The Meaning of Jesus of Nazareth Considered.

 Over at CFI Forum a thread was started under that title, regarding the historicity of Jesus. That is, was Jesus once an actual flesh and blood person? It reminded me of an article Tanner wrote Nov 15, 2025, There’s No Real Evidence for Jesus. Truth or Myth? I read it a couple weeks ago and it keeps coming back to mind. The two have rekindled my interest in trying to formulate and share a comprehensible Earth-centrist’s perspective on Jesus.

Why did Jesus become and remain the ultimate superstar for so many?

What to make of the evidence regarding Jesus of Nazareth’s physical reality–in relation to all the stories added onto his memory (long after his life was finished), that increasingly deify Jesus?

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Stained glass, Jesus on Mt. Tabor, at Tabor Church, Chicago. ©Beatriz Romero

To give the “moral of this story” substance, I need to start by sharing some background. Being an Earth-centrist I can’t relate to the obsession with theological writings & debates. It is all too much talk for talk, for me. That doesn’t mean I’m oblivious to Christianity and Jesus. Still, the last time I actually wrestled with Jesus’s meaning was as a teen and 20s. After that, Earth and her evolution took over my heart and soul, and there was no looking back for me.

What is the Self?

Let’s be honest with ourselves and start at the beginning.

For us and many other animals it starts with a unique egg and sperm and not so much a plan as an imperative.

Grow, survive, prosper.

The imperative within me came out of the momentum of half a billion years’ worth of 100% successful generations building upon each preceding generation. Always learning and refining.

“Self” begins with your biology interacting with the physical world around us. Senses + body + brain, constantly interacting with the real world, exterior and interior.

Let’s be realistic, how could any creature possibly feel like anything other than what it is? How can any creature not feel itself, since itself, and its own needs, are all that it knows?

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Can Other Things Be Conscious?

Panpsychism makes no sense.

What is the point of consciousness, when there aren’t any decisions to be made? Which is the case out in the cosmic realm of particles and energy and gravity.

Considering Things Science Can Explain About Consciousness.

"Without deeply, personally appreciating the Pageant of Evolution, trying to ask, and answer, these deep existential questions is like playing basketball in zero gravity."

"Dr. Mark Solms makes it clear: … Modern science shows us that our mind is best understood as “a reflection of your body communicating with itself.” "

"Consider that momentous invention some four billion years ago of the Krebs cycle. Here on Earth, when geology and chemistry learned how to harness electricity, thereby giving birth to this Krebs cycle, which in turn gave birth to biology. There you’ll find the difference between a rock and living creature." 

Introduction

Ethan Siegel, there is physics, and there is Earth.

Also published at Medium.com.  Come on down for some discussion.

Earthrise  (wiki)

On May 21st, Ethan Siegel published an article titled with a question, a challenge. “Does physics truly have anything to say about consciousness?”

I want to offer a qualified loud and clear no!

Physics is about physics. Physics operates under exacting natural laws, that we can track via mathematics.

Where is there any need for a choice when puzzling over a differential equation? It’s all about following rules and where they take us.

Beyond physics?

What could be beyond physics you ask?

Think about it, … there is physics and there is Earth !

What’s so special about Earth? Stop to ponder your response.

Here’s mine,

Behold Earth, where: Chemistry + geology + harnessing electricity + deep time = biology > Life > creatures > complex creatures > self-reflecting minds.

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Mother Earth