My Developing Outline
(This is primarily for helping me to organize -- but hopefully, others can find it useful as well.)


What I'm doing here and why
- My basic claim is that there is much more to the Jesus concept/story than meets the casual -- albeit rational -- eye.
- But then, can Jesus "go the distance"? Was Jesus really who he said he was?
- That's what I'm here to figure out. I don't know...

- But ultimately, I'm trying to figure out what I should do about Jesus.
- So far, I'm worrying that, maybe, I should "take Jesus as my Lord and Savior"...


Ah! Ah! Don't touch that dial!
- I'm not saying that I should. I'm just saying "maybe."
- Though, I understand that even such a timid conclusion will sound wierd and foolish to many of those that (I hope) will be reading this.
- For instance,
-- Does to "take Jesus as one's Lord and Savior" actually mean something?
 -- If so -- in order to do it, one would have to "believe in" a bunch of very questionable propositions.
--- G-d
--- The supernatural
--- Especially prophecy
--- The Old Testament is prophetic.
--- It predicts a Messiah.
--- The Messiah that the OT predicts is a "suffering servant," rather than a "warrior king."
--- Jesus is G-d.
--- Jesus is also the Son of G-d.
--- There is such a thing as Heaven.
--- The only way we can get to Heaven is by "believing in" Jesus
--- By believing in Jesus, he pays for our sins.
--- There is such a thing as Hell.
--- If ultimately, we do not believe in Jesus, Hell is where we'll go.
-- And then, there are some rather obvious and serious objections to the Jesus concept/story.
--- Too complicated. The basic truth should be simple.
--- Too specific. The basic truth should be general.
--- "Believing" something is not voluntary. How can G-d reward us for involuntarily doing something?
--- Christians say all these non-sensical things.
--- They don't tend to be all that happy.
--- They generally are not that well educated.
--- They are not generally well thought of by the well-educated.
--- Where's the "world peace"?
--- The Jewish people have not all been returned to Israel.
--- And anyway, would G-d come as a man?

But please hang in there
- I claim that despite appearances to the contrary, the Jesus concept/story is both logical and evidenced...
-- It isn't easy (for anybody), but please do your best to keep an open mind.
-- I bet that many of my arguments will be totally new to you -- and will, at least, make you "pause."
-- I think that most of you will find them interesting -- if nothing else
- And, note that there is a distinction between
-- believing that Jesus was who he said he was, and
-- taking him as your Lord and Savior.
- And, as a "come on," the Jesus story is about magic, human nature and love. Maybe, that will help.

How I got here. See,
- I had pretty much rejected Jesus early on.
- But for various reasons, I began to rethink.
- And, I began to come to a different conclusion.
- I began to think that there might actually "be something" to the Jesus concept/story…
- And then -- the more I studied, the more apparent support I found.
- But then I realized that what I was gathering wasn't really being "scored."
- I decided that I needed to put my info into brief, and well-organized, soundbites.
- And that, in part, is where I am today.
- I Feel like I've gathered up a lot of interesting and supportive facts and ideas.
- But these are like piles of unsorted mail.
- I need to put them into a readily totaled form.
- That's what this 'book' is mostly about.
- Though hopefully, this can be useful to others.
- And, for others coming from a few different places: believers, disbelievers, searchers.
- But then, don't hold your breath or count your chickens.
- We've got a long way to go, and over uncharted waters.
- This may take awhile.
- And G-d only knows where we'll end up.
- It certainly won't be easy -- must be thousands of different facts and ideas to express and explore.
- (Preface)

Need to back up and indicate what further underlies my efforts here
- I'm rather introverted and introspective. Seriously.
- Could be that life is ultimately meaningful,
- and that there is something we're "supposed to do;"
- that we're not here just to have a good time and be happy;
- that there is an ethical, or moral, reality, dimension;
- that there is good and bad.
- So, I probably shouldn't just sit around watching TV.
- I should probably try to figure out what the possible, and most likely, good is -- and do it.
- And, that's what I've been trying (somewhat) to do for many years.
- And then, there's the "truth." I have a terrible urge to search for the truth. Hopefully, that's a meaningful idea.
- Whatever, these urges led me to an "epiphany," many years ago, that seriously changed and brightened my life. (Smoking Gun)
- So, I'm also trying to extend that brightness (and "rightness") -- for myself, and to whomever else I can attract...

So, does Jesus go the distance? Was he who he said he was? Was Jesus the prophesied Jewish Messiah?
- (Open your mind. The world is probably magical. It probably is not the deterministic machine it appears to be. That could be the key...)
- Re things that one apparently, needs to beieve in.
-- G-d
---- Objectives
---- Misguidance
---- Rethinking
---- All Right Already
---- Smoking Gun?
---- Immortality
---- More Math
---- Transcendence
---- Proof
---- Through the LG
---- Free Will
---- Nothing
---- Amoebas
---- Anthropism
---- Supernatural
---- Neurotheology
-- Prophecy
-- OT prophetic
-- Predicts Messiah
-- Suffering Servant
-- Jesus is G-d
-- Also, Son of G-d
-- There is such a thing as Heaven
-- Only way we can get to Heaven is "believing in" Jesus
-- By believing, Jesus pays for our sins
-- There is such a thing as Hell
-- If we don't believe, that's where we go

Re Obvious Objections
- So specific
- So complicated
- Christians say all these crazy things
- They generally are not that well educated
- A man
- World peace
- Returning Jews to Israel

The Good news
- The Logic
-- Why would the Messiah look like Jesus?
 - If there is good, it probably has to do with altruism
- unselfishness
- love
-- and maybe even our enemies
- Our reflexes are basically selfish
- "Original sin"?
- In order to be able to love, we probably need early discipline
-- Otherwise, we grow up as totally selfish sociopaths
- Sounds like Jesus (though, could be that I feel these things because of my Jesus based culture)
- But anyway, could Jesus have the answer?
- I'm afraid that he might
- Certainly, my Mom thinks he does.
- So, I probably should check him out
- That's how I got here
- And then,
- We COULD stand a change to our reflexes
- Drop Ego
- Humility
- Team player
Prob Need to focus
To some extent, don't have to worry about these others
- Buddhism
- Islam
- Mormonism
- Etc
And, G-d is Love
Which is what Jesus is
Best guess is that personal love is bottom line
So, what's not to believe, or like?
trying to turn life over to an idea
To Jesus, to G-d, to the Good, to Love
If we're supposed to do something
It's doing what G-d wants us to
Obeying G-d
Probably surrendering to G-d
Jesus gives us a personal target
Jesus makes it personal
Which is what we seem to need
There's another way of thinking about the world
The Jesus story sweeps us in
Pulls us down the rabbit hole
And then,
Don't think has to be all or none
The more steeped in, the better
- The Evidence
-- Josephus+
-- Early growth
-- Largest religion
-- Second largest and fastest growing
-- Martyrs
-- NT
-- Archeology
 -- Shroud
-- Star of Bethlehem
-- Constellations
-- Codes
-- Prophicies
--- Debate



-- Why I can't so far
--- Lauren
--- Pride
--- Independence
--- Homophobia
--- Can't "give up"
--- Actually, surrendering to G-d might be my strongest reservation
--- Don't know it's what shld be doing
--- Is he really Messiah?
--- What about Muhammed?
--- Oriental philosophies
--- Middle of forest, patterns way above my head
--- Don't know how
---- (But do seem to know what it feels like)
--- Think that it's mostly something that "happens to you"
---- (But then, you do need to be playing in the right vicinity)




Why I can't


But also afraid that I should

 

Preface