An Interview With a Man Called Jesus

The teachings of Jesus are all we need to know.

Some people question the teachings of Jesus and want to know if Jesus actually knew everything. The only way to know whether or not Jesus actually knew everything would be to ask him, so we are going to bring Jesus back to earth for just a few minutes and have Scott Pelley interview him on a special edition of "60 Minutes" we will call - "The Man Jesus - Did He Know Everything?"

As the show opens, Scott Pelley and Jesus are sitting in chairs facing each other, in front of a large picture of the earth and the interview begins.

Scott Pelley:

Jesus, when you walked among the people of this earth in human form, were you ever lonely?

Jesus:

My child, just as you have set yourself apart from the rest of the world and have made yourself different, during the time when I walked this earth, I also was different. Many of my disciples left me and I spent a lot of time alone in the desert or in the Mount of Olives where I often prayed to my father. There were many who could not understand my teachings and that often troubled me. So, yes, just like you I spent much time in loneliness.

Why Bad Things Happen To Good People

The tragedies of life affect all of us.

In asking the question "Why do bad things happen to good people", there must be underlying questions about the character of God.  The question could probably be more appropriately worded  - "If God loves us, why does He allow bad things to happen to good people?"

A person can live a life of faith, be an upstanding member of the church and the community, be a good husband and father and still experience the tragedies of life.  Why?

The answer to this question certainly isn't simple by any means, but the root of the answer lies in our ability to choose, our free will.  When God created Adam and Eve, He placed them in paradise with the free will to do whatever they pleased, except for one thing.  God gave them specific instructions to not eat fruit from the tree of knowledge.

Noah Was A Man Of Faith And Obedience

"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord."

If stories are to be told about the faith and obedience of man, the accounts of a man named Noah must be at the top of the list.

In considering Noah’s faith and obedience to God, I am immediately reminded of the 2007 movie “Evan Almighty”.  In this movie Steve Carrell is portrayed as Evan Baxter and Morgan Freeman plays the part of God.  This movie actually sheds a lot of light on the aspects of the Biblical account of Noah and the ark.  Here, Evan Baxter is not a professional boat builder, but rather a professional newscaster who has been elected to Congress.  Noah in the Biblical account wasn’t a carpenter or ship maker either.

How Would Jesus View Homosexuality?

In the beginning, God made them male and female.

Anyone who has studied the Bible to any extent realizes that homosexuality is mentioned many times. Whether it is referenced by the terms "abusers of themselves with mankind", "without natural affection" or some other term, homosexuality is condemned many times in both the Old and New Testaments.

What does the Bible have to say about homosexuality?

 

Romans 1:26-32:

 "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."

Show Me Proof That God Exists

Proof that God exists is all around us.

Skeptics may ask "Is there proof that God exists?" and will demand to be given some type of mathematical formula or biological evidence that will scientifically prove the existence of God and will not accept any religious or moral philosophy.

There are many things in the history of the world which we take as fact but have no scientific proof; the existence of dinosaurs is a perfect example. Sometime in the early 1800s a man found a large bone, called it a dinosaur and the rest is history. So why is it difficult to believe that the world and everything in and upon it was created by God?

In the history of our nation we find the belief in God was the inspiration which allowed us to be free. Today, God has a significant presence in our daily lives by being minted on all of our coins and currency and being a part of every oath of office from the new enlistee in the armed forces to the President of the United States.

Was Jesus Really Crucified?

We live by faith and that's what it's all about.

Crucifixion was an ancient method of execution, in which the victim was tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang there until dead.  History tells us that crucifixion probably originated with the ancient Persians.  Captured pirates were crucified at the port of Athens in the 7th century BC.  The Romans adopted this custom in the 1st century BC, and used it during the Roman Civil War and the destruction of Jerusalem.

There is no scientific evidence that Jesus was crucified and died on the cross, but keep in mind, we've never exhumed Abraham Lincoln's body to see if that is really him either.  If we did, we certainly don't have any of Lincoln's DNA to prove scientifically it's him.

Christian beliefs are founded in a book called the Bible and we believe this book to be the inspired word of God. The Bible is filled with accounts of Jesus' birth, his teachings and yes, his death on the cross. We are secure in these beliefs and have no need to ever question the facts of the creation or Jesus' death. We live by faith, and that's what it's all about.

How Should Christians View The Death Penalty?

We must look within ourselves for the answer.

At one point in my life I was very troubled about whether or not a soldier, in time of war, was guilty of "murder" when an enemy soldier was killed in battle. At that particular time I could not make a sound decision in my own mind as to whether this action was actually a "sin". It was not until after I had contacted three ministers of three different religious beliefs that I finally found my own peace on this issue.

I was immediately reminded about the parting of the Red Sea, David and Goliath, Cain and Abel and many other accounts of "murder or killing" mentioned in the Bible and how the circumstances surrounding each of these events were totally different. Some acts of murder were committed out of anger and revenge, while others were necessary to protect a nation or for self-preservation.

Do Christians Judge Others?

"It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."

It is most certainly not against Christian principles to "judge" the actions of others, but we must be very careful of our interpretation of the word and its many uses scattered throughout the Bible. We all "judge" in one form or another. 

Here's a perfect example: Let's suppose we hear a news report on the 6 o'clock news that involves the murder of two small children. The video shows the father, who is in handcuffs, being placed in the back of a police car. I would bet my next paycheck that the following thought (or something similar) is going through the minds of 90% of the people who saw the newscast "They shouldn't even waste the money and time to try that scum, they should just hang him from the public square." The sad thing is that we don't even know whether or not the man has been accused of a crime or not.

Does Christianity Have Room For Other Beliefs?

Our beliefs must help us strive for a better life.

Christianity has its origin in Judaism, after all Jesus was a Jew. The followers of Jesus believed him to be the "messiah". At the convening of the first Christian council, the apostles decided that Christians didn't have to follow Jewish laws and the two faiths or beliefs moved further away from one another.

A few of the major differences between Judaism and Christian beliefs are:

• Christian principles are founded in the Bible, while the sacred text of Judaism is the Tanakh. (It is important to note here that the Old Testament of the Holy Bible was originally the Jewish Bible.)

• Christians believe in the "Trinity" of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as three persons, while Judaism normally recognizes "Unity", one person. (There are some Christians who believe the same as Judaism in this area.)

• Christians believe in a virgin birth of Jesus, while Judaism believes he was born by a normal birth.

• Christians believe Jesus to be the Son of God, while Judaism recognizes him as a false prophet.

• Christians believe that Jesus ascended into heaven after his crucifixion; Judaism does not.

• Christians believe that Jesus will return to earth one day; Judaism does not.

• Christians accept Judaism as a true religion with incomplete revelation, while Judaism believes Christianity to be a false interpretation of Judaism.

Is The Bible Truly The Word Of God?

The Bible is the inspired word of God.

The suggestion that the Bible was written by the devil instead of being the word of God seems to be just one more challenge of the Christian belief structure.

Just the nature of such a futile debate suggests that the beliefs of our founding fathers, most leaders of our country, and millions of average citizens today are founded on evil and deceit rather than on any truth.

Common sense coupled with a little research will help us realize that most of us possess the same basic philosophy of the devil and that philosophy is surrounded by evil.
Since this inquiry is basically questioning the authenticity of the Bible, making reference to any teachings found in the Bible would be a total waste of time, so we will just look at other religious beliefs to attempt to get a general consensus regarding beliefs about the devil.