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The Illustrated World's Religions--Chapter VIII

Chapter VIII ("Christianity") Questions to Guide Your Study:

1. What do you think Huston Smith means when he talks about Jesus as being “in the tradition of…Spirit-filled mediators” (page 206)? Does that view contradict or mesh with your view of Jesus?
2. Consider the four responses to the predicament of the Jews under Roman domination as outlined by Smith (page 207) and his linking these responses to various religious groups (Sadducees, Essenes, Pharisees, and those pushing armed rebellion). Do you see any parallels in today’s Christianity? In today’s world? What was the fifth option and who espoused it?
3. What is the relationship of the “holiness code” (page 209) -- Marcus Borg called it a “purity code”) -- to Jesus and his opposition to social barriers?
4. When we were struggling as a class to explain the relationship of Jesus to the Hindu view of many accepted incarnations of God, we tried to identify the distinct role of Jesus. Does the statement on the bottom of page 210 address this issue? It reads: “They (the early disciples) found themselves thinking that if divine goodness were to manifest itself in human form, this (Jesus) is how it would behave.” Does that view have meaning for us today?
5. Smith attributes the movement from a Jesus of history to a Christ of Faith to three views of Jesus (page 210-213). What are the three statements from the Gospels that epitomize these three views? Do you agree with this interpretation?
6. What’s meant by the concept of the “language of Jesus” (page 212)? Give examples that have meaning for you.
7. What’s your reaction to Jesus “narrow gate” statement (page 212) and Hinduism’s “four paths?” Do any of the other contrasts listed by Smith (page 212-213) have special meaning or impact for you?
8. What’s meant by the concept of “resurrection not resuscitation” (page 214)? Have you heard that phrase before?
9. The Good News spread because (according to Smith) those listening to the followers of Jesus saw two qualities present (page 215-216). What were they? The second quality lifted “three intolerable burdens.” What were they?
10. Discuss the quote on page 216 that says, “If we felt ourselves to be loved, not abstractly or in principle but vividly and personally, by one who unites all power and perfection, that experience could reduce our fear, guilt and self-obsession to zero.” What does that mean and how does Huston Smith arrive at this statement?