Dear Mr Opinion,

I said nothing about Christianity. I referred to Jesus. A religion was made in his name, but there is no reason to think he intended to start a new religion. He lived and died a Jew. There is no reason to think that he wanted a separate religion.

'Footy and Jesus are trivial compared to Newton, Darwin and Einstein.'

just showing your Christophobic ignorance yet again david f

A gravity wave billions of years away, and 1000th of the width of a proton, may not sound much but how do we know how dangerous it might be, magnified across space - what if it causes a tsunami across the entire universe ? Would it lift us all an inch, or a foot, or a hundred feet, off the ground, as it interfered with the Earth's gravity ? How do we know ? How long will it take to get here ? How do we prepare for it ? Just in case, I'm strapping myself to the floor.

I wish scientists would stop tinkering with natural forces: it's bad enough causing apples to fall (which otherwise wouldn't), and now to cause a wave billions of miles away which might eventually have all sorts of unwanted effects. Ladies' dresses will fly up. Birds' eggs will fly out of their nests. Dogs will be sucked into the air. Red wine will spill out of its glass. What's the point of all that ?

Stop funding all science NOW !

Joe

Dear david f,

I totally disagree with your argument that you can separate Christianity from Jesus in this case. My reason is that he was the person who created Christianity as a religious sect, drawing to him first the apostles, then the followers from amongst the variegated peoples of the Graeco-Roman East, and finally the peoples of western Europe after is death. Jesus was one of the greatest figures - if not the greatest in human history. I don't think we could say that about Newton, Darwin and Einstein. We can say that they are some of the greatest scientists, but not the greatest figures in human history.

Dear david f and ttbn

Whether Jesus is trivial or not compared to another Jew, e.g. Einstein, it depends on what are your priorities. If it is physics then certainly he is. If it is about being a source of wisdom (whether or not you believe in his historicity) then certainly Jesus’ teachings were understood and DIRECTLY influenced many, many more people than Einstein’s relativity theories, and the triviality comparison would go the other way around.

Mr Opinion wrote: "Jesus was one of the greatest figures - if not the greatest in human history. I don't think we could say that about Newton, Darwin and Einstein. We can say that they are some of the greatest scientists, but not the greatest figures in human history."

Dear Mr Opinion,

You have misused the word, we. Your 'we' doesn't include me.

I can say that Newton, Darwin and Einstein are three of the greatest figures in human history and much more important than Jesus. Maybe you can't. It may take a long time, but religions come and go. Manichaeism lasted from the 3rd to the eighteenth century and extended from Spain to China. Eventually in the eighteenth century it was no more. Most people around currently have never even heard of Manichaeism. Christianity like Manichaeism will also disappear long before humanity does. Humanity may outgrow religious superstition or may develop new forms of religious superstition. The 'eternal truths' of religion are beliefs which cannot be supported by evidence. Meanwhile humanity will build on the discoveries of Newton, Darwin and Einstein when the Jesus mythology takes its place with the mythologies of the Greek, Roman, Norse and Egyptian pantheons. Christianity has had a great influence as has Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, Islam, Judaism and other varieties of superstition. Eventually it will disappear as Manichaeism already has, but humanity will continue to build on the legacy of Newton, Darwin and Einstein until humanity is no more.