All Comments (16)

Dr. Taylor,
You may not remember me but I sat in your study 55 years ago (a Student from across the Street starting a Bible study for Boy's High Students). This was just before the fire. My thoughts come to the hymn I learned when I was very young.

I serve a risen Savior, He's in the world today;
I know that He is living, whatever men may say;
I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,
and just the time I need Him
He's always near.

In all the world around me I see His loving care, and tho' my heart grows weary, I never will despair; I know that He is leading thro' all the stormy blast, the day of His appearing will come at last.

Rejoice, rejoice O Christian, lift up your voice and sing eternal Hallelujahs to Jesus Christ the King! The Hope of all who seek Him, the Help of all who find, None other is so loving, so good and kind.

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today! He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way.

He lives, He lives, Salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives:
He lives within my heart.

On the 21st day of July, 1950 about 9:00 PM in the evening at Stoneybrook, L.I. NY
I had an encounter with the Living Jesus and my life has never been the same. He still Lives!Stewart Beale, Sun City, Florida

Excuse me Liddy, but buddhists are not more sinful than anybody else.

Yes good point,

Those damn buddhists are always causing trouble.

Thank you, Anonymous!!

Terra Gazelle,

Sinfulness is pervasive in the human race, buddhists and christians included. It seems that you are not aware of buddhist sins, only of christian ones. I suggest you do a little research.

It's not what Buddah or Jesus says...it's what the followers do. I am afraid in that...the Buddahists win.They have a middle way, away from extremes, a place, that all to often, is where you can find many Christians.

I would not say that the teaching of Jesus is less ethical...I just think that many of His followers are.

"Jesus Christ lives!"

He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Elegant argument Pastor Taylor.

Atheists could only respond with gibberish.

Norrie Hoyt wrote...

"Then Christians could become Buddhists, whose ethics are superior to Christianity's"

I'm not wanting to diss a religion, but the call to which Christ asks his followers to walk is pretty radical...

Love your enemy
Die for your friends
Die to self
Help the helpless
so on and so forth

I've heard you make this claim about buddhists ethics being purer than christians several times, but offer no support.

salvific? Imagine people learning that Jesus was just a human, like us all, but different in that he recognized immorality and spoke out against it. Yes, Jesus had enemies – those blind guides in the priestly hierarchy. What would Christianity be today if more people were sensitized to immorality and hypocrisy as he was?

Discovering the remains of Jesus would be like... like... like discovering evidence that cash for the warlords in Iraq found its way into the hands of American politicians.

No one would believe it.

Hello Cousins, Brothers and Sisters; “There is Nothing Like A Good Philosophy”

Today is: UNIVERSAL YEAR CIRCA, 4.98 Billion Year-TIME, 2007.4th.April, Calendate.

Remember my Cousins:

"From the ashes of The Death Camps there will come a "Light Bringer" from: LUTZ, Poland et al.

To "pray" is to "SPEAK" to G-D. And to "meditate" is to “LISTEN," Yes as many times as One likes and in ANY tongue or language(s)). And R.E.V.E.L.A.T.I.O.N Is the same as A,P.O.C.A.L.Y.P.S.E and is opposite or contrary to any “Secrets” or “Mystics” in ANY of the VEDIC, TIKKUN, ZILZAL, Scriptures or Suras. Therefore In Shalah & Praise the beneficent One in Ourselves. Yes!

WELCOME: Today while still being in OUR Miraculous Form [in Photo-Finite Essence) I Thank You for your time here on Space-Ship Momma/Poppa Earth, as you may appear, in either cyberspace or in the flesh and in the awareness of your Own senses via your own beautiful Carbon-Based & Microbial Life Form, both in the ANIMATE & in the INANIMATE state via ECLATS “TIME” (not your Clock or Gravity time) a/k/a TEMPERATURE OF TIME ITSELF.

TIME is inseparable from the MIZAN (Arabic for balance) of IT (G-d) which Yings & Yangs between ABSOLUTE HEAT & ABSOLUTE COLD. Example: Average TIME of the Universe or Your Own Body Temperature, or Microbial or Caterpillar, Holy Cow, Rock, Soil or Nuclear Core, Surface or Sub terrain or Planetary Temperatures radiated via ALL the animate & Inanimate things in existence.

Xtianity's fundamental strength is its enduring ethical system; however both the myth about "Jesus dying on the cross" such an allegedly horrible death, and also the myth "of the resurrection" are its fundamental weakness and will ultimately undo it-because the two myths fly in the face of human logic and historical fact. Xtians can still be xtians because their Ethical system is great.Living by this Ethical system is the real savior.Jesus, according to xtians was not able to save himself-how could he save others??
Other world great monotheistic religions such as Judaism and especially Islam not only survive but also prosper and expand with the belief in ONE and ONLY ONE UNSEEN GOOD, the GOD of Abraham, Moses and Muhammad.

"If the remains of Jesus had been definitively found, Christianity would be radically changed into an ethical system without salvific substance."

Then Christians could become Buddhists, whose ethics are superior to Christianity's (in that they apply to animals). Buddhism also shows the path to salvation, which it calls enlightenment.

A Christian who becomes a Buddhist thereby attains to the best of everything.

"religions offer relief and reason in a world of hurt and uncertainty."

That longing for relief and reason is a universal human trait. Perhaps it isn't necessary to have a literal resurrection to satisfy such a longing. Perhaps we can treat the Resurrection (with a capital R) as an allegory to inspire us.

The problem of exclusivity is that it denies the concept of universality. It creates an Us-versus-Them attitude, the idea that people with different beliefs are not only wrong but evil.

Religion, by nature, is the pursuit of salvation. Whether it be animism, which seeks salvation from the forces of nature, to Buddhism, which seeks salvation from suffering and carnal desire, religions offer relief and reason in a world of hurt and uncertainty. Jesus death and resurrection are pivotal in the Christian religion because this is the definitive moment of validation for the claim of exclusivity. Jesus death and resurrection defy nature and therefore offer both salvation and hope. Jesus remains would destroy the soul and reason for the Christian religion.

"Christianity would be radically changed into an ethical system without salvific substance."

Why would that be bad? Why is it necessary to have "salvific substance" in any religion? From my perspective, salvation is often defined as being exclusive.