This weekend Christians celebrate Jesus. Most humans don’t believe he is divine. I get it, I’m not naturally religious, I find the concept of worship illogical. Christianity was thrust on me without me looking for it or wanting it. But, setting aside some violent intolerants that have claimed to be his followers & misogynistic religious extremists that help spread his message, he is 1 man who has transformed the world more than any other, and did so without ever writing anything down or committing any act of violence or asking for any donations or bribing anyone, or benefiting from his message in anyway (quite the opposite – it cost him his life).
Jesus’ message was simple: humans should love one another, forgive, generously give & choose peace.
And this message spread, and where it spread violence decreased. It ended the Romans blood sports. It eliminated human sacrifice everywhere it spread. It transformed Vikings into peaceful people. Nuns & priests built hospitals and orphanages, Christians created charities and fought to end millennia of slavery.
For any evil that has been done in his name there’s been much more good. For all the evil attributed to him none can deny that his primary message of love, forgiveness, charity and peace is a positive one. Most of the best elements of the western culture we have is thanks to this one man, from an oppressed people in a small colonised country. Whether you believe he is divine or just human, you have to respect his teachings and the impact he had on humanity, and possibly recognise that one person can make a profound difference, without using violence