re: Central message of Christianity

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Without the Resurrection our faith is dead

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Jesus said "I and the father are one".

Imagine it's true of you too.

No greater message than that. This is all the divine-mystery.

Yes. The entire Gospel message is the central point of Christianity. The Gospel includes the birth, obedience, death, resurrection, ascension, and glorification/exaltation of Christ.

i see libs on fb all day every day citing examples of "christians" doing "immoral" things and then saying "SEE! CHRISTIANITY IS EVIL."

that christians fall short of righteousness is a truism. but that's not the point. the point is romans 10:9. you're not really indicting christians by bringing up these examples. they don't even understand what they are criticizing. it's like saying you shouldn't go driving because you occasionally get a flat tire.

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Jesus taught that if you didn’t believe in Him, you’d go to Hell. Pretty dogmatic to me.

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I may be misunderstanding your point, but I respectfully disagree with this... I'll try to be brief in explaining my take...

1) Jesus does say (paraphrasing): I am The Way; there is no way to the Father except through me.

2) Jesus also says, rather directly, that he teaches his inner circle of disciples one set of teachings, and teaches the masses through parables, and that those with ears to hear will hear (the truth).

Since we weren't in his inner circle of 12, it's reasonable to suggest that Jesus' words might have an additional meaning that requires deeper understanding (after all, Jesus also wants us to be wise as serpents... even if gentle as doves). So, what seems more true in understanding the message of "I am The Way. Noone gets to the father except through me." ...

A) That the most important thing is just believing that Jesus is the true son of God and his sacrifice/blood will save you as long as you demonstrate sufficient acceptance of this truth with faith & love. But otherwise, your own imperfections don't matter so much as you're not going to be able to live up to Jesus' example anyway.

B) I am The Way, as in, I am the blueprint of how you should act as I more explicitly taught in the Sermon on the Mount... the way to God is by loving God and loving your fellow man.

I recognize that my understanding is my opinion (so I don't mind if you disagree)... But I don't see that option A has much merit without option B... A without B resembles superficial Christians who think they're good & saved and screw everyone else, yet they don't live with any meaningful degree of virtue. This is not consistent with obeying God, loving your neighbors (even enemies); nor is it consistent with the idea that "What you do to the least of my brethren, you do unto me." ... an idea that has more than a passing resemblance to eastern philosophies which espouse we are all of one life.

In contrast, if you see option B as having more weight, if you bear the cross of actually living virtuously, loving & obeying God first and your fellow man as much as yourself, you almost cannot do so without inherently recognizing, respecting and loving the premise of option A... that Jesus was The Way, and you resonate with the Truth of every other idea of his that I included in this thread.

This might seem a subtle distinction on some levels, but I think it's a tremendously important distinction.

Otherwise, I do like that you emphasized obedience in a couple of your posts in this thread... I think this is a point that doesn't get enough attention. There are many points in the gospels where Jesus is said to do something because it was said that he would. This following the recipe to be messiah is a huge point. If he came to fulfill the Law as he said, this is a part of it. He certainly didn't want to be crucified and asked God to remove that cup from him if there was another way... But he obeyed. The message here is that the receipt of God's perfect love depends on the perfection of our obedience, because, had Jesus failed to obey and follow through, he would not have been the savior that he came to be. But, if we expect to receive the full extent of God's love, we are called to be similarly obedient when our time comes and we are tested... and that is more than a matter of merely believing that Jesus was God and died for our sins.

Ah, well, I had hoped to make this a short post.

In any case, Happy Easter!

I am The Way, as in, I am the blueprint of how you should act


John 14:6 6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.


It is through belief on Jesus and faith given by the Holy Spirit that allows us the blessing of salvation and everlasting life and the sharing of His Kingdom and Glory.

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Unlike 95% of Christians I've actually read the bible.

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Doubtful. Your bigotry is showing, however.

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Unlike 95% of Christians I've actually read the bible.

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WRONG

To embrace challenge and endure suffering for the sake of growth and prosperity for ourselves and others is the central mission a man should pursue in life, yes! I do believe that.
We live in a soft arse world where this principle has escaped most. Kierkegaard put it best when he said, “There will come a time when we have so much security and comfort that what we will want more than anything else is deprevation and challenge.”

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I am The Way, as in, I am the blueprint of how you should act

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while jesus' ministry does provide a template for christian praxis, john 14:6 is not about that. it is about atonement, divine grace/mercy, redemption, i.e. the ideas that fall under the doctrinal rubric of soteriology