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Fundamentalist
Guest
Is it possible that Jesus could have traveled to India? If so, how would that impact, if at all, our faith?
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thistle
Guest
NO! He died on the Cross, was resurrected and then ascended into heaven. Anything else about this is sheer speculation about something that did not happen. Its like people who ask if Adam and Eve had not sinned would Jesus have come to us. Such speculation is a waste of time.
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Nita
Guest
Jesus did not travel to India during the 33 years He lived on earth – but the apostle St. Thomas went there and evangelized after Our Lord’s death.
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docholmes
Guest
Is your question possibly in response to watching the Documentary on the Sundance Channel? I saw bits and pieces of it the other day, it was quite fascinating but no real “Smoking Gun” 
was left in the open. I’d love to delve into the context of the production before making judgements IE who, with what background, motive, or axe to grind made this production. I was open minded for the most part until they interviewed the Cardinal in Rome and made him look like he worked for “the Dark Side”. That’s good about having a Magesterium, we’re not forced to rely on our own interpretation of every little detail. 
was left in the open. I’d love to delve into the context of the production before making judgements IE who, with what background, motive, or axe to grind made this production. I was open minded for the most part until they interviewed the Cardinal in Rome and made him look like he worked for “the Dark Side”. That’s good about having a Magesterium, we’re not forced to rely on our own interpretation of every little detail.
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mdcpensive1
Guest
Jesus came to fulfill his promise to the Hebrews. He preached in the promised land, first in the north and then lastly in the south in Jerusalem because that is where most of the prophets were killed. This is where the temple was at. India to me seems like a stretch of what was to be accomplished regarding the promised land.
mdcpensive1
mdcpensive1
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mlchance
Guest
Is it possible? Sure. Jesus traveled, so he could’ve traveled to India. Is there any evidence he ever did? None at all. If he did, how would that impact our faith? Not at all.
– Mark L. Chance.
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Catholicdeacon
Guest
The first time I encountered this claim was in a book by Eric Von Daniken. The rest is history as they say. Here is a link for you:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Von_Daniken
In His love,
Catholic Deacon
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rossum
Guest
It is also possible that India travelled to Jesus. There was trade between Alexandria and India and also trade between Alexandria and Israel. Indian ideas could have passed along the trade routes as easily as Frankincense and Myrrh.
As you say, this has no impact on Christianity.
rossum
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Tenebrae
Guest
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anon5216
Guest
This has incredible impact on Christianity!
The thing is, with all the evidence that Jesus’ teachings share much more in common with certain aspects of Buddhism and Hinduism than his teachings share with Judaism, we really have to rethink the context of how to correctly interpret his message.
There is historical evidence of him having traveled to India during the “missing” 18 years. Without thoroughly researching these connections you simply can’t know the full cultural context of the message and therefore can’t discern the true meaning of the message.
Without that you are clutching at an incomplete and inaccurate understanding of “the facts”.
The thing is, with all the evidence that Jesus’ teachings share much more in common with certain aspects of Buddhism and Hinduism than his teachings share with Judaism, we really have to rethink the context of how to correctly interpret his message.
There is historical evidence of him having traveled to India during the “missing” 18 years. Without thoroughly researching these connections you simply can’t know the full cultural context of the message and therefore can’t discern the true meaning of the message.
Without that you are clutching at an incomplete and inaccurate understanding of “the facts”.
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Deconi
Guest
Perfectly acceptable for one who is *"clutching at an incomplete and inaccurate understanding of ‘the facts.’ *
Catholics do not have that problem!
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anon5216
Guest
Cute. Saying it’s so doesn’t make it so.
If you don’t care to know the complete context of Jesus’ teachings, you don’t really care about Jesus’ teachings. You only care about the system of belief you cling to.
Worshiping an incomplete system of belief is idolatry - not the physical picture or statue kind, but something much, much more insidious.
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thistle
Guest
There is no evidence of Jesus having travelled to India. That is a load of nonsense.
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anon5216
Guest
Sorry, while there is no general consensus of the evidence definitively having proved Jesus travelled to India, to say no evidence exists is itself “a load of nonsense”.
Is the possibility of Jesus having travelled in India that threatening to your world/religious view?
The accepted biblical writers left an 18 year gap in the life of Jesus. Are you that afraid that your understanding may have to change if we discover where he went and what he did during those years?
Is your current world/religious view more important and more sacred than what Jesus actually did for most of his sojourn on earth?
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thistle
Guest
No general consensus of evidence?? Of course not because there is no evidence at all. Jesus didn’t go to India.
Nothing will threaten my Catholic beliefs which are unshakable. However, I see you can’t make up your mind what to believe, though.
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anon5216
Guest
thistle,
The thought of Jesus having gone to India is obviously threatening to your belief system by the nature of your responses.
Be careful of worshipping your beliefs in place of what those beliefs are supposed to point to - that would be idolatry.
Be careful of trusting in rigidity as a means of achieving unshakability - rigid things break, and an excessively rigid mind can result in mental breakdowns or even strokes. While our spiritual beliefs appear to be in irreconcilable contradiction, I would not wish those consequences on you.
Although I left the Catholic Church years ago and see no reason for me to ever return, that doesn’t mean I want to break the faith of any person who’s natural spiritual path lies there. I would however, encourage you to go much, much deeper into that faith - far beyond the superficial clinging to textually expressed beliefs.
Pray to find a Catholic spiritual director of the caliber of Padre Pio. Such a person could assist you in getting to a point spiritually you can’t even imagine today.
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thistle
Guest
My faith is strong but it seems that anyone who does not share your opinion must be wrong and have weak faith. Talk about judging someone you don’t even know!!
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anon5216
Guest
I’m responding to the textual content of your posts and describing what I see. That’s not a judgement of your soul - it’s an observation of your human communications.
If your faith were as strong as Padre Pio’s, your spiritual state would be similar to Padre Pio’s.
That’s the standard, thistle, not how vigorously you agree with textual Church doctrine.
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thistle
Guest
Again you presume to know me but you don’t. Only God really knows me. Are you equating yourself to God?
By the way are you implying that if all 1.2 billion Catholics cannot match the faith of Padre Pio then all of us have a weak faith. What have you been smoking?
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Deconi
Guest
That’s quite a mouthful of straw, Matey. Enough to build a strawman, in fact.
You do know that Jesus was an Indian, born in Fiji? His parent emigrated there in the 1900s from Calcutta, fleeing the real threat of the Sikhs from the Northern regions…
He played rugby for a while but sadly wasn’t good enough to make the famed national representative Fijian Sevens team that toured and played in Dubai in 2008, which is where he’s always wanted to go to.
You see? Anyone can pose a theory…without evidence!
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