-
Quotations
(Click for Details)
-
The Meaning of Life
What's the meaning of life?
'I avoided myself, I wasn’t happy. It takes a lot to admit that. You just keep going, having fun – only it wasn’t really fun, just a way to keep from standing still and thinking.' Robin Williams, multi-award-winning American actor and comedian (born 1951)
'Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.'
Anonymous'When I die, worms will devour my body and I will commit myself to the 'Great Perhaps.''
Thomas Hobbes, noted English political philosopher, most famous for his book Leviathan (1651). (1588 – 1679)'I don't want to earn my living; I want to live.'
Oscar Wilde, Anglo-Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and short story writer (1854 – 1900)'I am the life.'
Jesus Christ, Jewish claimant to be God incarnate.'Ask Geldof whether he thinks his life is fulfilled and he snorts with laughter. ‘Not at all, I don’t know what that would mean. I’m unfulfilled as a human being, otherwise why are there these large holes here’ (and he thumps his chest). ‘Everything I do is because I’m frightened of being bored because I know what’s down in those holes, I’m frightened of it. It makes me very depressed so I keep active, frenetically so, unfortunately, and that freneticism keeps me going all the time and allows me to say I’m not wasting my time.’'
Mick Brown Interview with Sir Bob Geldof following the release of his book 'Is that it?' (The Times 1998)'The central neurosis of our time is emptiness.'
Carl Jung - Swiss psychiatrist and colleague of Freud's (1875-1961)'I gave in, and admitted that God was God.'
C.S. Lewis, English essayist & juvenile novelist (1898 - 1963)'Jesus is just a word I use to swear with.'
Richard Harris, Irish actor, singer and songwriter (1930 – 2002)'Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living; the other helps you make a life.'
Sandra Carey, American Consultant/Lobbyist'Only a life lived for others is worth living.'
Albert Einstein, German-born Jewish theoretical physicist (1879 – 1955)'Life is rather like opening a tin of sardines. We’re all looking for the key.'
Alan Bennet, English author and actor (born 1934)'True religion is real living; living with all one's soul, with all one's goodness and righteousness.'
Albert Einstein, German-born Jewish theoretical physicist (1879 – 1955)'I think everyone’s looking for happiness… when you’ve got everything you dreamed of and you’re still not happy you think, “what is it that I need?"'
Mel C, 'Sporty Spice' from the British pop group 'The Spice Girls' (born 1974)'I am the way.'
Jesus Christ, Jewish claimant to be God incarnate.'We’re just wandering around waiting to die… bumping into each other and achieving a few things.'
Chris Evans, British radio and televison presenter and celebrity (born 1966)'No matter how successful you are, it doesn’t make you a whole person. Where do you go from there?'
Robbie Williams, British pop singer (born 1974)'We're more popular than Jesus now.'
John Lennon, singer, songwriter, poet and guitarist for The Beatles. His creative career also included the roles of solo musician, political activist, artist, actor and author. (1940 – 1980)'Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.'
Albert Einstein, German-born Jewish theoretical physicist (1879 – 1955)'Death may be the greatest of all human blessings.'
Socrates, Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC - 399 BC)'Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.'
Leo Tolstoy, Russian mystic & novelist (1828 - 1910)'I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance.'
Socrates, Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC - 399 BC)'Everything that I understand, I understand only because I love.'
Leo Tolstoy, Russian mystic & novelist (1828 - 1910)'If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shoddy furniture, let us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shoddy philosophies... It would be a sad situation if the wrapper were better than the meat wrapped inside it.'
Albert Einstein, German-born Jewish theoretical physicist (1879 – 1955)'I’d give anything to know what satisfaction feels like… it doesn’t matter how wonderful everything looks. If it doesn’t feel that way on the inside it doesn’t exist.'
Dame Helen Mirren, English stage, television and movie actress (born 1945)'I was rich, I had all the material possessions I needed… but I had no inner peace… I was a puppet on a string. '
Boris Becker, former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany (born 1967)'I think it bodes well for world peace that ‘Friends’ is a success everywhere in the world.'
Lisa Kudrow, Jewish-American actress (born 1963)'I’m a million different people from one day to the next .'
The Verve, British rock and roll band of the 1990s'If all the people who fall asleep in church on Sunday were laid end to end...they’d all be a great deal more comfortable. '
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States (1809 – 1865)'In regards to this great Book (the Bible), I have but to say it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this Book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man's welfare, here and hereafter, are found portrayed in it.'
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States (1809 – 1865)'Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.'
Albert Einstein, German-born Jewish theoretical physicist (1879 – 1955)'I can’t get no satisfaction.'
Sir Michael "Mick" Jagger (born 1943)'Football is not a matter of life and death… …it’s more important than that. '
William "Bill" Shankly, OBE (1913 – 1981)'For all the advances of science there remains deep in the soul an anxiety that something is missing… some ingredient that makes life worth living. '
The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (born 1948)'Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.'
Albert Einstein, German-born Jewish theoretical physicist (1879 – 1955)'I like flowers.'
Sir Elton John, British singer and songwriter (born 1947) (after spending £293,000 on flowers in 20 months)'Only my wardrobe people know how paranoid I am about my body. '
Julia Roberts, American actress and movie star (born 1967)'It’s not that I’m afraid to die. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.'
Woody Allen, American comedian (born 1935)'Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either .'
Albert Einstein, German-born Jewish theoretical physicist (1879 – 1955)'The search for truth is more precious than its possession. '
Albert Einstein, German-born Jewish theoretical physicist (1879 – 1955)'I die seeking the truth .'
Gautama Buddha, Indian philosopher & religious leader (563 BC - 483 BC)'I am the truth.'
Jesus Christ, Jewish claimant to be God incarnate.'I am the prophet of God .'
Mohammed, claimed to be the final prophet of Islam (570 A.D. - 632 A.D.)'Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.'
Jesus Christ, Jewish claimant to be God incarnate.'The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives.'
Albert Einstein, German-born Jewish theoretical physicist (1879 – 1955)'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. '
Jesus Christ, Jewish claimant to be God incarnate.'We buy things we do not want to impress people we do not like.'
Anonymous'I'd kill myself if I was that fat.'
Liz Hurley, British actress (commenting on Marilyn Monroe) (born 1965)'Everything that deceives may be said 'to enchant'. '
Plato, Greek author & philosopher in Athens (427 BC - 347 BC)'Skepticism is not innate; it has to be taught.'
Tim LaHaye, American Christian minister, contemporary speaker and author (born 1926)'The only absolute knowledge attainable by man is that life is meaningless.'
Leo Tolstoy, Russian mystic & novelist (1828 - 1910)'For thirty five years of my life I was, in the proper acceptation of the word, nihilist, a man who believed in nothing. Five years ago my faith came to me. I believed in the doctrine of Jesus Christ and my whole life underwent a sudden transformation. Life and death ceased to be evil. Instead of despair, I tasted joy and happiness that death could not take away.'
Leo Tolstoy, Russian mystic & novelist (1828 - 1910)'You can have everything in the world and still be the loneliest man and that is the most bitter type of loneliness; success has brought me world idolization and millions of pounds but it has prevented me from having the one thing we all need, a loving on-going relationship. I am bitter, lonely and have no-one to trust.'
Freddie Mercury, lead singer of 'Queen', just before he died (1946 – 1991)'Electric word, "Life", it means forever and that's a mighty long time.'
Prince, American singer-songwriter, musician, from 'Let's Go Crazy''There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.'
Blaise Pascal, French mathematician and philosopher (1623-62)'Never do anything against conscience, even if the state demands it.'
Albert Einstein, German-born Jewish theoretical physicist (1879 – 1955)'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.'
Jesus Christ, Jewish claimant to be God incarnate. -
Who is Jesus
Is Jesus God?
'If ever man was God or God man, Jesus Christ was both.'
Lord Byron, English poet and leading figure in Romanticism (1788 - 1824)'I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of people would die for Him.'
Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 – 1821), general of the French Revolution, ruler of France as First Consul of the French Republic (1799 to 1804), then as Emperor of the French and King of Italy under the name Napoleon I.'The secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: he was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says, No. I'm not saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying: 'I'm the Messiah.' I'm saying: 'I am God incarnate.'...So what you're left with is either Christ was who He said He was - the Messiah - or a complete nutcase...The idea that the entire course of civilisation for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me that's farfetched.'
Bono, lead singer of U2 (born 1960)'I die seeking the truth.'
Gautama Buddha, Indian philosopher & religious leader (563 BC - 483 BC)'I am the truth.'
Jesus Christ, Jewish claimant to be God incarnate.'I am the prophet of God.'
Mohammed, claimant to be the final prophet of Islam (570 A.D. - 632 A.D.)'Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.'
Jesus Christ, Jewish claimant to be God incarnate'The nearer I approach, the more carefully I examine, everything is above me, everything remains grand, of a grandeur that overpowers. His religion is a revelation from an intelligence that is certainly not that of a man. I search in vain to find the person similar to Jesus Christ, or anything which can approach the gospels. Neither history, nor humanity nor the ages nor nature offer me anything which I can compare or explain it. Here everything is extraordinary.'
Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 – 1821), general of the French Revolution, ruler of France as First Consul of the French Republic (1799 to 1804), then as Emperor of the French and King of Italy under the name Napoleon I.'Jesus is just a word I use to swear with.'
Richard Harris, Irish actor, singer and songwriter (1930 – 2002)'Who among Jesus' disciples was capable of inventing the sayings ascribed to Jesus? Or imagining the life and character revealed in the gospels? Jesus seems to have a character so original, so complete, so uniformly consistent, so human and yet so far above human greatness that is it really possible to regard him as a fraud or a fiction? It might be said that it would take more than a Jesus to actually invent a Jesus.'
John Stuart Mill, English philosopher, political economist and atheist. He was an influential classical liberal thinker of the 19th century (1806 – 1873)'No one else holds or has held the place in the heart of the world which Jesus holds. Other gods have been as devoutly worshipped; no other man has been so devoutly loved.'
John Knox - the great church Reformer of Scotland (1505-1572)'A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act.'
Mahatma Gandhi, Indian political leader (1869-1948)'Jesus was the first socialist, the first to seek a better life for mankind.'
Mikhail Gorbachev, leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991 (born 1931)'Thinking as I do that the Creator of this world is a very cruel being, and being a worshipper of Christ, I cannot help saying: ''the Son, O how unlike the Father!'' First God Almighty comes with a thump on the head. Then Jesus Christ comes with a balm to heal it.'
William Blake - British Poet, Painter (1757-1827)'No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus.'
Albert Einstein, German-born Jewish theoretical physicist (1879 – 1955)'I am an historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history.'
H.G. Wells, British author (1866-1946)'There is one very serious defect to my mind in Christ's moral character, and that is that he believed in hell... It is a doctrine that put cruelty into the world and gave the world generations of cruel torture; and the Christ of the Gospels, if you could take him as his chroniclers represent him, would certainly have to be considered partly responsible for that.'
Bertrand Russell, British philosopher (1872-1970)'Jesus Christ is to me the outstanding personality of all time, all history, both as Son of God and as Son of Man. Everything he ever said or did has value for us today and that is something you can say of no other man, dead or alive. There is no easy middle ground to stroll upon. You either accept Jesus or reject him.'
Sholem Asch, Jewish author (1880-1957)'I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.'
C.S.Lewis, from 'Mere Christianity', English essayist & juvenile novelist (1898 - 1963)'In his own lifetime Jesus made no impact on history. This is something that I cannot but regard as a special dispensation on God's part, and, I like to think, yet another example of the ironical humour which informs so many of his purposes. To me, it seems highly appropriate that the most important figure in all history should thus escape the notice of memoirists, diarists, commentators, all the tribe of chroniclers who even then existed.'
Malcolm Muggeridge, British journalist (1903-90)'After the fall of so many gods in this century, this person, broken at the hands of his opponents and constantly betrayed through the ages by his adherents, is obviously still for innumerable people the most moving figure in the long history of mankind.'
Hans Küng, German theologian (born 1928)'Socrates dies with honor, surrounded by his disciples listening to the most tender words -the easiest death that one could wish to die. Jesus dies in pain, dishonor, mockery, the object of universal cursing – the most horrible death that one could fear. At the receipt of the cup of poison, Socrates blesses him who could not give it to him without tears; Jesus, while suffering the sharpest pains, prays for His most bitter enemies. If Socrates lived and died like a philosopher, Jesus lived and died like a god.'
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, French philosopher (1712-78)'Not only do we not know God except through Jesus Christ; We do not even know ourselves except through Jesus Christ.'
Blaise Pascal, French mathematician and philosopher (1623-62)'This Jesus of Nazareth without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Mohammed and Napoleon; without science and learning he shed more light on matters human and Divine than all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of schools, he spoke much words of life as were never spoken before or since, the produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion, furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions...than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times.'
Philip Schaff - Swiss-born U.S. biblical scholar, 1858'The divine man'
Goethe - German writer and scientist, 1749-1832'The holy one'
Goethe - German writer and scientist, 1749-1832'The human mind, no matter how far it may advance in every other department, will never transcend the height and moral culture of Christianity as it shines and glows in the gospels.'
Goethe - German writer and scientist, 1749-1832'I believe there is no one lovelier, deeper, more sympathetic and more perfect than Jesus. I say to myself, with jealous love, that not only is there no one else like him but there could never be anyone like him.'
Fyodor Dostoevsky - Russian novelist (1821-81)'You should point to the whole man Jesus and say, ''That is God.'''
Martin Luther, German theologian, Augustinian monk and ecclesiastical reformer whose teachings inspired the Reformation (1483 – 1546)'...He who would lead a Christ-like life must be entirely and absolutely himself...[for] more than anyone else in history [Christ] wakes in us that temper of wonder to which romance always appeals. ...as he passed by on the highway of life people who had seen nothing of life's mystery saw it clearly ... And above all, Christ is the most supreme of individualists. ...It is a man's soul that Christ is always looking for. ...That is because one realizes the soul only by getting rid of all alien passions, all acquired culture, and all external possessions, be they good or evil. ...Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation. Christ was not merely the supreme individualist, but he was the first individualist in history. ...He appeals to the temper of wonder, and creates that mood in which alone he can be understood. ...He was the first person who ever said to people that they should live 'flower-like lives'. ...He felt that life was changeful, fluid, active, and that to allow it to be stereotyped into any form was death.'
Oscar Wilde, Anglo-Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and short story writer (1854 – 1900)'There is a great difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Him...There is no difference between nominal Christians and non-Christians. When we know Him everything is different and we are living in a new world -- a new atmosphere. Heaven begins on earth for us. Those who know Him know that Jesus is everything to them. They can bear witness because they have been living with Him...If we only know of Jesus as a good man, a great example, it is no help to us. Those who know Him know Who He is. If we live in Him He will reveal Himself to us and we shall bear witness -- not for a day or a night only...'
Sadhu Sundar Singh, Indian Christian witness (former Hindu) who did more than any man in the first half of the twentieth century to establish that "Jesus belongs to India." (disappeared in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1929)'People misunderstand Him when they don't know Him, but when they know Him they love Him. When I knew about Him I used to hate Him. Now I have heaven on earth. Heaven is in my heart...'
Sadhu Sundar Singh, Indian Christian witness (former Hindu) who did more than any man in the first half of the twentieth century to establish that "Jesus belongs to India." (disappeared in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1929)'I was going to commit suicide. Hinduism offered no spiritual help. Prayer is the most essential thing. Without prayer we cannot understand Jesus. We are living in Hell. Many know about Him but they do not live in Him."
Sadhu Sundar Singh, Indian Christian witness (former Hindu) who did more than any man in the first half of the twentieth century to establish that "Jesus belongs to India." (disappeared in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1929)'A Buddhist said to me, 'Extinction of desire is salvation'...'No,' said I, 'extinction of evil desire -- I agree with you there. But it is impossible not to have desire. The desire to kill desire is desire and the desire to kill that desire is also desire. Desire has been given to us that it may be satisfied. There is water given to quench my thirst and I am satisfied through prayer'...I have begun to live in heaven now in Jesus Christ. Through prayer I know Him and it is the duty of those who know Him to bear witness.'
Sadhu Sundar Singh, Indian Christian witness (former Hindu) who did more than any man in the first half of the twentieth century to establish that "Jesus belongs to India." (disappeared in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1929)'Trying to understand spiritual truth through the intellect means increase of self. Men search for God and find Him unknowable... But: He is known through the heart, not through philosophy. The only way for us to understand the infinite God is by becoming infinite and that is impossible. He must become finite and He is so in Jesus.'
Sadhu Sundar Singh, Indian Christian witness (former Hindu) who did more than any man in the first half of the twentieth century to establish that "Jesus belongs to India." (disappeared in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1929) -
Why Christianity?
Is Christianity Important?
'Other people's response to a Christian may be, "It's great for you, but it is not for me." This is not a logical position. If Christianity is true, it is of vital importance to every one of us. If it is not true, Christians are deluded and it is not "great for us" - it is very sad and the sooner we are put right the better.'
Nicky Gumbel, Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton, London, author and developer of 'The Alpha Course' (born 1955)'Christianity is a statement which, if false, is of no importance, and, if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important.'
C.S. Lewis, English essayist & juvenile novelist (1898 - 1963)'The search for truth is more precious than its possession.'
Albert Einstein, German-born Jewish theoretical physicist (1879 – 1955)'I die seeking the truth.'
Gautama Buddha, Indian philosopher & religious leader (563 BC - 483 BC)'I am the truth.'
Jesus Christ, Jewish claimant to be God incarnate.'I am the prophet of God.'
Mohammed, claimant to be the final prophet of Islam (570 A.D. - 632 A.D.)'Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.'
Jesus Christ, Jewish claimant to be God incarnate.'If there is no God, it's serious. If there is a God, it's even more serious.'
Bono, lead singer of 'U2' (born 1960)'The establishment of the church is a recreation of the world.'
Gregory of Nyssa, Christian bishop and saint (ca. 335 – after 394)'Gandhi was asked: “Who do you base your teaching on?” He replied, “Jesus of Nazareth.”'
Mahatma Gandhi, Indian political leader, Philosopher and internationally esteemed for his doctrine of nonviolent protest (1869 - 1948)'I recollect well at the end of the last war, more than a quarter of a century ago, that the House, when it heard the long list of the surrender terms, the armistice terms, which had been imposed upon the Germans, did not feel inclined for debate or business, but desired to offer thanks to Almighty God, to the Great Power which seems to shape and design the fortunes of nations and the destiny of man; and I therefore beg, Sir, with your permission to move: That this House do now attend at the Church of St. Margaret, Westminster, to give humble and reverent thanks to Almighty God for our deliverance from the threat of German domination. '
The Right Honourable Sir Winston Churchill KG OM CH TD FRS, English statesman and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom speaking to the nation at the end of the Second World War (1874 – 1965)'I had a million questions to ask God: but when I met Him, they all fled my mind; and it didn't seem to matter.'
Christopher Morley - American editor and author (1890–1957)'The secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: he was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says, No. I'm not saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying: 'I'm the Messiah.' I'm saying: 'I am God incarnate.'...So what you're left with is either Christ was who He said He was - the Messiah - or a complete nutcase...The idea that the entire course of civilisation for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me that's farfetched.'
Bono, lead singer of 'U2' (born 1960)'God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.'
C.S. Lewis, English essayist & juvenile novelist (1898 - 1963)'The Earth is a million years old, but the Bible is a billion years old.'
Mark, Homeless in Detroit'I love to hear my Lord spoken of, and wherever I have seen the print of His shoe in the earth, there have I coveted to put mine also.'
John Bunyan - British author (1628-1688)'I am an historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history.'
H.G. Wells, British author (1866-1946)'Jesus Christ is to me the outstanding personality of all time, all history, both as Son of God and as Son of Man. Everything he ever said or did has value for us today and that is something you can say of no other man, dead or alive. There is no easy middle ground to stroll upon. You either accept Jesus or reject him.'
Sholem Asch, Jewish author (1880-1957)'It is as wholly wrong to blame Marx for what was done in his name, as it is to blame Jesus for what was done in his.'
Tony Benn, British politician (born 1925)'I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.'
C.S.Lewis, from 'Mere Christianity', English essayist & juvenile novelist (1898 - 1963)'If Jesus came back and saw what was being done in his name, he wouldn't be able to stop throwing up.'
Woody Allen, American comedian (born 1935)'Not only do we not know God except through Jesus Christ; We do not even know ourselves except through Jesus Christ.'
Blaise Pascal, French mathematician and philosopher (1623-62)'I commend my soul into the hands of God, my creator, hoping and assuredly believing through the merits of Jesus Christ my Savior to be made partaker of life everlasting.'
William Shakespeare, English poet and playwright (1564 – 1616)'The only absolute knowledge attainable by man is that life is meaningless.'
Leo Tolstoy, Russian mystic & novelist (1828 - 1910)'For thirty five years of my life I was, in the proper acceptation of the word, nihilist, a man who believed in nothing. Five years ago my faith came to me. I believed in the doctrine of Jesus Christ and my whole life underwent a sudden transformation. Life and death ceased to be evil. Instead of despair, I tasted joy and happiness that death could not take away.'
Leo Tolstoy, Russian mystic & novelist (1828 - 1910)'...He who would lead a Christ-like life must be entirely and absolutely himself...[for] more than anyone else in history [Christ] wakes in us that temper of wonder to which romance always appeals. ...as he passed by on the highway of life people who had seen nothing of life's mystery saw it clearly ... And above all, Christ is the most supreme of individualists. ...It is a man's soul that Christ is always looking for. ...That is because one realizes the soul only by getting rid of all alien passions, all acquired culture, and all external possessions, be they good or evil. ...Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation. Christ was not merely the supreme individualist, but he was the first individualist in history. ...He appeals to the temper of wonder, and creates that mood in which alone he can be understood. ...He was the first person who ever said to people that they should live 'flower-like lives'. ...He felt that life was changeful, fluid, active, and that to allow it to be stereotyped into any form was death.'
Oscar Wilde, Anglo-Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and short story writer (1854 – 1900)'You can have everything in the world and still be the loneliest man and that is the most bitter type of loneliness; success has brought me world idolization and millions of pounds but it has prevented me from having the one thing we all need, a loving on-going relationship. I am bitter, lonely and have no-one to trust.'
Freddie Mercury, lead singer of 'Queen', just before he died (1946 – 1991)'Electric word, "Life", it means forever and that's a mighty long time.'
Prince, American singer-songwriter, musician, from 'Let's Go Crazy''There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.'
Blaise Pascal, French mathematician and philosopher (1623-62)'Jesus tapped me on the shoulder and said, Bob, why are you resisting me? I said, I'm not resisting you! He said, You gonna follow me? I said, I've never thought about that before! He said, When you're not following me, you're resisting me.'
Bob Dylan, American singer-songwriter, musician (born 1941)'The moral and religious system which Jesus Christ transmitted to us is the best the world has ever seen, or can see.'
Benjamin Franklin, American publisher, journalist, author, philanthropist, abolitionist, statesman, scientist, librarian, diplomat and inventor (1706 – 1790)'Jesus does not give recipes that show the way to God as other teachers of religion do. He is himself the way.'
Karl Barth, Swiss Protestant theologian (1886 - 1968)'It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.'
George Washington, American planter, political figure, the highest ranking military leader in U.S. history and first President of the United States (1732 - 1799)'In regards to this great Book (the Bible), I have but to say it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this Book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man's welfare, here and hereafter, are found portrayed in it.'
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States (1809 – 1865)'God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.'
C.S. Lewis, English essayist & juvenile novelist (1898 - 1963)'There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right then, have it your way."
C.S. Lewis, English essayist & juvenile novelist (1898 - 1963)'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.'
Jesus Christ, Jewish claimant to be God incarnate -
Science vs God?
Is there a conflict between Science and Chrsitianity?
'I want to know how God created this world. I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts; the rest are details.'
Albert Einstein, German-born Jewish theoretical physicist (1879 – 1955)'An honest man, armed with all the knowledge available to us now, could only state that in some sense, the origin of life appears at the moment to be almost a miracle, so many are the conditions which would have had to be satisfied in order to get it going.'
Professor Francis Crick, OM FRS, British physicist, molecular biologist and neuroscientist, most noted for being one of the co-discoverers of the structure of the DNA molecule in 1953, for which he, James D. Watson and Maurice Wilkins were jointly awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. (1916 – 2004)'In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God's existence.'
Sir Isaac Newton, President of the Royal Society, English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, inventor, philosopher and alchemist. A man of profound genius, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential scientists in history (1642 – 1727)'Science may solve the problem of how the universe began, but it cannot answer the question: why does the universe bother to exist?'
Professor Stephen Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, one of the world's leading theoretical physicists. Hawking is the Lucasian professor of mathematics at the University of Cambridge. (born 1942)'Men became scientific because they expected Law in Nature, and they expected Law in Nature because they believed in a Legislator.'
C.S. Lewis, English essayist & juvenile novelist (1898 - 1963)'Science is the legitimate child of a great religious movement, and its geneology goes back to Jesus.'
John Macmurray, communitarian moral philosopher (1891 - 1976)'There are two big books, the book of nature and the book of supernature, the Bible.'
Galileo Galilei, Italian physicist, astronomer, and philosopher who is closely associated with the scientific revolution. His achievements include improvements to the telescope, a variety of astronomical observations, the first law of motion and the second law of motion, and effective support for Copernicanism. He has been referred to as the "father of modern astronomy," as the "father of modern physics," and as "father of science."(1564 – 1642)'Professor James Simpson when asked, 'What do you think is the most important discovery of your life?', replied 'The most important discovery I ever made was when I discovered Jesus Christ.'
Sir James Young Simpson, professor of midwifery at the University of Edinburgh, physician to Queen Victoria and a pioneer in Victorian medicine. He discovered the anaesthetic properties of chloroform and — against medical and religious opposition — successfully introduced it for general medical use (1811 - 1870)'Men of religion can learn from science what the physical world is really like in its structure and long-evolving history. This constrains what religion can say where it speaks of that world as God's creation. He is clearly a patient God who works through process and not by magic. Men of science can receive from a religion a deeper understanding than could be obtained from science alone. The physical world's deep mathematical intelligibility (signs of the Mind behind it) and finely tuned fruitfulness (expressive of divine purpose) are reflections of the fact that it is a creation.'
Revd Dr John Polkinghorne, president of Queens College, Cambridge, Fellow of the Royal Society, who was a professor of mathematical physics before his ordination in 1983. He received a knighthood in 1997, and in 2002 was awarded the Templeton Prize for his contributions to research at the interface between science and religion. (born 1930)'The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.'
Albert Einstein, German-born Jewish theoretical physicist (1879 – 1955)'As a religious person, I strongly sense...the presence and actions of a creative being far beyond myself and yet always personal and close by.' Now at the University of California, Berkeley, Townes believes that recent discoveries in cosmology reveal 'a universe that fits religious views' - specifically, that 'somehow intelligence must have been involved in the laws of the universe.'
Charles Townes - American Physicist and Christian - He shared the 1964 Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering the principles that underlie the laser. (born 1915)'Belief in miracles, far from depending on an ignorance of the laws of nature, is only possible insofar as those laws are known.'
C.S. Lewis, English essayist & juvenile novelist (1898 - 1963)'It is easier to believe that God created something out of nothing than to believe that nothing created something out of nothing.'
Nicky Gumbel, Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton, London, author and developer of 'The Alpha Course' (born 1955)'I think people who believe that life emerged naturalistically need to have a great deal more faith than people who reasonably infer that there is an intelligent designer.'
Jonathan Wells, PHD, PHD, biologist and Fellow of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture.'When Darwin's 'The Origin of the Species' was published in 1859, he conceded that the 'the most obvious and gravest objection which can be urged against my theory' was that the fossil record failed to back up his evolutionary hypothesis. 'Why,' he asked, 'if species have descended from other species by insensibly fine gradations, do we not everywhere see innumerable transitional forms?' He attributed the problem to the fossil record being incomplete and predicted that future discoveries would vindicate his theory.'
Jonathan Wells, PHD, PHD, biologist and Fellow of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture.'The universal experience of paleontology...(is that) while the rocks have continually yielded new and exciting and even bizarre forms of life...what they have never yielded is any of Darwin's myriads of transitional forms. Despite the tremendous increase in geological activity in every corner of the globe and despite the discovery of many strange and hitherto unknown forms, the infinitude of connecting links has still not been discovered and the fossil record is about as discontinuous as it was when Darwin was writing 'Origin'. The intermediate have remained as elusive as ever and their absence remains, a century later, one of the most striking charateristics of the fossil record.'
Michael Denton, from his book 'Evolution: A Theory in Crisis.''As an illustration of the fossil record the Tree of Life (Charles Darwin) is a dismal failure. His theory predicts a long history of gradual divergence from a common ancestor, with the differences slowly becoming bigger and bigger until you get the major differences we have now. The fossil evidence, even to this day, showed the opposite: the rapid appearance of phylum-level differences in what's called the Cambrian explosion. Darwin believed that future fossil discoveries would vindicate his theory - but that hasn't happened. Actually, fossil discoveries over the last hundred and fifty years have turned his tree upside down by showing the Cambrian explosion was even more abrupt and extensive than scientsists thought....The Cambrian was a geological period that we think began a little more than 540 million years ago. The Cambrian explosion has been called the 'Biological Big Bang' because it gave rise to the sudden appearance of most of the major animal phyla that are still alive today, as well as some that are extinct.'
Jonathan Wells, PHD, PHD, biologist and Fellow of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture.'Towards the end of his life, Charles Darwin wrote of the 'impossibility of conceiving this immense and wonderful universe including man as a result of blind chance or necessity. When thus reflecting, I feel compelled to look to a first cause having an intelligent mind in some degree analagous to that of a man and I deserve to be called a theist.'
Charles Darwin, a British naturalist who achieved lasting fame as the originator of the theory of evolution through natural selection and sexual selection (1809 – 1882)'The chances that life just occured on earth are about as unlikely as a typhoon blowing through a junkyard and constructing a Boeing 747.'
Chandra Wickramasinghe, professor of Applied Mathematics and Astronomy at Cardiff University and Director of the Cardiff Centre for Astrobiology (born 1939)'There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.'
Albert Einstein, German-born Jewish theoretical physicist (1879 – 1955)'It was my science that drove me to the conclusion that the world is much more complicated than can be explained by science. It is only through the supernatural that I can understand the mystery of existence.'
Dr Allan Sandage. Slightly stooped and white-haired at 72, Sandage has spent a professional lifetime coaxing secrets out of the stars, peering through telescopes from Chile to California in the hope of spying nothing less than the origins and destiny of the universe. As much as any other 20th-century astronomer, Sandage actually figured it out: his observations of distant stars showed how fast the universe is expanding and how old it is (15 billion years or so). But through it all Sandage, who says he was "almost a practicing atheist as a boy," was nagged by mysteries whose answers were not to be found in the glittering panoply of supernovas. Among them: why is there something rather than nothing? Sandage began to despair of answering such questions through reason alone, and so, at 50, he willed himself to accept God.'The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.'
Albert Einstein, German-born Jewish theoretical physicist (1879 – 1955)'If the density of the universe one second after the Big Bang had been greater by one part in a thousand billion, the universe would have recollapsed after ten years. On the other hand, if the density of the universe at that time had been less by the same amount, the universe would have been essentially empty since it was about ten years old. How is it that the initial density of the universe was chosen so carefully? Maybe there is some reason why the universe should have precisely the critical density?'
Professor Stephen Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, one of the world's leading theoretical physicists. Hawking is the Lucasian professor of mathematics at the University of Cambridge. (born 1942)'No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus.'
Albert Einstein, German-born Jewish theoretical physicist (1879 – 1955)'Scientists, or anyone else, without religion, have to face a world in which there is no real purpose, no meaning to torment and joy, and accept that when we are dead, we vanish, that there is no after-life.'
Dr Lewis Wolpert, writing in 'The Times'(10th April 1993), is a developmental biologist, author, and broadcaster.'A legitimate conflict between science and religion cannot exist. Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.'
Albert Einstein, German-born Jewish theoretical physicist (1879 – 1955) -
Is Christ Dead?
The evidence for the resurrection?
'In its favour as living truth there exists such overwhelming evidence, positive and negative, factual and circumstantial, that no intelligent jury in the world could fail to bring in a verdict that the resurrection story is true.'
Former Lord Chief Justice of England, Lord Darling'After six years given to the impartial investigation of Christianity as to its truth or falsity, I have come to the deliberate conclusion that Jesus Christ was the Messiah of the Jews, the Savior of the world and my own personal Redeemer.'
General Lew Wallace (1827 – 1905) - a former atheist, military general and literary genius. He and Robert Ingersoll agreed together they would write a book that would forever destroy the myth of Christianity. General Wallace studied for two years in the leading libraries of Europe and America for information to destroy Christianity. While writing the second chapter of his book, he suddenly found himself on his knees, crying out, "My Lord and my God." The evidence was overwhelmingly conclusive. Later, Wallace wrote "Ben Hur" - one of the greatest Christian novels.'I have been used for many years to studying the histories of other times, and to examining and weighing the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort, to the understanding of a fair inquirer, than the great sign which God has given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead.'
Professor Thomas Arnold (1795 – 1842) - who as the famous headmaster of Rugby School revolutionised the concept of English education and was appointed to the chair of modern history at Oxford University. -
Why Forgive?
What is the point and power of the Cross? Why do we forgive? And what is Grace anyway?
'What I envy most about you Christians is your forgiveness. I have no one to forgive me.'
Marghanita Laski (1915 – 1988), English journalist, novelist and humanist, whilst debating on television with a Christian.'It's a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the Universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma.'
Bono, lead singer of 'U2' (born 1960)'We all need a saviour because we have all sinned and we cannot save ourselves from the results of sin. None of the other great religions ever claims to have a saviour. 'The English Buddhist, Maurice Walsh, pointed out that the Buddhist view of Buddha is very different from the Christian view of Christ. He stressed that the Buddha is thought of as a Teacher - not as a Saviour.' Likewise Muhammed is regarded as a prophet - not as a saviour. In Islam sinners will face judgement without forgiveness. By contrast, Jesus is the one who brings salvation. He saves us from our guilt, he saves us from the addictive power of sin and he saves us from the judgement we all deserve.... Jesus is unique in his resurrection. Peter described him as the one 'whom God raised from the dead' (Acts 4:10). The resurrection is a unique event in the history of the world.'
Nicky Gumbel, Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton, London, author and developer of 'The Alpha Course' (born 1955)'God loves us the way we are, but too much to leave us that way.'
Leighton Ford'At the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics - in physical laws - every action is met by an equal or an opposite one...And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that...Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff.'
Bono, lead singer of 'U2' (born 1960)'Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine - My sins are my own, they belong to me.'
Patti Smith, American musician, singer, and poet (born 1946)'Conscience is the perfect interpreter of life.'
Karl Barth, Swiss Protestant theologian (1886 - 1968)'With regard to the doctrine of Karma, it is true that man receives the consequences of his deeds; but the difference between the teaching of Christ and Hindu teaching is this - that a Christian performs deeds because he is saved and a Hindu in order to be saved.'
Sadhu Sundar Singh, Indian Christian witness (former Hindu) who did more than any man in the first half of the twentieth century to establish that "Jesus belongs to India." (disappeared in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1929)'I'd be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge...It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for Grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity.'
Bono, lead singer of 'U2' (born 1960)'If I wrote down every thought I have ever thought and every deed I have ever done, men would call me a monster of depravity.'
Somerset Maugham, English playwright, novelist, and short story writer (1874 - 1965)'Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.'
Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha) Indian philosopher & religious leader (563 BC - 483 BC)'There is one very serious defect to my mind in Christ's moral character, and that is that he believed in hell... It is a doctrine that put cruelty into the world and gave the world generations of cruel torture; and the Christ of the Gospels, if you could take him as his chroniclers represent him, would certainly have to be considered partly responsible for that.'
Bertrand Russell, British philosopher (1872-1970)'The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death...It's not our own good works that get us through the gates of Heaven.'
Bono, lead singer of 'U2' (born 1960) -
Christianity is a cruch for needy people
Is Christianity a crutch to life's problems?
'Even the addicts are saying, "It doesn't matter how many drugs I take, I'm not fulfilled. This isn't satisfying." There's a spiritual hunger going on. Everybody feels it. If you don't feel it now, you will. Trust me. You will... Drinking beer is easy. Trashing your hotel room is easy. But being a Christian, that's a tough call. That's rebellion.'
Alice Cooper, French heavy metal singer and musician (born 1948)'...He who would lead a Christ-like life must be entirely and absolutely himself...[for] more than anyone else in history [Christ] wakes in us that temper of wonder to which romance always appeals. ...as he passed by on the highway of life people who had seen nothing of life's mystery saw it clearly ... And above all, Christ is the most supreme of individualists. ...It is a man's soul that Christ is always looking for. ...That is because one realizes the soul only by getting rid of all alien passions, all acquired culture, and all external possessions, be they good or evil. ...Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation. Christ was not merely the supreme individualist, but he was the first individualist in history. ...He appeals to the temper of wonder, and creates that mood in which alone he can be understood. ...He was the first person who ever said to people that they should live 'flower-like lives'. ...He felt that life was changeful, fluid, active, and that to allow it to be stereotyped into any form was death.'
Oscar Wilde, Anglo-Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and short story writer (1854 – 1900)'I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.'
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, OM and Albanian Catholic nun who founded the Missionaries of Charity (1910 – 1997)'Church isn't where you meet. Church isn't a building. Church is what you do. Church is who you are. Church is the human outworking of the person of Jesus Christ. Let's not go to Church, let's be the Church.'
Bridget Willard'Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.'
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, OM and Albanian Catholic nun who founded the Missionaries of Charity (1910 – 1997)‘What you want is on the other side of convenience. It’s through the veil of tribulation.’
Bill Johnson, fifth generation Senior Pastor, Bethel Church, Redding, CA‘Sacrifice is a step beyond convenience.’
Bill Johnson, fifth generation Senior Pastor, Bethel Church, Redding, CA‘Yesterday’s sacrifice is today’s life of convenience.’
Bill Johnson, fifth generation Senior Pastor, Bethel Church, Redding, CA‘It takes more of a man to follow Jesus that it does to run from him.’
Arthur White, three times world title weightlifter.‘The measure of His will that we get to taste of on a consistent basis is determined by what we become.’
Bill Johnson, fifth generation Senior Pastor, Bethel Church, Redding, CA -
Church is Dieing
Is Christianity on the Wane?
'Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that; I'm right, and I will be proved right. We are more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first - rock'n'roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right, but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me.'
John Lennon, singer, songwriter, poet and guitarist for The Beatles. His creative career also included the roles of solo musician, political activist, artist, actor and author. (1940 – 1980)The American academic Philip Jenkins has studied the situation. In his book, The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity, he says that the Christian prophets of doom are ignorant of the explosive growth of Christianity outside Western Europe. In 1900, for instance, there were approximately ten million Christians in Africa. By 2000, there were 360 million. By 2025, conservative estimates see that number rising to 633 million. Those same estimates put the number of Christians in Latin America in 2025 at 640 million and in Asia at 460 million.
According to Jenkins, the percentage of the world's population that is, at least in name, Christian, will be roughly the same in 2050 as it was in 1900. By the middle of this century, there will be three billion Christians in the world.
From an article about the future of Christianity that cites Philip Jenkins, an American Academic.'A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.'
C.S. Lewis, English essayist & juvenile novelist (1898 - 1963)'After the fall of so many gods in this century, this person, broken at the hands of his opponents and constantly betrayed through the ages by his adherents, is obviously still for innumerable people the most moving figure in the long history of mankind.'
Hans Küng, German theologian (born 1928) -
The First Millennium
What they said in the first millenium
"Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"
Jesus's disciples, 'Mark's gospel', chapter 4 v 41 (1st century AD)'Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life."'
Early speculation about Jesus, 'Luke's gospel', chapter 9 vs 18-19 (1st century AD)'He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.'
The Apostle Paul, originally called Saul of Tarsus - one of the early leaders of the Christian Church, 'Colossians', chapter 1 vs 15-16 (1st century AD)'Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilate, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome... Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty: then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind'
Gaius Cornelius Tacitus, 'Annals' 15.44, Roman orator, lawyer, and senator and considered one of antiquity's greatest historians (ca. AD 56 – ca. AD 117)'He (Ananias) convened a meeting of the Sanhedrin and brought before them a man named James, the brother of Jesus, who was called the Christ, and certain others. He accused them of having transgressed the law and delivered them up to be stoned.'
Flavius Josephus, 'The Antiquities' 20.200, a 1st century Jewish historian and apologist of priestly and royal ancestry (c. AD 37 – c. AD 100 AD)'I have asked them if they are Christians, and if they admit it, I repeat the question a second and third time, with a warning of the punishment awaiting them. If they persist, I order them to be led away for execution; for, whatever the nature of their admission, I am convinced that their stubbornness and unshakeable obstinacy ought not to go unpunished... They also declared that the sum total of their guilt or error amounted to no more than this: they had met regularly before dawn on a fixed day to chant verses alternately amongst themselves in honor of Christ as if to a God, and also to bind themselves by oath, not for any criminal purpose, but to abstain from theft, robbery and adultery... This made me decide that it was all the more necessary to extract the truth by torture from two slave-women, whom they called deaconesses. I found nothing but a degenerate sort of cult carried to extravagant lengths.'
Pliny the Younger, lawyer, author and a natural philosopher of Ancient Rome (AD 63 - ca. AD 113) 'Letters' 10.96'God has revealed himself in his Son Jesus Christ, who is his Word issuing from the silence...'
St. Ignatius of Antioch, the third Bishop of Antioch, after Saint Peter and Evodius (died somewhere between AD 98 - AD 110 as a martyr in Rome)'The Lord has turned all our sunsets into sunrise.'
Clement of Alexandria (Titus Flavius Clemens), the first member of the Church of Alexandria to be more than a name, and one of its most distinguished teachers. (AD 150 - AD 215)'Jesus whom I know as my Redeemer cannot be less than God.'
Athanasius of Alexandria, a Christian bishop, the Patriarch of Alexandria, revered as a saint by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, and revered as a great leader and doctor of the Church by Protestants (AD 296 - AD 373)'Jesus has now been celebrated about 300 years, having done nothing in his lifetime worthy of fame, unless anyone thinks it is a very great work to heal lame and blind people and exorcise demoniacs in the villages of Bethsaida and Bethany.'
Flavius Claudius Julianus, known to Christians as Julian the Apostate, was a Roman emperor who ruled from AD 361 to AD 363. , Roman emperor (331-63)'He who alone was free among the dead – because he was free to lay down his life and free to take it up again – was for us both victor and victim... and it is because he was the victim that he was also the victor.'
Aurelius Augustinus, Augustine of Hippo ("The knowledgeable one"), St Augustine, pre-eminent Doctor of the Church according to Roman Catholicism and according to Evangelical Protestants the theological fountainhead of the Reformation and the teaching on salvation and grace (together with the Apostle Paul and the Bible). (AD 354 - AD 430)'For they that seek shall find Him, and they that find shall praise Him.'
Aurelius Augustinus, Augustine of Hippo ("The knowledgeable one"), St Augustine, pre-eminent Doctor of the Church according to Roman Catholicism and according to Evangelical Protestants the theological fountainhead of the Reformation and the teaching on salvation and grace (together with the Apostle Paul and the Bible). (AD 354 - AD 430)'Thou awakest us to delight in Thy praise; for Thou madest us for Thyself, and our heart is restless, until it repose in Thee.'
Aurelius Augustinus, Augustine of Hippo ("The knowledgeable one"), St Augustine, pre-eminent Doctor of the Church according to Roman Catholicism and according to Evangelical Protestants the theological fountainhead of the Reformation and the teaching on salvation and grace (together with the Apostle Paul and the Bible). (AD 354 - AD 430)'Christ is the great hidden mystery, the blessed goal, the purpose for which everything was created.'
St Maximus the Confessor, Byzantine theologian (AD 580 - AD 662)'I believe in... Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost. Born of the Virgin Mary. Suffered under Pontius Pilate. Was crucified, died and buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead.'
The Apostles' Creed (in Latin, Symbolum (Credo) Apostolicum), an early statement of Christian belief, possibly from the first or second century, but more likely post-Nicene Creed in the early 4th Century AD -
Early Evidence
Early Evidence for Christ outside of the New Testament
Flavius Josephus
Flavius Josephus, 'The Antiquities' 20.200, a 1st century Jewish historian and apologist of priestly and royal ancestry (c. 37 – c. 100 AD (or CE)) - 'Very important Jewish Historian of the first century' (Edwin M. Yamuchi, PH.D, CFC p83)
'In The Antiquities he described how a high priest named Ananias took advantage of the death of the Roman governor Festus - who is also mentioned in the New Testament - in order to have James killed.' (Edwin M. Yamuchi, PH.D, CFC p77)
'He (Ananias) convened a meeting of the Sanhedrin and brought before them a man named James, the brother of Jesus, who was called the Christ, and certain others. He accused them of having transgressed the law and delivered them up to be stoned.' (Josephus The Antiquities 20.200)
Gaius Cornelius Tacitus
Gaius Cornelius Tacitus, Roman orator, lawyer, and senator and considered one of antiquity's greatest historians (ca. 56–ca. 117) - 'Tacitus recorded what is probably the most important reference to Jesus outside of the New Testament' (Edwin M. Yamuchi, PH.D, CFC p83)
'Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilate, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome... Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty: then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind.' (Tacitus, Annals 15.44)
'This is an important testimony by an unsympathetic witness to the success and spread of Christianity, based on a historical figure - Jesus - who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and it's significant that Tacitus reported that an 'immense multitude' held so strongly to their beliefs that they were willing to die rather than recant.' (Edwin M. Yamuchi, PH.D, CFC p83)
Pliny the Younger
Pliny the Younger, lawyer, author and a natural philosopher of Ancient Rome (63-ca. 113) - 'the nephew of Pliny the Elder, the famous encyclopedist who died in the eruption of Vesuvius in A.D.79. Pliny the Younger became governor of Bythinia in northwestern Turkey. Much of his correspondence with his friend, Emperor Trajan, has been preserved to the present time.' (Edwin M. Yamuchi, PH.D, CFC p83)
'I have asked them if they are Christians, and if they admit it, I repeat the question a second and third time, with a warning of the punishment awaiting them. If they persist, I order them to be led away for execution; for, whatever the nature of their admission, I am convinced that their stubbornness and unshakeable obstinacy ought not to go unpunished...
They also declared that the sum total of their guilt or error amounted to no more than this: they had met regularly before dawn on a fixed day to chant verses alternately amongst themselves in honor of Christ as if to a God, and also to bind themselves by oath, not for any criminal purpose, but to abstain from theft, robbery and adultery...
This made me decide that it was all the more necessary to extract the truth by torture from two slave-women, whom they called deaconesses. I found nothing but a degenerate sort of cult carried to extravagant lengths.' (Pliny the Younger, Letters 10.96) -
Everyone Worships
Everyone Worships
'So how do you know what you worship? It’s easy. You simply follow the trail of your time, your affection, your money, and your allegiance. At the end of the trail you’ll find a throne; and whatever or whoever is on that throne is what’s of highest value to you. On that throne is what you worship.'
Louie Giglio, founder of 'Passion Conferences' (US), from ‘The Air we Breathe’'Worship is the basic Christian stance – giving God all he’s worth.'
Tom (N.T.) Wright, Bishop of Durham of the Anglican Church and a leading British New Testament scholar (born 1948)'A person will worship something, have no doubt about that. We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts, but it will out. That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming.'
Ralph Waldo Emerson, American Poet, Lecturer and Essayist (1803 - 1882)'If we seek pleasure as a god, in the long run we find emptiness, dissappointment and addiction. If we seek God, we find, among other things, ecstatic pleasure.'
Nicky Gumbel, Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton, London, author and developer of 'The Alpha Course' (born 1955)'When I admire the wonder of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in worship of the Creator.'
Mahatma Gandhi, Indian political leader, Philosopher and internationally esteemed for his doctrine of nonviolent protest (1869 - 1948)'People fashion their God after their own understanding. They make their God first and worship him afterwards.'
Oscar Wilde, Anglo-Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and short story writer (1854 – 1900)'This crippling of individuals I consider the worst evil of capitalism. Our whole educational system suffers from this evil. An exaggerated competitive attitude is inculcated into the student, who is trained to worship acquisitive success as a preparation.'
Albert Einstein, German-born Jewish theoretical physicist (1879 – 1955)'Every man is the builder of a temple, called his body, to the god he worships, after a style purely his own, nor can he get off by hammering marble instead. We are all sculptors and painters, and our material is our own flesh and blood and bones.'
Henry David Thoreau, American Essayist, Poet and Philosopher (1817 - 1862)'Therefore I urge you, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.'
The Apostle Paul, originally called Saul of Tarsus - one of the early leaders of the Christian Church, 'Romans', chapter 12 vs 1 - 2 (1st century AD)'I will not offer to the Lord my God sacrifices that have cost me nothing.'
King David (2 Samuel 24 v 24), the second (after King Saul) and one of the most well-known kings of ancient Israel, as well as the most mentioned man in the Hebrew Bible. David's forty-year reign lasted from roughly 1005 BC to 965 BC.'Abraham gave his son, his only son, whom he loved, in worship. In the Old Testament they gave a precious lamb, goat or calf in worship. The Wise Men gave gold, frankincense and myrrh in worship. And us? We give our very selves.'
Archie Coates, Curate of Holy Trinity Brompton, London. -
Other Religions?
Don't all religions lead to God?
'Religion is about the fundamental issues of life and death, and there is something in us that does not want to look at them. They feel rather spooky and uncomfortable. We would rather live for the here and now and shut our eyes to complex matters like life and death, heaven and hell. Much easier to rely on sincerity and living a reasonably decent life, in the hope that this will carry us through.'
Reverend Canon Dr Michael Green, British theologian, Anglican priest, Christian apologist and author of more than fifty Christian books. He is currently Senior Researcher Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, who teaches evangelism and New Testament studies.(born 1930)"It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you are sincere." That is something you often hear when religion is being discussed. Not, of course, when the talk is about politics or whether one country should bomb another.... The teachings of Buddha and the teachings of Jesus point in fundamentally different directions. You may be a sincere follower of the Buddha, but what if that allegiance should prove in the end to be mistaken? '
Reverend Canon Dr Michael Green, British theologian, Anglican priest, Christian apologist and author of more than fifty Christian books. He is currently Senior Researcher Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, who teaches evangelism and New Testament studies.(born 1930)'Even the most cursory examination of the world religions will show that there is no way they can all be explained as the same. For one thing, they hold diametrically opposing views of what God is like. The divine in Hinduism is impersonal, though approached through countless deities and statues. The Muslim Allah is personal, with no subordinate deities and an absolute prohibition of idols or any other way of representing God. Buddhism is religion without God, and without even a final existence. Christianity teaches that God both forgives a person and also offers supernatural aid. In Buddhism and Hinduism there is no forgiveness, only ruthless karma, and no supernatural aid.'
Reverend Canon Dr Michael Green, British theologian, Anglican priest, Christian apologist and author of more than fifty Christian books. He is currently Senior Researcher Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, who teaches evangelism and New Testament studies.(born 1930)'I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.'
Jesus Christ, Jewish claimant to be God incarnate.'No other world religion has the focal point of a deity who shares himself with his followers, in covenant relationship, and in love. All other gods written about have a selfish focus; they reward people only for acts of service to the deity's own agenda. Jesus is the only sacrificial God. He longs to share Himself with those who would love Him, offering them His free gift of love. This is what sets Christianity apart from other religions.'
Shawn Bolz, WhiteDove Ministries'Buddha's immediate goal was to eliminate the cause of suffering. His ultimate goal, though, was to become liberated from the cylcle of death and rebirth (samsara) by teaching how we can cease craving and thereby eliminate our attachment to and beliefs in the existence of the illusory self. As we are successful in eliminating such attachment, then the effects of karma will have nothing to attach themselves to, which releases the individual from the realm of illusion. At that moment of enlightenment, the person achieves the state of 'nirvana' - the ultimate goal for the Buddhist, and Buddhism's equivalent of salvation.'
Dean C. Halverson, Director of Studies in World Religions for International Students, Inc., in Colorado Springs.'In regard to the 'samsara' cycle (reincarnation), while Hinduism would posit an individual essence that is continuous from lifetime to lifetime, Buddhism does not teach that such a continuous essence exists. According to Buddha, no self exists that is continous throughout the 'samsara' cycle.'
Dean C. Halverson, Director of Studies in World Religions for International Students, Inc., in Colorado Springs.'Buddha did not claim to have a special relationship with God. In fact, Buddha did not consider the matter of God's existence to be important, because it did not pertain to the issue of how to escape suffering.'
Dean C. Halverson, Director of Studies in World Religions for International Students, Inc., in Colorado Springs.'Buddha taught that desire is the source of all suffering. Therefore, he contended, in order to eliminate suffering we must eliminate desire. Such a goal is obviously difficult to attain, since it requires 'desiring' to eliminate 'desire'.... Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled (Matthew 5:6). According to Jesus, then, the issue is having 'right' desire, not eliminating desire altogether.'
Dean C. Halverson, Director of Studies in World Religions for International Students, Inc., in Colorado Springs.'The problem with the Buddhist concept of permanence, though, is that, when we find permanence in the Void, we as individuals cease to exist. Before we can find permanence, we must dissappear into the Void. Because in Christianity God is personal, we can find permanence in Him without the undesirable consequence of having to deny our value and existence as persons. The result of salvation is not the individual dissappearing in the Void, but being joined in an interpersonal relationship with God.'
Dean C. Halverson, Director of Studies in World Religions for International Students, Inc., in Colorado Springs.'The law of karma is an impersonal principle similar to a law of nature, the consequences of our moral actions are inevitable. Sin, in other words, cannot be forgiven because there is no forgiver. just as you don't ask forgiveness from the law of gravity - a natural law - neither is it possible for the law of karma to forgive.'
Dean C. Halverson, Director of Studies in World Religions for International Students, Inc., in Colorado Springs.'The goal of all existence in Buddhism is 'nirvana', extinction or "the complete cessation of both desire and personality" - attained by the Buddha after no less than 547 births. Muslims look forward to a sensual paradise with wine, women and song. The goal of all existence in Christianity is to know God and enjoy Him forever in the company of His redeemed people.'
Reverend Canon Dr Michael Green, British theologian, Anglican priest, Christian apologist and author of more than fifty Christian books. He is currently Senior Researcher Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, who teaches evangelism and New Testament studies.(born 1930)'I take it that a religion which claims to be following the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth must, even if only by a process of elimination, think that the other religions are, for all their holiness and worship, mistaken. I, of all people, should not bandy scripture with experts, but in these ecumenical days it is surely reasonable to ask Christianity what its founder meant when he said , 'None shall come to the Father but by me.' I do not offer those words to give offence, but many a devout Christian is worried by them, and many a bishop, opening his heart to other faiths, must be hard put to it to provide an answer. I doubt if you will get a very convincing answer anywhere, bishop or no bishop.'
Bernard Levin, CBE, British journalist, author and broadcaster (1928 - 2004)'The fact that Jesus is the only way to God does not mean that we simply write off all other religions as misguided or demonic. Jesus said 'I am the truth.' In him, ultimate truth is to be found and he is the standard by which all truth claims are to be tested. But this does not mean that parts of the truth cannot be found in other religions.'
Nicky Gumbel, Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton, London, author and developer of 'The Alpha Course' (born 1955)'The principle of 'karma' (cause and effect, paying off your guilt) is poles apart from 'grace' (free forgiveness when you don't deserve it a bit). Indeed, the basic worldview of the Judeo-Christian faith, that a loving personal God longs to have relationship with His creatures, is in irreconcilable contrast with the view of Eastern religions that there is no personal God at all and that the best we can hope for is extinction and absorption into the sea of undifferentiated being.'
Reverend Canon Dr Michael Green, British theologian, Anglican priest, Christian apologist and author of more than fifty Christian books. He is currently Senior Researcher Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, who teaches evangelism and New Testament studies.(born 1930)'It's a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the Universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma.'
Bono, lead singer of 'U2' (born 1960)'Unlike other holy books, the Bible does not record the story of human beings in search of God, but of God in search of human beings.'
Reverend Canon Dr Michael Green, British theologian, Anglican priest, Christian apologist and author of more than fifty Christian books. He is currently Senior Researcher Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, who teaches evangelism and New Testament studies.(born 1930)'In Buddhism there is no such thing as sin against a Supreme Being, for there is none. But there is a moral law of cause and effect. You inherit moral capital debt, so to speak, from previous lives, and you add to it (or reduce it) by your actions in this life. So the sum of your good deeds and your bad deeds will reappear in another life. You have made your deposit into an account that will be drawn from in a reborn life. And so the depressing process goes on, for hundreds of lives, until and unless you manage to break out into enlightenment, like the Buddha himself. Thus Buddhism imposes endless rules for acquiring merit: 30 rules to curb greed, 75 rules for the novice seeking admission to become a monk, 227 rules for the male monk and 311 for the female! Here is a Rule Book to end all rule books! But it has no answer to human wickedness and no answer to suffering except through the cessation of all desire, and eventually the elimination of the self altogether.'
Reverend Canon Dr Michael Green, British theologian, Anglican priest, Christian apologist and author of more than fifty Christian books. He is currently Senior Researcher Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, who teaches evangelism and New Testament studies.(born 1930)'At the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics - in physical laws - every action is met by an equal or an opposite one...And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that...Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff.'
Bono, lead singer of 'U2' (born 1960)'The Pali Canon of Buddhism records the great entrance of... the Buddha into Nirvana... but there is no suggestion that the Buddha will continue to be present with the followers after his death; the dhamma, the teaching, will take his place and will be their guide... the exact date of the death of the prophet Muhammed is known. No one has ever supposed that he survived the accident of physical death.'
Stephen Neill, author, from his book 'The Supremacy of Jesus.''In the year 610, at age 40, Muhammad received his first revelation from the angel Gabriel. This was the beginning of a series of revelations that were eventually compiled in Islam's sacred scriptures, the Qu'ran, which means "recitations." Muhammad is said to have doubted initially the origin of these new revelations. He thought that perhaps he had been possessed by 'jinn', or demons. His wife Khadijah, however reassured him that his visions were of divine origin, and she encouraged him to teach that which had been revelaed to him.'
Dean C. Halverson, Director of Studies in World Religions for International Students, Inc., in Colorado Springs.'To be sure, Muhammad has had a profound influence, but his lifestyle is scarcely comparable to that of Jesus. Muhammad's religion was militaristic from the earliest days at Medina. He raided passing caravans for their booty and exterminated the Jewsih tribe of Banu Quraiza after the Battle of Khandaq in 627 AD.'
Reverend Canon Dr Michael Green, British theologian, Anglican priest, Christian apologist and author of more than fifty Christian books. He is currently Senior Researcher Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, who teaches evangelism and New Testament studies.(born 1930)'When Muhammad died Arabia thought they were free and they tried to abandon Islam and Abu Bakr, the first caliph who succeeded Muhammad, and his men killed tens of thousands of former Muslims, Arabs, in Arabia, forcing Arabia back under Islam…. It’s called the wars of Apostasy.'
Dave Hunt, Christian apologist, speaker, radio commentator and author (born 1926)'The God of the Qur'an has decreed that there will be a day when all will stand before Him in judgement. On that day, each person's deeds will be weighed in the balance. Those whose good deeds outweigh their bad deeds will be rewardsd with Paradise; and those whose bad deeds outweigh their good will be judged to hell. Whether one's good deeds outweigh one's bad deeds is a subjective matter, though, known only by God. As a result, a Muslim has no asurance that he or she will be accepted by God.'
Dean C. Halverson, Director of Studies in World Religions for International Students, Inc., in Colorado Springs.'The God of the Qu'ran "loves not the prodigals" (Surahs 6:142; 7:31, Ali;'Ali has "wasters"); but Jesus tells the story of a father, a metaphor for God the Father, who longs for the return of his prodigal son (Luke 15: 11 - 24).'
Dean C. Halverson, Director of Studies in World Religions for International Students, Inc., in Colorado Springs."Allah loves not those that do wrong" (Surah 3: 140, Ali), and neither does He love "him who is treacherous, sinful" (Surah 4:107, Ali); but "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5: 8)'
Dean C. Halverson, Director of Studies in World Religions for International Students, Inc., in Colorado Springs.'The Muslim operates under a legalistic system embracing five essentials: the creed, prayers, almsgiving, fasting and the pilgrimage to Mecca. Islam teaches that on Judgement Day Allah will put your good deeds in one side of the scale, and your bad deeds in the other (surs 23:102, 103) and you may or may not find mercy.'
Reverend Canon Dr Michael Green, British theologian, Anglican priest, Christian apologist and author of more than fifty Christian books. He is currently Senior Researcher Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, who teaches evangelism and New Testament studies.(born 1930)'We all need a saviour because we have all sinned and we cannot save ourselves from the results of sin. None of the other great religions ever claims to have a saviour. 'The English Buddhist, Maurice Walsh, pointed out that the Buddhist view of Buddha is very different from the Christian view of Christ. He stressed that the Buddha is thought of as a Teacher - not as a Saviour.' Likewise Muhammed is regarded as a prophet - not as a saviour. In Islam sinners will face judgement without forgiveness. By contrast, Jesus is the one who brings salvation. He saves us from our guilt, he saves us from the addictive power of sin and he saves us from the judgement we all deserve.... Jesus is unique in his resurrection. Peter described him as the one 'whom God raised from the dead' (Acts 4:10). The resurrection is a unique event in the history of the world.'
Nicky Gumbel, Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton, London, author and developer of 'The Alpha Course' (born 1955)'With regard to the doctrine of Karma, it is true that man receives the consequences of his deeds; but the difference between the teaching of Christ and Hindu teaching is this - that a Christian performs deeds because he is saved and a Hindu in order to be saved.'
Sadhu Sundar Singh, Indian Christian witness (former Hindu) who did more than any man in the first half of the twentieth century to establish that "Jesus belongs to India." (disappeared in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1929)'I'd be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge...It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for Grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity.'
Bono, lead singer of 'U2' (born 1960)'No other religion can give a satisfactory answer to how it is possible for us to have intimacy with God. However loving they may imagine Him, He must also be just. And how can a just God overlook our offenses? The only possible way would be if in sheer love He determined to pay our debts Himself. The Hindu doctrine of 'karma' says, "You sin, you pay." The cross of Christ shows God saying, "You sin, I pay." And that is utterly unique!'
Reverend Canon Dr Michael Green, British theologian, Anglican priest, Christian apologist and author of more than fifty Christian books. He is currently Senior Researcher Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, who teaches evangelism and New Testament studies.(born 1930)'Both Hinduism and Buddhism believe there is an after-life. But it is nothing to look forward to. In Hinduism, your 'atman', your spirit, is reincarnated in another body and you start paying for the bad things you have done in a previous existence. Buddhism prefers the word "rebirth" to "reincarnation", believing that another consciousness which is saddled with your moral indebtedness emerges after your death. So 'karma' has the last word in both religions, unless you are fortunate enough, after many lives, to find that the good you have done outweighs the bad, in which case there is hope of 'nirvana' where all consciousness ends and you return to the fundamental One or Monad that underlies and embraces everything in the universe. There is no eternal life and no "you" to enjoy it.... It is interesting that in the west reincarnation is becoming a popular concept to toy with as hedonistic, wealthy people hope that they may be even more wealthy and happy in the next existence. But in the East, where the doctrine originates, 'karma' is a very heavy load and nobody looks on it with pleasure or hope.'
Reverend Canon Dr Michael Green, British theologian, Anglican priest, Christian apologist and author of more than fifty Christian books. He is currently Senior Researcher Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, who teaches evangelism and New Testament studies.(born 1930)'Alone of the great teachers of the world religions, Jesus Christ rose from the icy grip of death. The bones of Buddha have been divided up and are enshrined in several different countries. The bones of Muhammad lie in Medina. But the bones of Jesus Christ are nowhere to be seen and revered. His body, His whole being, was raised from the dust of death by God His heavenly Father. He is alive forevermore. His resurrection form the grave is what started the whole Christian movement.'
Reverend Canon Dr Michael Green, British theologian, Anglican priest, Christian apologist and author of more than fifty Christian books. He is currently Senior Researcher Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, who teaches evangelism and New Testament studies.(born 1930)'The resurrection of Jesus lies at the heart of the Christian faith. Jesus christ is alive today. We can know him. We cannot know Buddha or Muhammed.'
Nicky Gumbel, Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton, London, author and developer of 'The Alpha Course' (born 1955)'Jesus is special, because He has broken the death barrier. And because He is alive we can know Him and enjoy Him now and in this life and be confident that after death we shall be with Him, which is far better than any joys this earth can afford. Unlike any other leader, He not only promises us eternal life in His company, but validates that promise through His resurrection from the dead. And that Confucius, Muhammad, Socrates and the others could not do. It does make Jesus rather speacial, don't you think?'
Reverend Canon Dr Michael Green, British theologian, Anglican priest, Christian apologist and author of more than fifty Christian books. He is currently Senior Researcher Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, who teaches evangelism and New Testament studies.(born 1930)'What I envy most about you Christians is your forgiveness. I have no one to forgive me.'
Marghanita Laski (1915 – 1988), English journalist, novelist and humanist, whilst debating on television with a Christian.'Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.'
Gautama Buddha, Indian philosopher & religious leader (563 BC - 483 BC)'The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death...It's not our own good works that get us through the gates of Heaven.'
Bono, lead singer of 'U2' (born 1960)'The Hindus in India have many festivals. One of them, called Cavadi, has touched me and broken my heart. Every year during this festival, millions of people try to save themselves by doing personal sacrifices. One sacrifice has the pilgrim pierce his flesh with four hooks which are placed in the back. These hooks are then tied to ropes that are attched to a charriot that weighs approvimately two hundred pounds. The pilgrim then pulls the chariot to the temple. It may be for six or seven miles. His flesh is tearing and bleeding the whole way. Another sacrifice is to put an iron rod that weighs about three to five pounds through their cheek. When they get to the temple they will pull the rod out so they will bleed. In still another sacrifice, they put eight hooks in their backs and hang from these hooks off an ox cart. They usually hang for about four hours. These people live in darkness and under the bondage of an evil power. They believe they can save themselves and their households this way.'
Moses Paulose, former Hindu and leader of 'Body of Christ Ministry', Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, India. Quotation from his book 'The Missionary Challenge'.'I die seeking the truth.'
Gautama Buddha, Indian philosopher & religious leader (563 BC - 483 BC)'I am the truth.'
Jesus Christ, Jewish claimant to be God incarnate.'I am the prophet of God.'
Mohammed, claimed to be the final prophet of Islam (570 A.D. - 632 A.D.)'Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.'
Jesus Christ, Jewish claimant to be God incarnate.'There is no half-way house, and there is no parallel in other religions. If you had gone to Buddha and asked him, "Are you the son of Bramah?" He would have said, "My son, you are still in the vale of illusion." If you had gone to Socrates and asked, "Are you Zeus?" he would have laughed at you. If you had gone to Muhammad and asked, "Are you Allah?" he would have rent his clothes and then cut off your head.'
C.S. Lewis, English essayist & juvenile novelist (1898 - 1963)'I was going to commit suicide. Hinduism offered no spiritual help. Prayer is the most essential thing. Without prayer we cannot understand Jesus. We are living in Hell. Many know about Him but they do not live in Him.'
Sadhu Sundar Singh, Indian Christian witness (former Hindu) who did more than any man in the first half of the twentieth century to establish that "Jesus belongs to India." (disappeared in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1929)'A Buddhist said to me, "Extinction of desire is salvation"..."No," said I, "extinction of evil desire - I agree with you there. But it is impossible not to have desire. The desire to kill desire is desire and the desire to kill that desire is also desire. Desire has been given to us that it may be satisfied. There is water given to quench my thirst and I am satisfied through prayer"...I have begun to live in heaven now in Jesus Christ. Through prayer I know Him and it is the duty of those who know Him to bear witness.'
Sadhu Sundar Singh, Indian Christian witness (former Hindu) who did more than any man in the first half of the twentieth century to establish that "Jesus belongs to India." (disappeared in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1929)'Sadhu Sundar Singh spoke of Hindu yoga. When he was small his father had a Sastri and a Sannyasi in the home, the former to teach the boy the sacred books and the latter yoga practices. "The strange thing is," said the Sadhu, "that a man according to yoga teaching is not to look to God but at the tip of his nose. Moreover, the thoughts which have been the subject of meditation of the yogi previous to entering the state of trance, present themselves in a very vivid way during trance. So we can understand the discrepancies of teaching amongst yogis. One says, 'There is no God,' another, 'There is only one God,' another, 'There are many gods,' another, 'All is God.'
Sadhu Sundar Singh, Indian Christian witness (former Hindu) who did more than any man in the first half of the twentieth century to establish that "Jesus belongs to India." (disappeared in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1929)'...It is impossible for those who don't know God to come to Him except through Christ. He is the only Saviour. It is only Jesus who has revealed the Father. The Gyana Marga of the Hindus is only for a few; but if it is true it ought to be for every body.'
Sadhu Sundar Singh, Indian Christian witness (former Hindu) who did more than any man in the first half of the twentieth century to establish that "Jesus belongs to India." (disappeared in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1929)'A great professor in America once asked me, 'Why do we need to go to the Father through Christ?' I answered, 'Did Jesus lie when He said, "No man cometh to the Father but by Me?"'... 'But,' said he, 'there is no mediator in the Parable of the Prodigal Son'... I replied, 'Are you so wise and cannot understand that? There was no need of a mediator there. The son had lived with the father before leaving him. He had enjoyed his fellowship. He knew him and new the way back to him. But it is impossible for those who don't know God to come to Him except through Christ. He is the only Saviour. It is only Jesus who has revealed the Father. The Gyana Marga of the Hindus is only for a few; but if it is true it ought to be for every body.' '
Sadhu Sundar Singh, Indian Christian witness (former Hindu) who did more than any man in the first half of the twentieth century to establish that "Jesus belongs to India." (disappeared in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1929)'Nobody will be allowed to enter into Heaven who has not a face like Jesus Christ. That is the only ticket, otherwise we shall find ourselves out of place there. Only those who follow Him will feel at home there. Are we willing to follow Him? There will be no hiding place in Heaven - only in Hell. I who used to persecute Him, I who used to tear up Scripture, I must follow Him.'
Sadhu Sundar Singh, Indian Christian witness (former Hindu) who did more than any man in the first half of the twentieth century to establish that "Jesus belongs to India." (disappeared in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1929)'There is no point at which Christianity differs more radically from all other faiths in the globe than this. Its founder offers to come and live in the hearts and lives of His followers!'
Reverend Canon Dr Michael Green, British theologian, Anglican priest, Christian apologist and author of more than fifty Christian books. He is currently Senior Researcher Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, who teaches evangelism and New Testament studies.(born 1930)'I will pray the Father and he will give you another Comforter, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him, for he dwells with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you.'
Jesus Christ, Jewish claimant to be God incarnate (John 14: 16 - 18)
-
The Meaning of Life
-
Quotations
