I ask only one thing of people who fill out the poll... dont choose the middle one unless you really believe Jesus rides a UFO named polywog.

I can garantee you'll get at least 2 people voting for the UFO.

I believe Jesus did live a great life, as a great man, and influenced a lot of people for the better. I do not believe he was the son of God, rather just a wonderful man to help humanity. Personally, I think Jesus would be turning over in his grave if he saw what Christianity has become: Intolerant, and maybe he his turning over.

A point to ponder…
Today’s date is Nov 17 2004 AD
How did a lowly carpenter from a remote region of the Roman Empire have so much influence upon the world in that day that we base our easement of year’s apon His accomplishment on the cross even today?
As for His claim to be the son of God, well we must all decide whether he was lying or telling the truth.

I think He did, because of one simple fact: if He hadn't existed, then how would have Christianity rised up in the way it did? People in Israel weren't stupid in their time (not saying that they are today )

Christian here, believe he is Jesus the Christ, son of God.... But I can think of a few who feel otherwise, and that is cool.. (In fact one is a good friend here in Oregon!) I have had some personal confirmation of the fact, but that is something that works only for me...

I agree with 99% of what you said.

I do not think there was anything supernatural about him, I do not think he was the son of any deity and I do believe most of his travels, tales, etc have been greatly exaggerated over time.

I think his legend is a combination of a real man's life and a lot of organized theology assigned to his memory after his death.

I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. He is for real, and one of the coolest things about Him is he isn't in a grave.... He Lives!!! He loves us all some much, just the way we are , that He gave His only son to pay for our one way ticket to Heaven. All we have to do is accept!! WOW!!

He may possibly have been an actual person, but I do not think that he was the son of god, or anyone nearly as important as some creative editing of religious texts make him out to be...

Considering how far after the fact that the texts that were written about jesus, there is not way to know what is truth and what is fiction...anyone who tells you different is selling you something...

Jesus never said he was the son of God, all He said was "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Light." -John 14:6

Based on historical records, you can't say that the Jesus of the bible ever existed. However, in the 2 centuries preceding and the century following the period where he supposedly existed there were several Jesus figures (all named Jesus too, a very common name), in fact no less than four high priests of the temple, during the reign of Herod the Great, bore the name. Josephus mentions over 19 men with the name Jesus, in his two documents. Jesus ben Saphat, Jesus ben Gamala and Jesus ben Stada were all rebels and insurrectionist during that period. The two individuals that I suspect the biblical Jesus was based on (which means I believe that there was a Jesus of sorts) was Jesus Bar Abbas and Jesus Bar Panthera. The first was the Essene "Great Teacher" who led an insurrection, was defeated and captured and crucified in the 1st century BCE. The second was a "magician" the illegitimate off spring of a married Jewish woman named Mary and a Roman bowman named Panthera. Panthera was eventually found guilty of blasphemy, stoned and then hung on a tree (cross??). For that reason, I believe in Jesus existing, but not the biblical Jesus. With all the editing and rewriting that went on with the NT during the first 6 centuries of the Church, there is no way to find the truth.

I have to agree with Fluffy Bunny, there is no contemporary information on any Jesus. After the execution, he was probably thrown into an unmarked grave, where he did the natural thing - rotten away!

I have to agree with Fluffy Bunny and Beowulf - there is no evidence of the biblical Jesus...but he could be based on multiple Jesuses and "resurrecting savior" gods. Incidentally as per Irish's post, only Christians use AD, everyone else (5/6ths of the world) including the scientific community use BCE (Before Current Era) and CE (Current Era) - I know it is just too politically correct, but attempting to set up another dating system and having the whole world agree on it was (I guess) too much of a problem!

I pretty much believe Jesus the man existed, and I dare say he claimed to be the Son of God etc.

However there were many people of the era and previous eras who claimed the same thing. (Any of you fellow Brits remember former sports presenter David Icke? ) What do we know about him that is so different to the others?

We have a book yes, but then again we all know how tales get exaggerated from person to person, even between just the odd one or two of you, and this is what I think happened here.

Jesus claimed to be divine” I and the Father am One” John 10:30

Jesus did not permit the observation that he was only a son of God, one of a family siblings. He claimed to be The Son of God, the only begotten Son of the Father.
Luke 2:49

To the disciples on the road to Emmaus, Jesus affirmed that his ministry had completed everything written about the messiah in the Old Testament. Luke 24:44.

To the 52% of the respondents to the pole who believe that Christ was just a teacher, I ask what good is a teacher that knowingly teaches un-truths.

Jesus never directly claimed to be the son of God. He said things that made it completely obvious that He was, but He did not say "I am the Son of God." only things like "I am the son of the Father" and the like.

was i one?

Then why is he condsidered "The son of god"?

He said He was the son of God in a way that would be politically correct. If He had said "Hey look at me im the son of God!" He would have died on the cross before you could say "Hey look at Him He's the son of God and He rides a UFO named Polywog!"

Well Zaus one thing I am certain about is someday you will be able to ask Him face to face

Well, we do use him as reference to our dating, however I've always been taught using the common era method. BCE is Before Common Era (the same thing as BC) and CE is Common Era (same as AD). It's used by anyone who doesn't follow relgion as reference.

And Jesus was an actual person, just like Napolean and Plato...only difference was, he was rumored to be more than human considering he was the son of God or Father or however he had put it. I just think he was a man whose chemicals were not properly balanced, just how we have crazy people today, I think they also had them back then. But his craziness obviously developed a following...(and please don't jump all over me for it, it's just an EXAMPLE what I'm about to say) but his following would be considered the same as a cult today. Or his group and followers would be like the equivalent of Vietnam war protestors and such. A group going against the general government of his time. But just because he might have been crazy doesn't mean he didn't do good, just that his imbalance may have led him to believe he truly was the son of the Father or God or however he said it.