IS JESUS DIVINE?

One of the most compelling pieces of evidence that Jesus was not God is in the way that he taught the disciples to pray:

One day he was praying in a certain place. When he had finished, one of his disciples asked him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us the wrong we have done as we forgive those who wrong us. Subject us not to the trial but deliver us from the evil one.’ ” [Luke 11:1-4] [Matthew 6:9-13]

Note that Jesus taught us to pray to the Father, our Creator, not to himself. In fact, he did not mention himself in any way, nor did he indicate that we should pray in his name. His instructions were very specific - we are to pray to God alone.

This would not be the case if Jesus himself were God.

The development of Christian doctrine is well documented in the fol-lowing book by Lisa Spray. The above excerpts were taken from this book. A must for a reference.

Jesus: Myths and Message

ISBN 1-881893-00-6, Paperback, $7.50 including the postage

The poem on the right was written in 1848 and made into a hymn for Christian church services in 1915. It truly reflects the concept of an Omnipotent, Omnipresent God who created everything around us, and it reminds us of our need to be appreciative of those gifts. It also reminds us that “submission” can be found in all religions, in spite of the overwhelming majority of idol worshipers.

A “CHRISTIAN” HYMN

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings;
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.

The purple-headed mountain,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning
That brightens up the sky.

The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden;
He made them every one.

He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.