Serious Sunday Social Comment: Is the Jesus story important to know about?

This Easter was again very different due to Covid restrictions but I wonder if that increased the views of either the Christian Easter story on TV or the watching of other religion's ceremonies?

Did it for you? Did you watch the Easter story of the Last Supper, the betrayal, the Crucifixion, the resurrection and the ascension?

I cannot believe that I am still considering if the Jesus story is worth knowing about and writing this querying piece, perhaps 20 years after having written a similar comment.

This is not a religious comment or a defense of any particular religion. It is though, a recognition that Australia and the USA are Christian countries and that Jesus features heavily in our Easter and Christmas celebrations, for believers and non believers.

While many people openly ridicule Christians for their beliefs and poo-poo the whole Jesus thing, many others from different religions celebrate Jesus as a guru. Interestingly though, the poo-pooers know enough about the Jesus story to dismiss it as garbage and they certainly don't give Jesus guru status. 

Those guru believers from different religions may not see Jesus as the son of God but they recognise that the Jesus stories are significant metaphors of a life of service with some sort of divine connection.

The poo-pooers know enough of the stories to make a call that it is all daydream and manipulation. But, they know about it.

It is to this end that I believe the Jesus story is important to know about, day dream believer or non believer..

It is interesting that many parents say they want their kids to make their own choices when they grow up about what they believe.

I say, how can those kids make an informed decision without first being informed?

How you inform your children is your choice but balanced and informed views need balanced and informed information: comparative religion classes, visits to significant places of worship for all religions, multi-cultural stories that address issues or figures of faith, travel to places of spiritual specialness.

When I was able to travel, I frequently visited places of worship because it involved learning a little more about the culture, the social history and the thinking of the country I was visiting.

In Rome I visited the Vatican, the Holy Capital of the Roman Catholic world and seen as such by believers and non believers. In India I visited the Golden Temple, the spiritual heartland of Sikhs and the abode of the final Guru - a living book. In England I visited all the significant Cathedrals of both the Roman Catholic and Church of England variety. In Bali, temples, in Indigenous Australia, significant spiritual places on country.

The education I got just by looking at the icons available for sale in their gift shops was amazing. The architecture and the stories of Gold stolen from Incas enthralled and educated me. The burial rituals and the differences in pastoral care fascinated me. The burning of toxic candles annoyed the shit out of me but told me heaps about the devoutness of some.

But, how would I have developed these learnings if my mindset was that the Jesus stories were for daydream believers?

I do consider Jesus to be a significant historical figure for folk to know about. Knowing is different to faith and belief and I wonder if folk are scared to know the stories lest they be mistaken as believing the stories.

I like a bit of tradition and pomp. I LOVE old relics and I particularly LOVE people history and story sharing.

Therefore, I do consider the Jesus story important to know about, albeit that it is gory, violent and scary, and I'm glad that all of my kids (mostly non believers as they are) know sufficient of the Jesus stories that they can recount them to their children and pass on three stories of Easter: the commercial one, The Jesus one and the Pagan one.

What's your view on this polarising topic? Is the Jesus story important to know about?