Opinion of Jesus Christ

[Lurker]

Anyone, in this day and age, who goes around claiming divinity and salvation through them is seen as a crackpot and parasite. 

The Dalai Lama claims to be the 14th incarnation of a bodhisattva who continually returns to help guide people on the path to Enlightenment, Nirvana, and the end to suffering, renouncing his personal qualification to end the cycle for himself and achieve Nirvana himself.  Tens of millions worldwide accept his claim and many that don't view him as a great teacher and spiritual leader, to the point where he regularly is flocked by politicians and celebrities worldwide.  I don't think that claiming divinity and supernatural powers is all that uncommon today, nor does it instantly make someone a pariah.

Sun Myung Moon, conservative media mogul and messiah claimant, is another obvious example. He was seen as a bit of a joke though (despite his large influence)

[© tweed]

the president of LDS Church also claims divinity, as do the leaders of the smaller latter-day saint sects (Rulon Jeffs and so forth).

[fezzyfestoon]

It's striking how low of an opinion Christians have of humanity.

A low opinion of humanity seems quite reasonable on the evidence collected so far.

Of course what you say isn't true, or isn't entirely true. Christianity has both an extremely low and an extremely high opinion of humanity, and holds both views at exactly the same time. Children of God (and made in His image, etc) but sinners as well, capable of grotesque acts of wicked depravity and the like.

Very true. Most of that positive energy has been internalized while the negative the opposite though it seems. At least here in the US where there are only good, Christian Americans or Godless gay baby killers, no middle ground. That could just be pinned to increasingly pithy extremist political rhetoric.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Anyone, in this day and age, who goes around claiming divinity and salvation through them is seen as a crackpot and parasite. 

The Dalai Lama claims to be the 14th incarnation of a bodhisattva who continually returns to help guide people on the path to Enlightenment, Nirvana, and the end to suffering, renouncing his personal qualification to end the cycle for himself and achieve Nirvana himself.  Tens of millions worldwide accept his claim and many that don't view him as a great teacher and spiritual leader, to the point where he regularly is flocked by politicians and celebrities worldwide.  I don't think that claiming divinity and supernatural powers is all that uncommon today, nor does it instantly make someone a pariah.

Shouldn't it though?  Alright, a couple are revered... but the vast majority?  Seen as crackpots and deservedly so. 

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I would think the 'vast majority' of people who 'claim supernatural powers' these days, at least in most Western countries, would be priests from types of Christianity that believe in transubstantiation or some other form of Real Presence, wouldn't they? Admittedly that's less dramatic than actually claiming to be God. Or Avalokiteśvara.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

I would think the 'vast majority' of people who 'claim supernatural powers' these days, at least in most Western countries, would be priests from types of Christianity that believe in transubstantiation or some other form of Real Presence, wouldn't they? Admittedly that's less dramatic than actually claiming to be God. Or Avalokiteśvara.

Semantics.  That wasn't even my point.  Let's say there WAS a guy going around today claiming divinity and that those who don't follow him will burn for eternity?  How would you feel about this person?  Better yet, how would society feel about this person?  Not too positive, I would imagine.  Like I said, considering I don't think Jesus was in any way divine, I'm not extending a nice opinion to him just because of Western culture's general opinion or the fact that he taught values that my mother taught me without claiming supernatural powers or "buying" me with promises of eternal bliss in heaven. 

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

I would think the 'vast majority' of people who 'claim supernatural powers' these days, at least in most Western countries, would be priests from types of Christianity that believe in transubstantiation or some other form of Real Presence, wouldn't they? Admittedly that's less dramatic than actually claiming to be God. Or Avalokiteśvara.

Semantics.  That wasn't even my point.  Let's say there WAS a guy going around today claiming divinity and that those who don't follow him will burn for eternity?  How would you feel about this person?  Better yet, how would society feel about this person?  Not too positive, I would imagine.  Like I said, considering I don't think Jesus was in any way divine, I'm not extending a nice opinion to him just because of Western culture's general opinion or the fact that he taught values that my mother taught me without claiming supernatural powers or "buying" me with promises of eternal bliss in heaven. 

You do know that you don't have to believe all non-Christians are going to hell, in order to be a Christian, yes?

[Paul Kemp]

He was an only child; he went down to the river and he drank and smiled.

[Torie]

Time he got a new hairdo.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

I would think the 'vast majority' of people who 'claim supernatural powers' these days, at least in most Western countries, would be priests from types of Christianity that believe in transubstantiation or some other form of Real Presence, wouldn't they? Admittedly that's less dramatic than actually claiming to be God. Or Avalokiteśvara.

Semantics.  That wasn't even my point.  Let's say there WAS a guy going around today claiming divinity and that those who don't follow him will burn for eternity?  How would you feel about this person?  Better yet, how would society feel about this person?  Not too positive, I would imagine.  Like I said, considering I don't think Jesus was in any way divine, I'm not extending a nice opinion to him just because of Western culture's general opinion or the fact that he taught values that my mother taught me without claiming supernatural powers or "buying" me with promises of eternal bliss in heaven. 

You do know that you don't have to believe all non-Christians are going to hell, in order to be a Christian, yes?

Didn't the central figure pretty much explicitly say this? 

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

I would think the 'vast majority' of people who 'claim supernatural powers' these days, at least in most Western countries, would be priests from types of Christianity that believe in transubstantiation or some other form of Real Presence, wouldn't they? Admittedly that's less dramatic than actually claiming to be God. Or Avalokiteśvara.

Semantics.  That wasn't even my point.  Let's say there WAS a guy going around today claiming divinity and that those who don't follow him will burn for eternity?  How would you feel about this person?  Better yet, how would society feel about this person?  Not too positive, I would imagine.  Like I said, considering I don't think Jesus was in any way divine, I'm not extending a nice opinion to him just because of Western culture's general opinion or the fact that he taught values that my mother taught me without claiming supernatural powers or "buying" me with promises of eternal bliss in heaven. 

You do know that you don't have to believe all non-Christians are going to hell, in order to be a Christian, yes?

Didn't the central figure pretty much explicitly say this? 

Jesus said no one gets to Heaven but through Him, but that doesn't necessarily mean all non-Christians are going to hell.  It means He is the gatekeeper.  He gets to decide if you are worthy of it or not.  And Jesus even forgave those who denied Him.  Sadly, conservative Christians have dominated the conversation for so long that exclusivism has become the norm.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

I would think the 'vast majority' of people who 'claim supernatural powers' these days, at least in most Western countries, would be priests from types of Christianity that believe in transubstantiation or some other form of Real Presence, wouldn't they? Admittedly that's less dramatic than actually claiming to be God. Or Avalokiteśvara.

Semantics.  That wasn't even my point.  Let's say there WAS a guy going around today claiming divinity and that those who don't follow him will burn for eternity?  How would you feel about this person?  Better yet, how would society feel about this person?  Not too positive, I would imagine.  Like I said, considering I don't think Jesus was in any way divine, I'm not extending a nice opinion to him just because of Western culture's general opinion or the fact that he taught values that my mother taught me without claiming supernatural powers or "buying" me with promises of eternal bliss in heaven. 

You do know that you don't have to believe all non-Christians are going to hell, in order to be a Christian, yes?

Didn't the central figure pretty much explicitly say this? 

Jesus said no one gets to Heaven but through Him, but that doesn't necessarily mean all non-Christians are going to hell.  It means He is the gatekeeper.  He gets to decide if you are worthy of it or not.  And Jesus even forgave those who denied Him.  Sadly, conservative Christians have dominated the conversation for so long that exclusivism has become the norm.

Is that so?  Hmmm... interesting, but we are getting off topic here.  Rephrased again; do I have a good opinion of someone going around telling people they are the GATEKEEPER of salvation?  No.

Still.  HP. 

[The Mikado]

Anyone, in this day and age, who goes around claiming divinity and salvation through them is seen as a crackpot and parasite.

The Dalai Lama claims to be the 14th incarnation of a bodhisattva who continually returns to help guide people on the path to Enlightenment, Nirvana, and the end to suffering, renouncing his personal qualification to end the cycle for himself and achieve Nirvana himself.  Tens of millions worldwide accept his claim and many that don't view him as a great teacher and spiritual leader, to the point where he regularly is flocked by politicians and celebrities worldwide.  I don't think that claiming divinity and supernatural powers is all that uncommon today, nor does it instantly make someone a pariah.

Shouldn't it though?  Alright, a couple are revered... but the vast majority?  Seen as crackpots and deservedly so.  

My point was more that worshiping living human beings as literally divine is not at all a rare practice in the 21st century, nor all that out of the ordinary.  Look at the Nepalese practice of worshiping a select few prepubescent girls as virgin goddesses, switching them out for newer girls when the current ones begin menstruation.  Look at the aforementioned Dalai Lama, or the recently departed Sun Myung Moon.  The Pope, for that matter, claims to be the literal Vicar (stand-in or deputy) of Christ, and is acclaimed by hundreds of millions.  The idea that it's somehow rare for human beings to claim to be divine or divinely-possessed simply doesn't match up to scrutiny, nor does the idea that that practice would leave that person labeled insane or out of the mainstream.  I personally saw the Dalai Lama, who, again, claims that he's the fourteenth incarnation of a Bodhisattva who returns to Earth to help people achieve Nirvana, speak to a massive rally from the steps of the U. S. Capitol after being introduced by celebrities and U.S. Politicians.  If claims of divinity were really all that outlandish, there's no way that would've been possible.

EDIT: The point of all of this is that a guy claiming to be the Son of God might well have as good a reception today as he would in the first century.  How about this guy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Hongzhi claiming that his Daoist magical powers allow you all sorts of crazy qi powers right out of some anime and gaining a following in the tens of millions despite brutal Chinese repression?  This happened within the last two decades.

Just as Sun Myung Moon was crowned "King of Peace" in the Russell Senate Office Building in 2004, Li Hongzhi was awarded an International Religious Freedom award in the Senate complex in 2001 and people loudly speak up about Falun Gong persecution everywhere there's a large Chinese expat community: I dare you to spend two days in the Federal Triangle in Washington without having an activist shove a copy of their The Epoch Times detailing the PRC using Falun Gong practitioners as involuntary organ donors.