# Email to Jesus - 1 question only please **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 30, 2001, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/email-to-jesus-1-question-only-please/90590 "2001-10-30T20:12:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Hazel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Hazel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazel)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/email-to-jesus-1-question-only-please/90590/81 "2001-11-04T17:34:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dryga\_Yes \* > \*\*If you knew before of the wrongdoings that would spring out of christianity, what would you have done differently? \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Hazel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Hazel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazel)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/email-to-jesus-1-question-only-please/90590/82 "2001-11-04T17:47:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Libertarian \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by NiceGuyJack \* > > \*\*Here is my question: > > > > Looking over the past 2000 years of history since you walked the earth and considering the death and torture of millions of people and the rivers of blood shed in your name, do you now wish you could have kept your mouth shut? Knowing what the results are, would you have done things differently? \*\* > > He already answered that: > > > [@](#): > > > > “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” — Matt 7:21-23 > > \*\* Libertarian, I don’t see how the Bible quote you cited answers NiceGuyJack’s question. It’s a very good question, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/email-to-jesus-1-question-only-please/90590/83 "2001-11-05T02:12:12Z")
It’s me again. When you raised Lazarus from the dead, did his wife have to give back the life insurance money? ---
**Author:** ![JerseyDiamond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8491ac/32.png) [@JerseyDiamond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerseyDiamond)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/email-to-jesus-1-question-only-please/90590/84 "2001-11-05T05:18:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Arnold Winkelried \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by SisterCoyote \* > > I don’t believe Peter was the first Pope. > > But he was. > [Popes of the Roman Catholic Church](http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/society/A0839708.html) \*\* Actually, I’m gonna have to disagree with you here. The catholic church _claims_ him as the first pope, but Peter himself didn’t seem to think he was any sort of pope. In both of his Epistles, he opens the letters with a greeting to equals, not to subordinates: > [@](#): > > 1 Peter 1:1 > Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia… > > 2 Peter 1:1 > Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ… Doesn’t sound like he considered himself a pope. > [@](#): > > 1 Peter 5:1 > To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed…" Interesting. He appealed as a fellow elder, he didn’t command as the ‘Pontifex Maximus’. Let’s see if he agrees with and behaves like the other 200-odd popes: > [@](#): > > 1 Pet 5:2-4 > Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers–not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock… Definitely does not sound like a pope. Did he dress in fancy expensive clothes and keep servants? Nope, he made himself a servant and lived like a pauper. Are popes allowed to be married? Nope. But Peter was. Popes have spent the centuries ruling over, installing, and deposing kings and emperors. Jesus said “My kingdom is not of this world.” Popes ordered and supported the inquisitions, and caused thousands upon thousands of christians to be murdered for the crime of rejecting the teachings of the catholic church, uniting church and state in order to consolidate their power. Peter did none of that, and was in fact crucified BY the state. Popes ordered veneration and genuflection to statues of saints, as well as praying to saints. Popes claim to be infallible (funny thing is that there is a papal bull stating that the doctrine of papal infallibility is heresy and untrue. Since it was a pope speaking ex cathedra on the topic of morality and doctrine, it is, by church definition, infallible. How’s that for a paradox?), yet Peter was rebuked by Paul and accepted the rebuke. At one of the first councils of the Apostles (Acts 15), James presided, and said [quote] Brothers, listen to me. Simon [Peter] has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself… **It is my judgment, therefore** [not Peter’s], that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God… [quote] Peter would have presided over the council if he had been given special authority over the other apostles. Not only was Peter not the bishop of Rome, but the bishop of Rome did not have (or claim to have) any special authority over the other bishops until several centuries after Jesus’s death. So let’s see…who else dressed in scarlet and purple, ruled over the common people with an iron fist, tortured christian dissenters to death, encouraged pagan worship of idols, claimed to be infallible and the only source of salvation, hoarded riches beyond imagination, and took power through bribery, forgery, murder, and military force? It seems like the Popes are the successors of the Roman Emperors Nero and Constantine, rather than St Peter. ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Cool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecb155/32.png) [@Joe\_Cool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Cool)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/email-to-jesus-1-question-only-please/90590/85 "2001-11-05T05:39:28Z")
Last post was mine, not JerseyDiamond’s. I really hate when I forget to change the username & password when I make a post. All hate and flames for it should go to me, not to her, Thanks. Any chance a mod can C&P the text to my post and delete the mistake? ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/email-to-jesus-1-question-only-please/90590/86 "2001-11-05T15:53:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mhendo \* > \*\ ***Beelzebubba** wrote: > > > [@](#): > > > > Well, we’re presuming Jesus himself is answering these questions, which presumes the existence of Jesus and the fact that he is the Son of God. Those revelations in and of themselves would change my life, being that I consider myself atheist. > > Yes, but a belief that a guy called Jesus existed about 2,000 years ago is not necessarily inconsistent with atheism. There seems to me (and i’m an atheist, too), based on the little i’ve read about the subject, to be a reasonable amount of evidence to indicate that there was a guy called Jesus, and that he did enough while alive to impress a few people… > But, given that i believe it possible that some guy called Jesus did exist, even if he was just a man, then maybe i should ask him a question…\*\* But, dude–at the very least, you’d be receiving an e-mail from a guy who has been **dead for 2,000 years!** That’s got to change your worldview a little. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/email-to-jesus-1-question-only-please/90590/87 "2001-11-05T19:42:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by toadspittle \* > But, dude–at the very least, you’d be receiving an e-mail from a guy who has been **dead for 2,000 years!** That’s got to change your worldview a little. More accurately, “an e-mail from a guy _who claims he is a guy_ who has been dead for 2,000 years.” ---
**Author:** ![Glitch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/0ea827/32.png) [@Glitch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glitch)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/email-to-jesus-1-question-only-please/90590/88 "2001-11-06T12:33:33Z")
My question: In relation to my own ethical and belief codes, how do you explain that your codes leads to a spiritual weakness? ---
**Author:** ![Izzardesque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a9adbd/32.png) [@Izzardesque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Izzardesque)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/email-to-jesus-1-question-only-please/90590/89 "2001-11-06T13:05:39Z")
Why ask Jesus? Why not go to the top and ask God himself? If you really want an answer from the big cheese, you don’t ask his publicity officer, do you? ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/email-to-jesus-1-question-only-please/90590/90 "2001-11-06T16:05:18Z")
JerseyDiamond wrote: > [@](#): > > The catholic church _claims_ him as the first pope, but Peter himself didn’t seem to think he was any sort of pope. More importantly, did Peter’s face appear on the pizza in Father Guido Sarducci’s “Find the Popes in the Pizza” contest? If it did, well, obviously, that settles the matter. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/email-to-jesus-1-question-only-please/90590/91 "2001-11-06T19:03:46Z")
Dear Jesus: Will you answer “no” to this question? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/email-to-jesus-1-question-only-please/90590.md?page=4)