I’m not sure what to make of these stats from the research on the Jesus All About Life campaign.
Some of these are the same stats I posted the other day – but a report on the research can be found here.
Believer or non-believer, 54% of Australians ranked Jesus as the number one most influential person in history beating Albert Einstein who came in at second place (16%) and Charles Darwin who was ranked third (9%). Research commissioned by www.allaboutlife.com.au revealed Australia is a nation of believers with approximately 5 in 6 (83%) responding that Jesus was a real figure from history.
It’s odd… going by the ongoing discussion over here the one in six people who don’t think Jesus is a real historical figure are gaining a bit of traction while clearly swimming against the tide* of public opinion…
This research gives a great insight into people’s beliefs about Jesus and their faith today. The fact that Jesus is revealed to be the most influential figure in history shows his message is as relevant today as it was 2000 years ago and people still look to him as source of inspiration.
To me, this suggests the JAAL campaign was barking up the wrong tree a little. Jesus doesn’t need an image upgrade. He doesn’t need wishy washy feelgood statements posted online… People think he’s alright.
What he really needs is accurate representation. Because people are much less sold on the facts.
“Of these believers 43% believed Jesus had miraculous powers and he was the son of God. Australia still has faith with 2 in 5 Australians stating they actually practice a religion and only 27% not believing in a God or universal power of any sort.”
*Mmm. Delicious cliche.
Comments
I find myself often feeling like I need to "sell" Jesus – I think many of us do. Especially when you or someone you love has gone through something really hard (what m y whole blog is about!) However when we let God show himself, the results are far more amazing than anything we could ever hope to show ourselves… at least , that's been my experience.
Hi BrokenSaint,
Glad you're still reading. I hope you found those articles I linked to in that other post helpful.
I think ultimately God has shown himself pretty clearly in Jesus and in the Bible. Part of our problem is there's a cultural understanding of God that comes from what people want to believe he is like rather than what God (and Jesus himself) actually claims to be like.
But I can certainly agree with your point that the revelation of God's character that comes through a relationship with him is the most effective way to understand his love.