1. Christian and non-Christian perspectives

2.  There are three branches of Christianity: Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant (C.O.P.)  All Christians believe in three core doctrinal truths that relate to Jesus: ◦ Trinity (Three Persons in One God) ◦ Incarnation (God became flesh in Jesus Christ) ◦ Paschal Mystery (Christ has died, Christ has risen) ◦ (T.I.P.)

3.  Jesus is the only Son of the Father.  He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life  Christ is the fulcrum upon which human history turns. ◦ “The Scandal of Particularity” – this means that the Christian faith makes a claim about a particular person in a particular time in a particular place, which can seem controversial to those who believe that there are many different and equally valid paths to enlightenment. ◦ Anonymous Christian theory acknowledges that, in the words of Vatican II, other religions can “often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men.” Someone can be a follower of Jesus without realizing it.

4.  Jesus was a wise man, perhaps a prophet, but emphatically not God, because God is One.  God cannot change, so He cannot become human. The infinite cannot fit into the finite.  Early Christians, many of whom were non- Jewish, misunderstood and misapplied Jewish Scriptures to support the divination of Jesus. ◦ For example, Isaiah 7:14 was used to support belief in a virgin birth, but the word used in the original Hebrew means “unmarried woman” not “virgin”, and the verse was fulfilled in Isaiah’s time, not by Jesus. ◦ Also, Scripture is clear that the Messiah will establish a kingdom of peace. Jesus did not fulfill this prophecy.

5.  Jesus was the second greatest prophet, but not God.  God is One. He is not three. He is not one and three. He is One!  Jesus was born of a virgin.  Jesus will judge humanity at the end of time.  Jesus’ followers warped God’s revelation, just as people warped the messages of all of the prophets.  Therefore, God sent His word to Mohammed (peace be upon him), and his revelation is definitively proclaimed in the Holy Koran.

6.  Jesus is God.  Eternal progression: “As man is, God was, as God is, man shall become.”  Jesus preached the Gospel to the descendents of the Israelites in the New World.  Joseph Smith discovered another revelation of Jesus Christ (The Book of Mormon)  The traditional Christian denominations distorted Jesus’ message, which was restored through the Church of the Latter Day Saints.

7.  Jesus is actually St. Michael the Archangel.  There is no Trinity.  The New World Translation of the Bible accurately renders the original Greek, so as to remove the distortions added to it by the Catholic Church.  These distortions are where the other traditional Christian denominations get belief in the Trinity.  There are other aspects of JW faith not bearing on Jesus, such as prohibition of blood transfusions, no celebration of Christmas or birthdays, and no oath taking.

8.  Guru Jesus: When Jesus said he was God, he meant that God is in all of us.  Jesus is one of many avatars, or representations of the divine.  Jesus is fundamentally misunderstood by traditional Christianity.

9.  Including Hinduism and Buddhism  These faiths are incredibly diverse, and often do not have one set viewpoint about Jesus.  Hinduism describes more of a set of religions than one particular religion. Some believe in many gods, and some may not believe in God as understood by Western culture.  Buddhism is likewise very diverse, and does not have a hierarchical structure to define belief.  When Buddha was asked if God exists, his reply was: “that is not a religious question.”  Many eastern religions take an agnostic position about Jesus’ identity.

10.  There is no way to be able to know or measure whether or not Jesus is divine or whether or not there is a God.  Jesus may have been a myth, or he may have been a historical person who was mythologized. Or he may have really been God. Whichever way, there’s really no way to know for sure.

11.  Jesus was not God. There is no God.  Jesus either never existed, or did exist, and was mythologized by early Christians.  Atheism differs from agnosticism in that, rather than saying that it does not know if God exists, it says that it knows that God does not exist.  Often, atheism follows a kind of empiricist logic, which says that if something cannot be demonstrated using the scientific method, it is not true.

12.  In philosophy, the principle of charity means formulating an argument that you don’t agree with in the best possible terms and in a way that a person making the argument would feel is fair.  In speaking of the beliefs of non-Christians, it is important to balance the principle of charity with the obligation to give information that is factually correct and relevant.  At the same time, one should acknowledge that biases inevitably creep into descriptions of a different person’s worldviews.  Therefore, to get the most accurate picture of what other people actually believe, it is important to hear the argument from their perspective, and not go purely by hearsay.

13.  Be curious!  Read material from all sides of an issue!  Talk to different people!  Keep asking good questions!  Inform yourself!  Recognize similarities!  Openly acknowledge differences!  Keep an open mind!

14.  Your assignment is to create a personal creed. This should be typed, at least one page, double- spaced, and in a legible 12 point font. Your personal creed should address the big questions (i.e. "What is the purpose of human life?" "Does God exist?" “Who is Jesus?” "What happens when we die?") To meet expectations, it should demonstrate critical thinking and go beyond a simplistic statement of personal faith. To exceed expectations, it should be very well written and carefully argued, making direct reference to Scripture or other reasons to support the position(s) taken.