Why is Jesus irrelevant to people today?

Answer 1

Jesus represents another time, another era. While it is true that he taught some of the greatest moral principles of all time, the experience of the centuries shows that those teachings had little real effect on the actions of those who followed him. Christians have been no less likely to commit crimes, even crimes of great evil, than their contemporaries. There is simply no evidence that what Jesus taught has been a force for good in the world.

The Bible becomes an excuse for not achieving higher standards of ethical conduct. Some say that salvation comes from belief, not works. Others say that God forgives sinners. Objectively, neither of these views is conducive to improved moral and ethical standards. Even those who try receive a mixed message from the Bible itself, which teaches persecution of our enemies then to love our enemies. And statistics on crime and imprisonment demonstrate that Christians seem more likely to be imprisoned than are atheists.

If the Bible is an excuse for not achieving higher standards of ethical conduct, we need to put it aside, for religious worship by those of us who are Christians, and learn the real meaning of ethics and moral conduct. This is a secular endeavour, for which Jesus is demonstrably irrelevant.