He wasn't quite the being described in the New Testament. For instance, the 12 y/o chasing the moneylenders from the Temple is a bit much. We know the New Testament is flawed, with known and surmised authors, with staged incidents and impossible events.

Even given that, the character of Jesus in the New Testament is almost my ideal. There's a person moving into godhood from a Buddhist perspective. The "Sermon on the Mount" is an incredible piece of work. The depiction is my hero, a super-man. His death symbolizes the ego dying, which is described well in the St. Francis Prayer.

Unfortunately, his followers don't follow him. For instance, the "Sermon on the Mount" is almost universally ignored in favor of the Old Testament even by those who call themselves "Christian". Jesus never did anything which wasn't inclusive, didn't chase away anyone. There is no instance of a homosexual being berated by Jesus, for instance.

I think his followers have and are doing an injustice to him, one that won't be repaired. And I don't care if he did or didn't exist, the man was an ideal and certainly my hero.

Arf