That 'Jesus is the messiah' is only relevant if the Jews-as-chosen-people narrative and their relationship with their god has any meaning to you. To those it should matter most, the Jews, well he doesn't fulfill the conditions. The Jews as a people have suffered probably more than most for maintaining that stance. Therefore the claims that Jesus fulfills a prophecy and that that prophecy has any bearing on anyone else is only strong if you already argue for it. I happen to think Celtic are the best football team in the world but people will contend otherwise and others don't care about football so such arguments don't even matter.
Good point. Consistent with my Catholic upbringing, I have always believed something remarkable was observed one early spring Sunday morning, so many years ago, as the waning gibbous moon hung low in the southwest--something that has been called a Resurrection.
Having said that, the one I believe was resurrected is alleged to have said "whatsoever you did (or did not do) to the least of my people" (to the extent that Jesus was G-d or the Son of G-d, that would include
all people) (Matthew 25:31-46). Did Falwell do what he could to the least of us-- the most vulnerable (members of what is now called the LGBT community were particularly vulnerable at the height of Falwell's "ministry")? How about the gay artist? Only G-d knows (but if I were a betting man I'd put my money on the gay artist tbh).
I most certainly do NOT believe that all who subscribe to a particular religious tradition are going one way, and those who don't, the other way. I can't imagine anything other than how one treats (a) others and (b) life generally, would have anything to do with it (and that Matthew 25:31-46 expresses this idea reasonably well, notwithstanding the modern usage of "sheep" as one who follows blindly or ignorantly).
