It is not uncommon, in conversations about spirituality or religion with atheists, for the discussion to pivot toward the historical veracity of Jesus—whether he truly existed or was merely a figure of myth or parable. This line of debate remains prevalent even today. I vividly recall, during my own years as an atheist, how I would often resort to such arguments when I had exhausted all other logical or rational counterpoints to the teachings of Jesus—particularly when engaged with fervent Christians. It became a kind of last refuge in debate, a way to undermine belief when I was out of arguments in my atheist toolbelt.
Whether one believes he was a historical figure or not is ultimately a personal choice. If you choose to regard his story as a parable, then let it serve its purpose: as a vehicle for conveying deeper truths—namely, the path toward an elevated state of consciousness. Becoming entangled in debates over the literal truth of the narrative often detracts from the profound wisdom it offers. It is striking how many reject parables and metaphors outright, failing to see that their power lies not in factual accuracy, but in the timeless lessons they are meant to impart.
The true significance of learning and embodying the teachings of Jesus does not rest on the question of his historical existence or the acceptance of his divine identity. Rather, it lies in the practice of the values he espoused—compassion, humility, forgiveness, and love. The argument that “Jesus was not a real person” is a common refrain among atheists, largely in response to the way many believers place the entirety of their faith’s weight on the literal truth of his life and the promise that salvation and freedom from suffering come solely through belief in him. Yet, the power of his message endures independently of such debates, inviting all to live by its wisdom, regardless of their stance on his historicity.
This is an enormous misinterpretation of Jesus teachings on the part of Christians, and it’s understandable that “Jesus did not exist” would be a common counter argument towards Christians who required prospective Christians to “believe in him” or “accept him” in order to achieve any salvation. The atheist counter argument is essentially saying “How can believing in Jesus save you from your suffering if he never existed in the first place!”
In truth, practicing Jesus’ teachings is what will liberate you from that suffering, not from believing that his life story historically checks out or from you believing he is actually the son of God. Jesus made it very clear in his teachings that we are our father’s children. This is a metaphor he used to illustrate that we are united as reflections of our father and source, which in short makes all of us ‘one with God’ not just Jesus.
This is also why Jesus never demanded exclusive worship. He taught us to direct all our worship, love and praise to our greater father, not to himself. Demanding worship would have been incredibly narcissistic of him and would have been an immediate red flag of him. By communicating that he was one with God, he was expressing how he had achieved and experienced the ultimate goal of literal oneness with all, that we should all also be chasing.
When he said ‘no man goes to the father except through me’ he was expressing how no one can experience this same existential and spiritual realization he had achieved except through the teachings he had been teaching all his disciples and followers. Do not mistake his statement as an instruction or demand for him to be worshiped directly. He made it explicitly clear that we should express our love, worship and commitment to our father and source.
That being said, practice Jesus’ teachings as the opportunities to do so will undoubtedly arise in your life. These are your fundamental steps to a spiritual awakening/enlightenment.
- Forgive others whenever the opportunity arises rather than holding onto grudges and resentments. This chips away at your ego and prevents you from living in the past. You cannot live in the present moment if you are living in the past, especially when clinging onto toxic emotions/memories.
- Any instance where your feelings are hurt, no matter how mild or severe, should be a prompt for forgiveness. Hurt feelings are a massive indicator that your ego is alive and well, so forgiving someone for hurting your feelings is another great opportunity for chipping away at your ego that wants nothing more than to be protected and preserved. Nothing can scathe the feelings of a seasoned practitioner of Jesus’ teachings.
- Always pass on any opportunity to retaliate which is incredibly petty and driven by ego. The temptation for revenge is one of the biggest tests of your commitment to releasing/letting go of your ego and commitment to peace and unity with others. Turn the other cheek always.
- Helping others less fortunate than you which demonstrates compassion, empathy, and selflessness. It proves your commitment to accepting your unity with all, and liberating yourself from the suffering your ego brings to your life in the form of attachment to identity, separation, constant unending thoughts. Keep in mind that any action motivated by selfishness and without any consideration of others is the most succinct definition of evil. The lack of consideration or caring of others at all is purely ego driven.
- Make declarative statements in your mind in which you surrender all control to the holy spirit of the universe. A very presence that bonds all of us together and permeates through all of us and the universe. Relinquish control to our father and ask to be guided instead by the holy spirit rather than our egos.
- When judging others or holding grudges towards others, use these instances as opportunities to reflect on times you’ve committed similar acts. Be introspective and honest. Forgive them, as you ask for forgiveness from our father and source. This is the greater universe doing you a favor, holding the mirror up to your face so you can see where you’ve fallen short yourself. We are constantly projecting our weaknesses onto others. Forgive them, and ask for forgiveness.
- Declare that you want our father’s will to be done, over our own egotistical will. You are surrendering completely to our father, and explicitly declare that you relinquish your will in favor of our father’s will. May the holy spirit guide me in every moment of my life and keep my mind, thoughts and actions in harmony with our father’s. Guide me so I no longer need to have absolute control anymore, because you are now in absolute control father.
- Ask the Holy Spirit for help becoming a more selfless, empathetic, compassionate loving human being that is one with all. Nothing is possible without surrendering your control to the Holy Spirit. Your ego demands and wants nothing more than complete and total control and it takes a tremendous amount of humility to let go of that control. Hand the wheel over to another driver.
As you can see, the teachings above are more specific guidelines than merely proclaiming that you love and accept Jesus. Anyone can make this proclamation but practicing what Jesus taught requires a total transformation in your life and thought. An agnostic or atheist who thinks that the story of Jesus simply a parable intended to teach these valuable life lessons is in a much better position than a Christian who yells or prays daily about how much the accept and love Jesus, but they ignore all the teachings that keeps us in harmony and unity with the universe and our father. There was never a point in Jesus’ life story where he tells any followers to accept him as their God and savior, or that he is going to die for them on the cross as a prerequisite for any salvation from egoic suffering. He did however give a host of life guidelines that are much more important than simply boasting and bragging about which religious team you decided to join, a symptom of our human egos being on full display once again.
In short, nothing can hurt the feelings of a true Christian. Everything would roll off your back and you roll your eyes at any attempts to hurt you because they are not harming anything real. It is only attempting to harm an ego which you no longer identify with. You are now openly accepting our unity and oneness with all humans and the greater universe. Our egos are self manufactured illusions that keep us thinking we are separate instead of united and one.
St. John Chrysostom puts it beautifully when he said:
Nothing can harm a true Christian, unless he harms himself; and even then, only if he consents.
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