I am a new follower of Jesus Christ and super interested in Christian apologetics, especially considering in His final recorded commandment He said, "Go therefore and make disciples," (Matthew 28:19). So, if I ever say something unbiblical, please correct me.
@DoniTheMisfit Birthdays are fun. The more serious answer, though, is that they were definitely not part of Jewish culture at the time. Birthdays became a later cultural practice and are not something explicitly forbidden in the scriptures, leaving it up to personal choice.
Islam calls Jesus (known as Isa in Arabic) one of the greatest prophets and messengers of God.
Jesus claimed to be the Son of God.
If Jesus' claim was not true and He was either a madman or deceitful, it wouldn't make Him a prophet at all. It would make Him a fraud.
Doesn't this, by itself, somewhat contradict Islam's claim of Jesus merely being a prophet? It almost points to Him being the actual Son of God.
Christianity says Jesus is God.
Islam says that's blasphemy.
They can't both be right.
They can both be wrong.
The real question nobody wants to answer:
What happens to your identity if your religion is false?
Good question. Here's your answer: Christians fundamentally believe in the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit as three distinct Persons who relate to one another. Jesus took on human flesh and nature, which is why He slept. Meanwhile, God (the Father) does not sleep. This is also why Jesus famously prayed to the Father on the night before the crucification, pleading for another way, but also accepting His fate on the cross if it was truly in God's will. All three share the same divine essence as one God, yet operate with distinct, harmonious functions. This may be a very difficult thing for nonbelievers, new believers, and even some self-proclaimed Christians to fully grasp, but I promise it makes more and more sense the further you study the Bible. I feel like you're probably too intelligent and thirsty for knowledge to let this deter you from Christianity or biblical theology in general. I would urge you to keep studying the scriptures and searching for truth.
Why did I leave Christianity?
It’s the faith of irreconcilable commitments.
Here’s another embarrassing theological dilemma within the Bible.
The Psalms say, the God of Israel will never sleep,
The Gospels say, Jesus slept
In short, Jesus CANNOT be the God of Israel.
@creepydotorg He's doing better now, from what I heard. Both him and his mom have denied the rumors that bullying caused his schizophrenia, also saying that mental illness runs in the family. Jake honestly inspires me. I think he's a really tough dude.