put it back to them - How can you reject Allah when you haven't read the Koran? How can you reject Vishnu after not reading Hinduism's holy books? How can you reject the thousands of gods that have been invented without studying ALL religions texts? (Which would be a near impossible task).

So no, I don't think you need to be an expert on a foolish topic, to reject it. I know ghosts aren't real, I don't need to read a hundred books on ghosts to reason that they probably don't exist.

Religions, not only do they make zero sense, and defy all reason, they were manufactured my mere mortals long ago to teach lessons, control the population, and explain what they didn't understand. It was man's first attempt at social order, and understanding. But we've come along way since then, we've learned a great deal about ourselves, our planet, our solar system, our galaxy, and our universe. Religions no longer "add up" and many people living on the planet today should know better.

Jesus Christ? Erik is right. Probably not his real name, and he could have been a mixture of several people, or someone completely different altered throughout the ages, or mere myth and legend and he didn't exist at all. But it really doesn't matter anyhow.

Building on what JCO said- you could also re-frame the question this way: of these three people- King Arthur, Dionysus, and Julius Caesar- who do you think was 'real' and why?

Now just apply that same criteria to Jesus.

JCO, I can tell your answer to this question, but to Erik: What do you believe about God? I'm not talking here about the specific God of the Bible, but more about a Higher Power?

John- another great question. There is no evidence that a God exists who intervenes in human affairs or allows us any hint of his existence. So with that in mind it's almost irrelevant whether there is actually a God or Higher Power. If there IS it would seem almost cruel to play a 'guess-if-I'm-real' game with us, but then there is nothing to prevent the existence of a cruel God.

The only real argument you can make is the first and last question of 'why is there something (universe) rather than just nothing.'

To say, "God (or Higher power made the world" is fine with me. To say that there is a deist
kind of do-nothing God (as most of the founders of this country believed), is also fine with me. But anything beyond that is pure speculation with no evidence to support it. And that's where we get into trouble. People start with
'there must be a God!' And pretty quickly it becomes...'and surely He wants [x, y, z]. And surely He will punish people who don't believe in him- if he didn't what good would my belief be?'

It gets real messy real fast.
So do I believe? I don't know. It would seem there has to be some greater intelligence, "higher power" if you like. But maybe not.

Here's another question- if God does exist, how would we know? What would count as evidence?

Wow I thought those guys had left the country. Glad to see you are still alive. Since we have heard from the Scientific side of the spectrum, we can go on to what this site is for, letting the redeemed say so. I believe Jesus looked like all other Jewish men, nothing special or extra ordinary. He didn't come for people to fall all over him. He came to die on the cross for our sins, and he completed that job and now will come to receive us when the time is right with the Father. Every one have a great day.

"Here's another question- if God does exist, how would we know? What would count as evidence?"

I'm sure you are familiar with the following in Romans. "since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

I'm assuming that is not enough evidence for you. If you were god, what would you have done to prove your existence?

That passage is frequently used by fundamentalists to justify the notion that people who don't believe, and who are thereby condemned to eternal hell, somehow deserved it.

I answer your question this way: if I was God I would know exactly what it would take for Erik or anyone else to believe, and I would provide exactly that.

You did not answer the question
as to what would exactly we should consider as evidence of God's existence.

I would consider an actual verifiable miracle (violation of the laws of physics) as good
evidence for a 'higher power' at least. I am not referring to the sort of garden variety miracle like "I needed a parking space at Wal Mart and suddenly one opened up" or "Uncle Joe's cancer went away".

"You did not answer the question
as to what would exactly we should consider as evidence of God's existence."

Oops! I didn't realize that you were actually asking me that question. The problem with answering that question is that one person's proof is different from another one. However, it seems from the verse I quoted, that God (through Paul) said we already have enough proof.

But don't you see that is not an answer.

Q: What is the evidence of God's existence?

A: Paul says we have the evidence.

What then is the evidence?

You say that one person requires more proof than another. That is true. And God must know even better than I do what evidence would convince me and yet he does not provide it. I'm not a hard-hearted person. I would be very happy to have good evidence of God. I would promptly devote my life to following him and spreading the good news.

Again, if God has provided such abundant evidence then where is it?

"What then is the evidence?"

Going back to the verses in Romans, God says you have plenty of evidence. I'm sure you are familiar with Lazarus and the rich man. God makes it clear from those verses that some people won't believe no matter what evidence they have. Gotta go to bed.

"I would be very happy to have good evidence of God."

Actually, I would not be. I'm actually glad that homicidal, jealous, petty, ethnic-clanser of the Old Testament doesn't exist. Phew!

I actually don't want it to be true, and I am very thankful that it is not.

Quoting the Bible is not evidence. That's like quoting books written by Unicorns as evidence for Unicorns. Come on, try harder.

There is zero evidence for God, or gods of any time. Again, religions are all man-made. I actually think it's rather sad you guys devote your lives to a myth with the huge cost of shutting out real knowledge.

JCO & Eric,
You quote all different kinds of scientific evidence and you quote other people but you won't accept any Jewish History that backs up the Bible even though the history was prophecied prior to it happening. It is funny how your evedience is correct but ours isn't. You have called us ignorant and have made fun of us over and over but to be honest your keep coming back time after time. You say you get tired of the same old arguments but you keep jumping into them. Sir's I don't understand your mind set at all.
You must admit if you are as educated as you say you are that
Science supports the notion that the universe had a beginning and that something independent of the universe brought it in to being. The well accepted scientific belief in the universe's origination and expansion and the second law of thermodynamics (energy tends to spred out) support the universe's absolute beginning from nothing. This sounds remarkably like like Gen.1:1, wow imagine that. The chances of a things popping into being from literally nothing are exactly zero. Being, cannot come from nonbeing; there is no potential for this. Even the skeptic David Hume (Scientist)called this "absured" a scientific (real) impossibility.
We have become so educated that we will argue that everyone else is wrong but that we are allways right. I agree that we are ever learning and we do need to improve on all things but there comes a time that we have got to accept the evidence that we have on hand of things that have been shown to be true. Through the centries, many believed that the universe didn't need a cause; it was self existent. They thought a beginningless/uncaused universe wasn't illogical or impossible. But now that contemporary cosmology points to the universe's beginning and an external cause, skeptics insist everything needs a cause, I say that is hog-wash. Lets put it this way, What caused the self-existent, uncaused Cause, who is by definition unmade, to exist? The answer is obvious, He is God. If you don't want to accept the Bible then don't but quit telling us that it isn't true, the proof has been shown but still you want more. I still say if I continue to live by the words that are in the Bible, I will not harm you or anyone else, on the other hand if man completely reject the Bible then laws will be obsolete and there will be total depravity in the land. Laws are based on the teachings of the Ten Commandments, and you have got to admit that they have done good for all men.
have a good day.

John- you say there is plenty of evidence but fail to name any. What do you consider evidence?

"Laws are based on the teachings of the Ten Commandments."

Jerry, that is so not true. First of all, the Ten Commandments were obviously also created by men(Why 10? Maybe because we have 10 fingers and toes? Ten is the basis of our decimal system. TEN sounds official. I can't see a God making TEN when "ten" is a human concept, not one used by Gods. Ten, was a "marketing decision" by early man.

The first three, are just about scaring and controling prehistorical people. Nowhere do the first three commandments belong in the lives of intelligent and rational people in the 21st Century.

Honour thy father and mother? What about if your father is an idiot? What if he's a drunk and a murderer? I again don't see what this has to do with morality.

Stealing? Lying? Infidelity? It's all about dishonesty. Couldn't God just have said "Don't be dishonest"?

Thou shall not murder? More people have been killed in the name of religion than anything else. I guess killing has been negotiable historically when someone else believes in a different imaginary man than you do.

Bottom line is our Criminal Code is a vast volume. It is based on secular knowledge, and what's best for society. The Ten Commandments, just like our Criminal Code today, was written by people.

p.s. Besides the "thou shall not kill" and "thou shall not steal" ones, I think I've broken the other eight! I've definitely coveted my neighbours stuff. He has a really nice BMW M3.

Erik & JCO I prayed for you last night and will continue to do so and hope someday that your eyes will be opened to all the evidence around you and that you will no longer be like that ONE juror that cannot be convinced no matter what evidence is presented to them. God bless

Erik said, "John- you say there is plenty of evidence but fail to name any. What do you consider evidence?"

Obviously, from the verses I've quoted I'm talking about creation. We can also add in the resurrection among others. Now of course you will respond that I am quoting the Bible to prove the accuracy of the Bible. We have had several discussions of the accuracy of the Bible. I will not go down that road again.

However, there is one thing I think you should consider. You have mentioned that God has not provided the proof that YOU require for YOU to believe. I have tried to respond that God has provided the proof that HE says is enough. Jeremiah 29:13 says, "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.". I think a key part of that verse is the "with all your heart" part. I personally think you are seeking, but are you seeking with your heart?

Wow John, your words are exactly what I thought about when Erik wrote he was not hard- hearted. I don't think he knows that his heart is so closed. And they should both be so very happy because there IS an abundance of evidence in life itself and the world around you. You don't have to read the Bible to see the wonder of creation, the miracle of birth, the love of another person. Where does that come from? I'm sorry, but it did not just happen. JCO, when your son climbs up in your lap and puts his arms around you, what do you feel? When he looks up to you as his hero, how does that feel? These are gifts to you from a God who wants nothing but the best in life for you and you disrespect Him with your every word. Look around you, the evidence is overwhelming, but you can't see it.