Could Jesus actually have thought Himself to be God? After all, it is possible to be both sincere and wrong.

But if Jesus wasn't really God, then He was still a bad man, even though sincere. He was not morally bad (He did not deliberately deceive people); he was mentally bad (He was deceived Himself).

We must remember that for someone to think he is God, especially in a culture that is fiercely monotheistic to the point of death, and then to tell others that their eternal destiny depends on believing in him as God is no slight of fantasy but the thoughts of a lunatic in the fullest sense.

A lunatic may not be wicked, but he is not much more trustworthy than a liar.

Why Jesus couldn't have been a lunatic:

(1) The psychological profiles are the opposite. The lunatic lacks the very qualities that shine in Jesus: practical wisdom, tough love, and unpredictable creativity. There are 2 things everyone admits about Jesus' character: He was wise and He was good. A lunatic is the opposite of wise, and a liar is the opposite of good.

(2) When we meet a lunatic, we are uncomfortable because we feel vastly superior to him; when his enemies met Jesus, they were uncomfortable for the opposite reason. A lunatic does not make you feel personally challenged, only embarrassed and, eventually, bored. But Jesus made everyone feel challenged and uncomfortable, never bored. A lunatic is like darkness, Jesus was like light. A lunatic is like a man asleep, Jesus was the most wide awake of men.

(3) No Jew would sincerely think He was God. No group in history was less likely to confuse the Creator with a creature than the Jews, the only people who had an absolute, and absolutely clear, distinction between the divine and human. And is far more inconceivable for them to confuse a "mad-man" with God.

(4) He did not have a "divinity complex". It is recognized as a form of psychopathology. Its character traits are well known: egotism, narcissism, inflexibility, dullness, predictability, inability to understand and love others as they really are and creatively relate to others.

In other words, this is the polar opposite of the personality of Jesus! More than any other man in history, Jesus had the 3 essential virtues every human being needs and wants: wisdom, love and creativity. He wisely and cannily saw into people's hearts, behind their words. He solved insolvable problems. He also gave totally to others, including His very life.

(5) Finally, He was the most creative, interesting, unpredictable man who ever lived. No one-believer, unbeliever or agnostic-was ever bored by Him. The common verb predicated of those who met Jesus was thaumazo, "to wonder." Lunatics are not wonderful, but Jesus was the most wonderful man in history. If that were lunacy, lunacy would be more desirable than sanity.

Would you like to choose another alternative?

I. Jesus claimed divinity
11A. He meant it literally
11111. It is True------------------------------------------He is Lord
11112. It is False
111111a. He knew it was false-------------------------He was a Liar
111111b. He didn't know it was false------------------He was a Lunatic
11B. He meant it non-literally, mystically-------------He was a Guru

II. Jesus never claimed divinity--------------------------He is a Myth

III. Jesus died
11A. Jesus rose-------------------------------------------He is Lord
11B. Jesus didn't rise
11111. The apostles were deceived--------------------He was an Hallucination
11112. The gospel writers were myth-makers-------He is a Myth
11113. The apostles were deceivers-------------------He is a Conspiracy

IV. Jesus didn't die----------------------------------------It was a case of Swoon

Here is a list of the gazillions of OT prophecies that Jesus fulfilled.

Do you still need more evidence?

Here is a quick note on "miracles".

Are you still not sure?

Review the evidences page.

Review the claims of divinity page.

A broad overview of the world's major religions.

My favorite sites .

Here's my version of the crucifixion .

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