Letters, Apr. 29, 1996

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THE GOSPEL TRUTH?

"It doesn't matter who Jesus of Nazareth was or what he was. What's most important is the lessons he taught." PAUL MUSSELMAN St. Petersburg, Florida

There will never be any way to prove beyond a doubt that Jesus existed and that the events in the Bible actually took place, and no way to prove that they didn't either [RELIGION, April 8]. If it weren't so frustrating, I'd find it amusing that the members of the Jesus Seminar, who call themselves scholars and experts, are arguing about events that took place 2,000 years ago. Christianity and all other religions are in the realm of faith alone, and the best we can do is exercise the freedom to decide for ourselves what is right and believable. MELISSA R. WEBER Atlanta

I am the co-executive producer and director of the TV movie The Gospel According to Jesus mentioned in your report. Neither history nor science has ever proved the existence of ghosts, much less Holy Ones. The Gospels as we know them were written by ordinary people from generations of oral accounts of a very special prophet's teachings. Because they were written by humans, they may indeed contain factual errors and embellishments. Nonetheless, Jesus taught us that ordinary people are valuable teachers and that we should accept and forgive. The precise points of what Jesus said or didn't say, did or didn't do, are irrelevant to me. What I get from his teachings is that God exists and that I don't need to worry if I "love God with all my heart and mind and love my neighbor as myself." NORRIS JEWETT CHUMLEY New York City

Your article contained far more about the reaction of Christian believers to the Jesus Seminar than about the Seminar. The report abounds with condescension and sarcasm about this important quest for historical accuracy. Beginning with "Judas didn't do it. Or at least the charges wouldn't stick," and "Well, the Jesus Seminar is at it again," you poke fun at the event and the scholars exploring the origins of Christianity. Jesus Seminar critics, on the other hand, are quoted with more respect. This subject deserved a more serious treatment. What were you afraid of? Angering the Christian political establishment, scaring the faithful--or the truth? MARY FONTAINE HOUSE Cairo Via E-mail

The Jesus Seminar said in its Santa Rosa, California, meeting, "Belief in the Resurrection of Jesus does not depend upon what may or may not have happened to his corpse." But your report noted that in the eyes of a Lutheran layman, the group "said the Resurrection of Jesus Christ was not essential to the faith; and that, in fact, the Resurrection may not have occurred at all." In my view, your readership is ill served by the inability to understand the difference between these statements. I find that most readers do grasp this distinction quite easily, and many appreciate and welcome the insight, believers and non-believers alike. (THE REV.) EDWARD F. BEUTNER Fellow, Jesus Seminar Livermore, California Via E-mail

Let's see if I got it straight. fifty panelists, one of whom directed Showgirls, have determined that 1.5 billion misguided Christians have an erroneous impression of who Jesus was. A more accurate version of the life of Christ was created by a vote that involved dropping plastic beads into a bucket. Did I miss something? O ye of little faith! ELEANOR MCKEE Honolulu