In choosing ten comebacks as the greatest of all-time some standard was necessary such an auspicious list. My criteria involved two elements and within each element a measurement was used. The elements were the nature of the setback and the prominence of the comeback. The measurement for each was simply the greatness of the span between the setback and the comeback. There have been many great comebacks in history. This book is devoted to the concept that there can be many more. But there are certain comebacks that simply stand apart from all others because of their true greatness.
10. Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr. had a great amount of success at a young age. He starred in a number of films throughout the 1980s and 1990s, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in the 1992 film Chaplin. After this promising start he began to face problems in his personal life. From 1996-2001, he was arrested numerous times on drug related charges. In April 1996 he was arrested for possession of cocaine, marijuana and an unloaded .357 magnum while speeding down Sunset Boulevard. He was sentenced to three years probation and required to undergo mandatory drug testing.
That first arrest did not stop his destructive behavior. A year later he missed a court-ordered drug test and had to spend four months in the Los Angeles County jail. Even jail time failed to change his behavior, and in 1999 he missed another drug test and was sentenced to three years at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison in Corcoran, California.
He received a big break when he was unexpectedly released early for previous time served in 1996. Unfortunately, his addiction was too strong and he was arrested yet again the next year for possession of cocaine and valium. In July, 2001 he pleaded no-contest to the charges but avoided jail time because of California’s Proposition 36, which was aimed at helping non violent drug offenders to overcome addiction through court-ordered rehabilitation.
Downey told Oprah in 2004 that he finally decided he needed help and reached out for it. He said, “You can reach out for help in a kind of half-assed way and you’ll get it and you won’t take advantage of it. It’s not that difficult to overcome these seemingly ghastly problems…what’s hard is to decide to actually do it.” After five years of setbacks, he decided he was going to have a comeback.
While he managed to stay employed with small projects throughout his battle with drug addiction, it was in 2008 when his career comeback really solidified. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Tropic Thunder. He landed the lead role in the movie Iron Man and Entertainment Weekly named him “Entertainer of the Year.” In addition, Time Magazine named him one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2008.
He now has the lead role in two widely successful movie franchises, Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes. In 2010 his role as Sherlock Holmes earned him a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture. Downey is one of the most popular and sought after actors in Hollywood solidifying his comeback. He has also started a foundation to help others.
9. Josh Hamilton
Josh Hamilton was the first overall pick in the 1999 Major League Baseball draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, receiving a $3.96 million signing bonus. He was an unlikely candidate for a future drug addict; unfortunately, adversity struck his life and young career in the form of numerous injuries. In 2001, he was involved in a car accident that placed him on injured reserve. In his first three seasons, he missed a total of two hundred and thirty-six games because of injuries. During this time he self-medicated with the destructive coping mechanisms of drugs and alcohol. As a result, Hamilton tested positive for substance abuse, was suspended, and put into a treatment program.
However, this did not stop his addictive behavior. In 2004, Major League Baseball suspended him indefinitely for violating the joint drug treatment and prevention program. At this point he had become a full blown addict, the substance abuse that initially begun while he was trying to cope with the injuries that stalled his promising career had become the agent of his career destruction. His depression worsened. Finally in 2005, he hit rock bottom, waking up on his grandmother’s doorstep after what would be his final crack cocaine binge. Hamilton had experienced a gigantic setback and his future was very dim.
He chose a road that led to recovery and his comeback in baseball. In an ESPN article about his story he describes his comeback as, “it’s a God thing. It’s the only possible explanation.” In that same article he describes two dreams that encompass his journey back from addiction.
“I was fighting the devil, an awful-looking thing. I had a stick or a bat or something and every time I hit the devil, he’d fall and get back up. Over and over I hit him, until I was exhausted and he was still standing.
I woke up in a sweat, as if I’d been truly fighting and the terror that gripped me makes that dream feel real to this day. I’d been alone for so long, alone with the fears and emotions I worked so hard to kill. I’m not embarrassed to admit that after I woke up that night, I walked down the hall to my grandmother’s room and crawled under the covers with her. The devil stayed out of my dreams for seven months after that. I stayed clean and worked hard and tried to put my marriage and my life back together. I got word in June 2006 that I’d been reinstated by Major League Baseball and a few weeks afterward, the devil reappeared.
It was the same dream with an important difference. I would hit him and he would bounce back up, the ugliest and most hideous creature you could imagine. This devil seemed unbeatable; I couldn’t knock him out. But just when I felt like giving up, I felt a presence by my side. I turned my head and saw Jesus, battling alongside me. We kept fighting and I was filled with strength. The devil didn’t stand a chance.
You can doubt me, but I swear to you I dreamed it. When I woke up, I felt at peace. I wasn’t scared. To me, the lesson was obvious: Alone, I couldn’t win this battle. With Jesus, I couldn’t lose.”
His reinstatement was just the beginning of his remarkable comeback. In 2008 he was selected to his first All Star team, where he also participated in the Home Run Derby, setting an opening round record of 28 home runs and finishing with the second most home runs of all time in Derby history with 35.
His Home Run Derby explosion introduced Josh to the public in a big way furthering his comeback. He has been selected to the All Star team for three straight years (2009-2011). In 2010, he won several single season honors in the American League including the Batting Title, ALCS MVP and most impressively MVP of the entire American League. The man who almost lost his life and career to addiction has now become one of baseball’s biggest stars. In addition to his personal success, he has led the Texas Rangers, who had never won an American League pennant, to the past two American League pennants and World Series appearances (2010-2011). The comeback is still continuing with Josh and only in time will his full success be known.
8. Ulysses S. Grant
Grant was both a general and a president. He was an American hero in the truest sense of the word. Misunderstood by many people who don’t know his whole story, his life is a powerful example of a comeback. Grant was the son of a tanner in Ohio and was soft spoken and easily embarrassed. He went to West Point and entered into the Army as an officer. He served in the Mexican-American War and then was sent to the new Oregon territory out west. He did not like it, he did not like the climate and he did not like being separated from his wife and children.
In his depression, he drank too much and quit the Army. He gave up his officer commission and went back home. He tried his hand at a couple of different things. He failed at real estate and he failed at business. He was working in his family’s tannery and making very little money when the Civil War broke out. He was contacted by the Union Army since he was a West Point graduate and had combat experience in the Mexican War. He was asked to rejoin the Army and he did.
His comeback did not start out so great and he actually did not do very well in his first battle. But then he had a great victory at Fort Donaldson and then he won a big battle at Shiloh. That victory got the attention of President Lincoln. Lincoln kept going through generals trying to find somebody who actually would get the job done and he decided that Grant was someone who would actually fight. Grant kept getting promoted until he was the top general of all the Union forces. He won the Civil War not by fancy maneuvers or clever strategy but by confronting the Confederate army in the field and defeating it. The man with the rumpled uniform, unkempt beard and ever-present cigar accepted the surrender from General Lee of the Confederate forces at Appomattox.
Grant was then elected President of the United States. In fact he was re-elected, serving two terms as president. Though his two terms were riddled with political and financial scandals (none directly involving him) he managed to bring a calming influence to the country and bring peace between the North and South and between the US and the rest of the world.
The culmination of his comeback was the book he wrote after he left the Presidency. He wrote Memoirs about his life and it became the biggest selling book in American history, excluding the Bible. The shy boy from humble beginnings who failed at much in the early part of his life had an incredible comeback. He was the top general who lead the Union’s victory in the Civil War, he was elected president for two terms of the United States and he wrote the bestselling book of all time.
178 Comments
I love a debate as much as the next person, probably more, which is why I started this site one late night back in May 2008. But at some point it becomes it becomes…well, pointless. I have decided that point is now and I am shutting off comments. There is nothing to be gained from either side of the debate on Jesus. You either believe or you don’t.
Everyone has had their say. If you really want to add something, email me and I’ll consider opening this post back up to comments; but it would have to be really good.
I’ve grown weary of moderating the comments on this post and nothing new is being discussed or debated. So endeth the lesson. Amen.
In 2010, there were 2.30 billion Christians in the world, an increase of 150 million from two billion in 2005. The increase in the Christian population is growing at a slightly higher rate than the world population – 1.3 percent per year, when the total world population increased with 1.2 percent. The Christian population in Asia and Africa had the highest growth with 2.6 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively,–“World Facts By The Numbers”
any study worth its weight in air will tell you they have no idea how many people in the world are religious. the estimates are anywhere from 4.5 billion to 6 billion. that is a 64%-86% spread.
From “The Coming Of Global Christianity” by Penn State professor,Philip Jenkins:
For instance, in 1900, there were approximately 10 million Christians in Africa. By 2000, there were 360 million. By 2025, conservative estimates see that number rising to 633 million. Those same estimates put the number of Christians in Latin America in 2025 at 640 million and in Asia at 460 million.
Yeah. Those are the countries where misery prevails. Those people need to believe in a better life some time after this one. If you look at the countries with the highest standards of living, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Canada etc. Religion there is well on the decline.
Seeing that this list is now comprising of people’s comments on Atheism, I just want to put my friendly 2 cents worth in here. It may or may not surprise you that the famous movie actress Jodie Foster is a total 100% percent, bonafide, USDA approved atheist. Which leads me to my next question. Is Jodie Foster straight or gay ??……..LOL
That Jesus one is gonna annoy non Christians.
Should’ve kept it with celebrities.
Too much baseball and football. Not enough hockey.
’nuff said.
This is endless. Let’s just respect each other, okay?
And the Christian community is actually growing while atheism is declining-
hate to break it to you but the facts speak otherwise. in the last 10 years atheism has risen 10% completely at the expense of the christian community.
Hate to break it yo you Georgie but you’re the only troll around here–.
Changed from agnosticism or atheism to Christian
Yeah,all these people are real stupid.
Steve Beren – former member of the Socialist Workers Party (United States) who became a Christian conservative politician.[175]
Anders Borg – Sweden’s Minister for Finance.[176]
Kirk Cameron – Actor, star of Growing Pains (former atheist)[177]
Bruce Cockburn – Canadian folk/rock guitarist and singer/songwriter. (former agnostic)[178]
Francis Collins – physician-geneticist, noted for his landmark discoveries of disease genes, and the director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (former atheist)[179]
Bo Giertz – Swedish Confessional Lutheran Bishop, theologian, and writer (former atheist).[181]
Joy Gresham – American writer and wife of C. S. Lewis (former atheist)[182]
Anna Haycraft – Raised in Auguste Comte’s atheistic “church of humanity”, but became a conservative Catholic in adulthood.[183]
Ignace Lepp – French psychiatrist whose parents were freethinkers and who joined the Communist party at age fifteen. He broke with the party in 1937 and eventually became a Catholic priest.[184]
F̩lix Leseur РDoctor turned priest. His conversion, in part, came by efforts of his wife who was declared a Servant of God by the Catholic Church.[185]
Khang Khek Leu (also known as Comrade Duch) – Cambodian director of Phnom Penh’s infamous Tuol Sleng detention center[186] Became a Chtistian.
C. S. Lewis – Oxford professor and writer; well known for The Chronicles of Narnia series, Shelley Lubben – former pornographic actress, current author and Executive Director of the Pink Cross Foundation, anti-pornography activist.[188]
Gabriel Marcel – French philosopher and playwright (former agnostic).[189]
Norma McCorvey – “Jane Roe” in Roe v. Wade[190] Became a Christian antiabortion proponent.
Alister McGrath – Biochemist and Christian theologian. Founder of ‘Scientific theology’ and critic of Richard Dawkins in his book Dawkins’ God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life [191] (Former atheist)
CzesÅ?aw MiÅ?osz – Nobel prize winning poet
Nina Karin Monsen – a Norwegian moral philosopher and author who grew up in a humanist family, but later convert to Christianity through philosophic thinking.[192]
Crissy Moran – former pornographic actress and current anti-pornography activist.[193]
Lacey Mosley – Vocalist and lyricist for Alternative metal band Flyleaf.[194]
William J. Murray – author and son of atheist activist Madalyn Murray O’Hair[195]
Bernard Nathanson Medical doctor who was a founding member of NARAL, later becoming a Pro-Life proponent.[196]
Marvin Olasky – former Marxist turned Christian conservative, he edits the Christian World magazine.[197][198]
George R. Price – Geneticist who became an Evangelical Christian and wrote about the New Testament. Later he moderated his evangelistic tendencies and switched from religious writing to working with the homeless.[199][200]
Anne Rice – author of Interview with the Vampire[201]
Dame Cicely Saunders – Templeton Prize and Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize winning nurse known for palliative care. She converted to Christianity as a young woman.[202]
Edith Stein – Phenomenologist philosopher who converted to Catholicism and became a Discalced Carmelite nun; declared a saint by John Paul II.[203]
Peter Steele – Lead singer of Type O Negative.[204]
Lee Strobel – Author of The Case for Christ (former atheist)[205]
Allen Tate – American poet, essayist and social commentator, and Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress.[206]
Evelyn Waugh – British writer (former agnostic).[207]
Fay Weldon – British novelist and feminist.[208]
Monty White – British Young Earth Creationist (former atheist)[209]
John C. Wright – Science fiction author.[210]
Nicko McBrain – Michael Henry best known as “Nicko” McBrain, drummer for Iron Maiden heavy metal band.
hate to break it to you little boy but your list is irrelevant. 100% completely irrelevant. i could just as easily post a list of genius level athiests that would require you to scroll down for 10 minutes. chew on this little factoid for a while:
A Barna group poll found that about 20 million people say they are atheist, have no religious faith or are agnostic, with 5 million of that number claiming to be atheists. The study also found that “[t]hey tend to be more educated, more affluent and more likely to be male and unmarried than those with active faith” and that “only 6 percent of people over 60 have no faith in God, and one in four adults ages 18 to 22 describe themselves as having no faith.”[1]
the 96% level was the level i was talking about earlier while dennis was apparently licking windows. the newer generations that are growing up are less and less religious as they tend to be more educated. when the older generations die out the percentage that are religious will continue to fall. 25% of people aged 18-22 say they have no belief in god. that number will continue to grow as people get more educated.
i do apologize though. i said that atheism had grown 10% in the last 10 years. it was 10% in the last 18 years. christianity as a % of the whole has dropped down to 78%.
what else is amusing is that only 7% of scientists believe in god. also 39 different studies in the last 80 years have all shown that the more intelligent you are, the less likely that you will be religious. im not saying that all religious people are stupid, because they clearly arent, but that is why your list is completely and utterly irrelevant.
how does that sit with you denny?
Sounds like people are too smart for their own good. 😉 I guess Heaven will be absent a bunch of geniuses.
Here is the bottom line. You can choose not to believe in God or a creator, but no one can explain the intelligent design of our universe without such a being. You can say science is responsible, but everything had to start from something. What that beginning was or is cannot be explained by science or by you or by me. We just don’t know.
In the end, if you are right and I am wrong and there is no God, my life is still well-lived and we when we die we just cease to exist – a sad thought. But if I am right and you are wrong and there is a God, well…so believing costs me nothing and gains me everything.
Georgie,
Go back in the bathroom with your 8X10 glossy of Rosie O’Donnell. Don’t try to debate with those who are far more intelligent–You’ll lose everytime. You’re just spitting out words that mean nothing while foaming at the mouth.
luckily i am debating with you dennie and not someone who is more intelligent then me. i will take it by your response that you concede that you were wrong but are far to proud to admit it so are backing out of this discussion without further humiliating yourself.
toptenz: i dont believe the universe is intelligently designed. if it was dont you think it would be a lot better? everything is random and chaotic with too much wasted space. maybe if god was an autistic 6 yr old. but yes everything had to come from something so where did god come from? that question works both ways. if the universe cant have always been there, then why can god have always been there? but my life has been well lived as well. me not being religious doesnt make me any less moral from a humanity standpoint. i still give to charity. i still help people whenever i can. i still volunteer coach. i dont break any laws. well i speed but besides that. ha. i have no issues with religious people who want to live their life like that. i have issues with those that try to push their lifestyle on others though. you ever see atheists go door to door to try to convert people to atheism? granted those are jehovahs who are about as well liked as suicide bombers even to other religious people.
i look forward to dying at a ripe old age. i am genuinely curious as to what happens when we die. it is one of lifes greatest mysteries. i have been baptized and the bible states i can renounce my sins right at the pearly gates if need be so i think i am covered either way.
Of course statistics are rarely accurate and hard to be proven, but that goes both ways. I found multiple reports that said Christianity is on the rise – http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,74563,00.html – quoting, “But whatever the case, most experts agree Christianity does have the most believers. And recent reports estimate that by 2025, that gap will widen even further, making Christianity by far the world’s largest religion.”
Christianity Population Growth – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_population_growth – Scroll down to absolute growth.
On the other hand, it really doesn’t matter. If we are in the End of Days, as many people believe, things are going to get much worse which probably means Christianity would lose traction.
It wouldn’t matter if it was dropping (which appears not to be the case), I believe what I believe.
Actually atheists are the most ignorant people on this planet. And that’s fine. So why do you go after Christians because you percieve them to be stupid. I’m a Christian but I don’t try to convert atheists. I firmly believe it’s far too late for that now. I don’t predict but I do feel we’re in the last days-But that’s just me.I don’t go around preaching it-To each his own. Many other Christians would disagee with me but there it is.
nice attempt at trolling. atheists are the most ignorant? coming from someone who ignores science this is an obvious attempt at trolling.
You think that is trolling? You should see the comments from atheists I have had to delete from this post and other posts that have any religious overtone. Wow. Some of the most hateful, disrespectful and meanest comments I have seen in a while and that is saying something.
I don’t like to make generalizations, but the worst comments across my site have seem to be atheists trying to humiliate Christians for their beliefs. So much hate, it makes me wonder…
I wouldn’t let them see the light of day, but it really saddens me that one human could feel such anger to another simply because they choose to worship Jesus. I wonder if such venom would be spewed at Muslims or Buddhists?
Not an attack on you, Dennis, just saying you have no idea what I don’t let through in the comments. I think you would be surprised and horrified at what your fellow atheists think and say.
that is trolling because they’re is no way he can believe atheists are more ignorant then religious people. granted religious people are choosing to be ignorant and are fine being ignorant. me personally i feel everyone should be agnostic because not one person on this planet knows what happens when we die. not one. like i said, im a lot more agnostic then i am atheist. i havent seen it too much on this thread but elsewhere a lot of religious people have blue car syndrome and selective memory. take dennis for saying atheists are the most ignorant people on this planet for example. studies have shown that atheists are the highest educated demographic in the world. does he really think that because someone doesnt have blind faith in something that you cant see, feel, or touch that that means they are ignorant? or does that mean we are holding out till all the facts are in before coming to a decision if they’re is a god or not. we are just being prudent.
It’s misleading to mix a fictional comeback with all those other real ones. We might as well have a list of “Top ten most generous people” and include the tooth fairy.
What about Santa Claus? He’s generous too. His he fictional though?
That is your opinion. Millions upon millions of people find this list valid.
«Anyone who confesses their sins to Jesus will be forgiven and granted eternal life. Thus, because of Jesus’ comeback any person can have their greatest personal comeback. The setback of mistakes, failures and sins can be forgiven. The comeback of inner peace, purpose and meaning in life is now available. We can live our lives in a personal relationship with God experiencing His plan for our lives and we can spend eternity in heaven with Him after this life is over. Thanks to Jesus, life’s greatest comeback is available to you any time you choose.»
I have nothing against people having a religion, that is their choice. What I do oppose is when individuals begin proselytizing their religion in this way. If you have the right to defend your beliefs, I should be equally permitted to point out how ridiculous I find them.
But you didn’t state it as your opinion, you made a declarative statement that would be taken as an offense to any Christian, and that was your intent, I imagine, to offend and belittle. It isn’t always the words, but the intent that is important.
Funny how religious people are always flamed. No one has ever said anything against atheists. We do not say “not believing is God is ridiculous”, yet that is exactly what you people do. You dont believe. Fine. Live and let live. Why is that so difficult for you all to understand? Respect and tolerance are what keeps society together. They are vital. Why do you claim for that which you don’t give (and DO recieve anyway)? People are such babies.
lol are you seriously trying to say religious people are being persecuted? religious people aren’t always flamed. how many times do you see athiests going after religious people just because its tuesday? no they go after them when they do/say something stupid. like this list for example having a fictional character mixed in with real historical figures. atheists flaming is almost always in response to something a religious person did. religious people are shouting from just about every street corner on how if you don’t accept god into your lives you are going to hell, atheists are going to burn, and on an extreme note about how natural disasters are because of either atheists or people who aren’t following the words of god/jesus.
lets be honest here. religious people outnumber non-religious people 4:1. that number is getting closer together every year but at least be honest and admit that you have blue car syndrome and be done with it.
Jesus WAS a real person, it’s a fact, LOADS of people wrote about him, not just Matthew, Mark, Luke and John…. They just happened to get chosen because the church favoured these gospels…….. The question is not whether Jesus existed but whether he was really the son of God, whether he was just a man with some special powers……or whether he was just.. well… a normal man.
Agnostics, atheists: don’t go just because the biggest literary character in history has been voted to the number one spot. Some people like Harry Potter, some like Tom Sawyer, some like Iron Man, and some like Jesus. It’s purely a question of taste. This is still the great site it’s always been.
I am an atheist and constantly blown away at how intelligent people can believe in such nonsense, but don’t crucify this guy for putting up a list like that.
Thank god we have an atheist in this list in Lance Armstrong.
Yeah, thanks Steve! Hey! Waitaminute, I think my intelligence was insulted. Good thing I’m Christian so I’m won’t know any better. 😉
For the record. I’m not a Harry Potter fan. Only saw 3 of the moves. Tom Sawyer should be required reading. Iron Man is okay, but I’m an X-men fan, particularly Cyclops. But I’ll go with Jesus as the best.
Hey, God loves Atheists too. Doesn’t that make you feel better?
Yes. That definitely makes me feel better. But what about Africans? What doesn’t he love them?
What Harry Potter moves are you talking about? His Karate moves? Dance Moves?
And I didn’t say you weren’t intelligent. I said it bothers me that intelligent people believe this nonsense (by the way, this includes my mother, and she’s the person I love and respect the most in this world).
No, really doesn’t make me feel better, doesn’t “your god” drown people, unleash plagues, hordes of locusts and frogs (yah thats really effective..ever heard of emigration) all because he gets a bit bored..that would however have left reasonable proof that he did that. I’m sure egypt just doesn’t get locust or frogs…nope never.
People always blame God for what people have done. Mankind left God. And even now it doesn’t want to hear about him. And he knows it and stays out of its affairs (which means the world itself). It is not God, but OUR own world economy that has put Africa into such situation.
Oh and yeah, poor Egytpians. They just wanted to have slaves and kill all the newborn when they are too many. Is that so bad? Or the Asirians, who smashed babies on the floor until they died. Poor things… Or Sodom and Gomorrah, whose citizens even wanted to rape the angels sent by God.
People always picture God as being evil, when in fact its is Mankind who is evil. Mostly, he doesn’t even interfere in anyone’s life unless he is allowed/asked to. But yeah, he is responsible for things like poor people and natural disasters. Sure.
Also, people always assume God does things with a poof of pixie dust but, say, if he created nature, couldn’t he actually use it? Why would he bother to make rules for nature if he just wants to violate them? But no, people always automatically think that scientific explanations deny God’s existence. (I am a scientist myself, btw).
But in any case, there is no point in arguing. We all believe what we believe. And whatever it is we believe in (I include all religions and ideologies) no one has the right nor the capacity to truly conclude and argument our beliefs are wrong. Why? Simple: no one knows the reason we believe such things. And as such, beliefs cannot be changed by mere arguments, but by experience.
I am sure there are many so-called-Christians (and even some true ones) who try to shove Christ down your throat (and say you will perish in Hell if you don’t), but most of us (those who TRULY act the way we should) will not attempt to. We would just share how marvelous and loving God has been in our lives. And since we have had such results, we recommend Him, We will just state what we believe in and respect you. Just like in this article. How could we call ourselves Children of God if we don’t even respect others?
We respect you. I think it would only be fair you respected us.
PD: And no, someone writing what he believes in his own site is not lack of respect. It is freedom of expression, which we all equally share.
Sorry but that is the lamest explanation every believer uses. If God doesn’t have any control over humans, what is his use?
I don’t see anything wrong with including Jesus on the list. Think about it. We can not say that his teachings have not influence our culture and basic beliefs. The point is that he was put to death but many of his teachings and believes have been passed down for generations to millions of people and to many cultures.If you believe in his resurrection or not is up to your faith or lack of. But nobody can say that this guy has not change the path of history and that his is a story of one of the worlds greatest comebacks.
i am agnostic but borderline atheist if you cant tell from my posts on here. however i will still be frequenting this site daily as i have done in the past. having a fictional character as the number 1 on this list with other factual historical figures or entities is laughable at best, it is just one list. now if we had to read lists like this every day i would go elsewhere. the subject matter dealing with the god myth is just not that interesting to me.
for the people saying they are leaving: this is still a great site. i skip lists all the time that i can tell won’t interest me one bit. top 10 celtic punk and folk bands being one of them. and like it has been said on this site and other list sites, if you dont like the lists then feel free to submit your own.
Glad you are sticking around, George. Hope more lists in the future are to your liking.
Add me to the others who will no longer be returning to this site. Obviously, everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, and if the website is ran by a Christian, they can put whatever they want on their site. I apparently didn’t realize this was such a site, however, believing it to be reaching out to readers of any and all religious backgrounds. Therefore, you are losing another longtime reader, and will also no longer recommend this site to others.
Goodbye, Jerod. We hardly knew ye.I hope you aren’t saying you don’t want to visit a site because it is run by Christian. As for reaching out to readers of any religion, well, we past lists on very wide variety of topics and cultures. Everyone is welcome. Sorry you didn’t feel that way. God bless and good luck.
For everyone sticking around, no need to fear we won’t be closing our doors, Totpenz.net had 450 more visitors the day after this list posted, so traffic actually went up. In case you are wondering about the overall traffic, we average over 70,000 visits each day. Thanks to all our visitors of all religions!
Evidence from Josephus
Perhaps the most remarkable reference to Jesus outside the Bible can be found in the writings of Josephus, a first century Jewish historian. On two occasions, in his Jewish Antiquities, he mentions Jesus. The second, less revealing, reference describes the condemnation of one “James” by the Jewish Sanhedrin. This James, says Josephus, was “the brother of Jesus the so-called Christ.” F.F. Bruce points out how this agrees with Paul’s description of James in Galatians 1:19 as “the Lord’s brother.” And Edwin Yamauchi informs us that “few scholars have questioned” that Josephus actually penned this passage.
As interesting as this brief reference is, there is an earlier one, which is truly astonishing. Called the “Testimonium Flavianum,” the relevant portion declares:
About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he . . . wrought surprising feats. He was the Christ. When Pilate .condemned him to be crucified, those who had come to love him did not give up their affection for him. On the third day he appeared restored to life. . . . And the tribe of Christians has not disappeared.
Change or remove it? Jeez. Why do people get offended so easily? There are countless atheist sites and blogs that actually ridicule Christianity and no one says anything about them. He simply stated what he believes in his own site. Also, choosing to not ever visit a site again simply because you differ with its creator’s view in ONE post is basically throwing a tantrum.
I am a Christian, and while many sites make fun of my beliefs in some posts, I don’t stop checking them or request their content be taken away just because I don’t agree with them. If you can’t take others’ point of view and still stick to your beliefs and defend them, then why do you even bother to believe in something? Share your opinion. Debate. Defend your beliefs. But don’t throw a tantrum just because you don’t agree with a post.
Grow up, people.
Rick
Congratulations for publishing a winning list. You have increased readership 10-fold. And let me say something that you already know. You don’t need my approval and you certainly don’t need the approval of the intellectual atheists–There’s only ONE you need the approval of and you already know who HE is.
Seems to me like the author of the article is trying to sell his book. The number one spot not only praises Jesus in a very partial way, but also personally tells the reader that they should reconsider what they believe.
“If you doubt the veracity of Jesus’ resurrection consider some evidence.”
I would be fine if the article did not subtly ask the reader to change what they believe in.
You would think that with this backlash, it would be common sense to change or remove this article. I mean, the normal list rarely gets more than 10 (if that) comments this quickly after it was posted. It is great that you have your own religion, I respect it.
This is the first kind of article I have seen that has such a blatant message at the end. Other than Jesus, good list. Informative until it tried to change my beliefs.
I am not trying to sell my book. It will sell and help many people overcome the setbacks of divorce, job loss, health problems and bad decisions. I hope many people will be open to changing their beliefs – not required just open.
Rajimus123 —
I can speak for no one but myself, but as a Christian I have never prayed in front of a statue.
cool, sorry maybe i should have explained better. i was just referring to the big cross at the front that you usually see when you enter with all the pews in front of it. what would you call that? also i might be a little skewed at the difference between what goes on over here versus what i saw living in Spain. A lot of the cathedrals over there have statues or paintings of saints that ppl light candles in front or place flowers there, which is basically what hindus do too.
Raj–I believe you’re referring to the Catholic religion which I know little about but I believe the statues they pray in front of are just symbols..I do know some ask Mary to intercede for them with God and I personally wouldn’t do that believing you have to go straight to the Man himself. But I am in noway knocking the Catholic faith. It’s all, about what you believe,yourself.
Cool, one last thing that I’ve always wondered, is why do christians (catholic, jw, lutheran, evangelical, pentecostal,mormon, whatever) give almost an equal status to the devil? Like it doesn’t make sense to me why god (whos perfect) would create something that can directly oppose him, and then let him have equal status or claim on a mans soul. In hinduism, demons can’t win a persons soul, only control their body. and even so the demons (in our religion) still pray to the Divine Father and Divine Mother as their creators. if god created all things (good and evil) then all things would supplicate to them. (not trying to get into the whole, free will, debate. just generalizations from a particular religious perspective)
The Devil does not have equal status to God. God created the angel that became the Devil.
You would think, with all the people who have done disgusting things in the name of God, that when a Christian with a really good heart who provides a wonderful entertainment site that is free of profanity, NSFW images, and is full of great writing, would be spared the ignorant and vicious comments this post has provoked.
Nobody said you had to be Christian, but odds are you’re so venomous against Christianity because you feel it’s been shoved down your throat, or because of some other bad association you have with the church or organized religion. If you’re so enlightened, intelligent, and so sure that Christians are wrong and treat people badly, why on earth would you behave just the way you think they do? How dare you express such incredulity at a webmaster who has been forthright about his religion from day 1, but treats EVERYONE with respect and tolerance?
It would do you well to follow his example, those of you who condemned him so harshly for posting this list. Get over yourselves, and develop what the rest of us like to call tolerance and respect.
nicely said elizabeth
Well,the atheists are correct–There are no you-tube videos of Jesus performing miracles so how can we not believe he’s a myth. I mean, we have videos of Socrates and Plato philosophyzing. We have digital pictures of Marco Polo in China. There’s even an actual video of Columbus standing on the bow of the Santa Maria crossing the Atlanta–It’s a little blurry but there it is. But nothing on this Jesus person. These dumb Christians talk about faith being a large part of Christianty but we intellectuals are not buying it. We want to see videos.
One question I have always wondered about (and I am genuinely seeking a mature answer, not trying to troll) is that :
what exactly do most christians think about the whole praying in front of a statue of a dying christ? wouldn’t that be considered idolatry? if you were going to say that it is not and that the “icon” is just a medium for worship…well then, how is that different from Hindus who would say the exact same thing? we don’t actually believe the statue is a god, its jsut a medium to focus our worship.
do christians consider taking the sacrament as cannibalism? From a hindu perspective of christian worship, it is because we also believe in the power of transubstantiation. which leads to my last question, if you really love a person as your saviour and god, why would you want to consume them (which from an eastern mythological perspective is seen as a sign of domination)…
i’m not trying to troll or anything and since it seems that there are some devout christians on this page that know their religion i thought it might be worth while for me to ask. these arent meant to be an attack or anything, jsut questions that I have legitimately thought about and have not been able to find a satisfactory answer to?
Catholics may believe in praying to icons and transubstantiation but evangelicals do not. We believe in praying directly to Jesus and we believe in consubstantiation.
ah ok. but im not sure I understand that difference: transubstantiation would be that the bread and wine become the body of christ, while consubstantiation have the blood and flesh in spirit alongside the bread and wine? it seems more a differnece in semantics than doctrine…
also, I didnt know catholics were a different religion, i thought you all just saw the 3 in 1 thing. don’t you all pray to christ tho as like god? sorry i jsut mean by that standard there wouldnt be a label as hindu because we all pray to different “gods” as aspects (faces) of the same god. i thought the division of the christians was more like the Panth/Math system among hindus.
also i still don’t understand how one shows supplication to their god by consuming them. it’s jsut that in our mythology, any instance of consuming another thing was a display of dominance over that thing…
I don’t need any Youtube videos to believe those people existed. I do believe they existed. So did Jesus. I just don’t think he was the son of god, walked on water, was born from a virgin, etc.
You people are [being insensitive], he’s allowed to believe in what he wants and write about it if he so pleases. Everybody is offended by everything nowadays.
+1
Good to see an atheist on this list in Lance Armstrong.
And me being an Agnostic / Atheist, I am glad that Lance Armstrong is on the list as well. 2300 miles of bike riding and climbing up the Pyrenees mountains to a 13,000 foot above seas level and then the perils of coming back down from thos mountains is a tribute to the endurance of athleticism. AND HE WOn IT & TIMES !!!!!
Good ole steroids!
And good ole CANCER of the TESTICLES (in which he was given just a 15-20% chance to live !!!!) So now I’m supposed to believe that Popeye’s spinach is a cure all for cancer as well.
No, just a cure for winning TOUR DE FRANCES!!!!
Or are you allowed to cheat once you get cancer?
@ Bob. Go on to YOU TUBE and type into the search engine that they have two of the following : One : Type in “Greg Valentino” or “The man whose arms exploded”. He had 36″ biceps (Yep, that’s not a typo on my part, 36″ Biceps !!!). He owned a very popular weight training company in New York City, was a millionaire, and had an estimated $75,000 worth of steroids in his locker. Its actually shocking and sickening to see a man put himself into that kind of danger. He did a one-year prison sentence for his steroids, and upon being released, he is now confined to a wheelchair and lost every penny that he had
So what’s your point? I know who he is and most steroid users don’t look like that. Go to google and type in “steroids in cycling”, then point out one of those guys that look Greg Valentino. Does that mean they don’t use steroids? I’m sure one of your 300 baseball books covers steroids. Any of those guys look like Valentino? I don’t even know what your point is.
Go ahead and attack my patriotism. Since what I said previously and now had nothing to do with it.
I would bet that this website loses over 1/2 it’s followers. These websites appeal to people that like information. Christians and their leaders have notoriously avoided information. Thus odds are the people that are reading this are more likely than not critical thinkers, and critical thinking and believing in random nonsense is inherently contrary. I certainly hope you do not do this for a living, or you’ll wind up very happy that churches take 10% from the believers to pay for effigies and others mistakes. Like this one. You ran a hell of a website, but wow, next times skip the sacramental wine before you publish.
@ Josh. Churches that take 10% of an individuals annual income is known to be a term called “TITHING” (pronounced ty-theen). Take it from me when my so-called Born Again Christian “friends” hit me up for $6500 in good faith and that they would repay me back. They turn their back on me, walked away and never saw me again. I guess its about time for me to reenact the final half-hour of the movie “First Blood” starring Sylvester Stallone as Johnny Rambo, don’t you think ?
I will take that bet. But what shall be the wager? I’ll show stats in a month from now and we will see.
It is preposterous that you would generalize Christians as not being able to think critically. Most of my friends and co-workers are Christians and are critical thinkers – try this list as well: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_thinkers_in_science
I also tithe and donate to my church. My money goes to the local community in the form of food, shelter and outreach. Unfortunately, I think your cynicism may cloud you from all the good the local church does in a community. And, yes, there are always bad apples, but the majority of churches make it their goal to be a positive influence in the community. My family and I have done some or our best and most charitable deeds while working with our church – fixing homes of the elderly, soup kitchen support, delivering food, providing presents, buying necessities for the poor, buying filled backpacks for underprivileged children and so on. These are the opportunities and more that our church provides for us and asks for us to be involved in.
This is how I see Christianity and the positive works it does RIGHT NOW in my community.
1/2 was an arbitrary number, but lets pick a number and make a friendly wager and if you win, I’ll write any list you like (that’s unoffensive, I certainly can write one that the extols virtues of christianity) but if I win you have to write one of my choosing and obviously i wouldn’t ask for one that violates your religious belief. And don’t take offense, but the bible does not hold up to academic scrutiny, christians aren’t dumb, they just seem to be terrified of hell and it clouds their judgment. I mean if hell wasn’t a threat could anyone really read the bible, look at physical evidence and claim the bible is anything more than loose allegory? That’s where the whole critical thinking comes in. I’ve read your comments, and while I strongly disagree with the list, and christianity based on morals, I will say you handle yourself very well, you deserve credit.
Okay, give me a number. I’ll let you pick another number. I am confident in my site and its readers. I wouldn’t write anything that doesn’t support my beliefs or would be seen as being written against God, but other than that, sure. If you lose and do write something that is acceptable to the site I would pay you like any other author for your time. Feel free to email me directly at [email protected].
And thank you for the credit. I appreciate your words and the sentiment.
And to clarify, I’m not a Christian because I’m afraid of Hell. I don’t believe the threat of Hell would convert anyone to Christianity for real, maybe in a moment of fear, but nothing lasting. Humans can put blinders on to the dangers of and pitfalls of life too easily once time passes.
I became and have remained a Christian because of the good I have seen it do in so many lives, including mine. And I wasn’t brainwashed as a child; my mother is a Christian and went to church with me and my brother. My father never attended so I saw both sides and chose Jesus. Today my brother and I are both Christians and, thank God, my father recently started attending church with my Mom after 40 years of non-attendance. Praise God for that.
Are you kidding? Jesus Christ?.. I thought this list was about real comebacks. Not fictional events.
Hey, we weren’t even the first group to make this decision, the author informed me that Sports Illustrated did a list with the same first result. Surprising? – http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1024225/1/index.htm
Oh ok, well then I’d like to suggest a new best comeback, how about the Jedi Order? They were all but wiped out, and yet still came back to vanquish the Empire. I mean, if we are including fictional events than this one is the best.
Jesus said “If You Deny Me Before Man,I’ll Deny You Before The Father”–I think I’ll stick with that.
Goodnight everyone.
jesus also said:
Matthew 10:34-35
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s foes will be those of his own household.”
Which means not everyone would follow him, which would cause division. Don’t take things out of context.
I don’t see how any educated person can worship a fictional God when we have real icons like Hawkings and Hitchens we can idolize and worship. Oh wait,I forgot,Hitchen’s is hot-footing it thru paradise right now.
Well, I hold three earned degrees including graduate degrees from Boston College and Duke University. I also studied at Harvard and was asked to study at Princeton and Cambridge. Many, many educated people worship God.
@TopTenzMaster I’m a Christian too. Funny how people always expect us to be absent-minded, to call everything evil, to be anti-science, etc. Also funny how people always say whatever they want, and everyone is ok with it, but the very instant Christ, God or anything Christian is mentioned, it’s killing time. Good job (both on defending your opinion and the great list). Congrats.
its because the people that tend to mention Christ in an off hand manner in any conversation tend to have very derogatory views towards anyone of a different faith, which inherently makes us distrustful of you.
I don’t know any Christians personally who are like that, all though I’m sure there are some. I think too many people get their idea of a Christian from Hollywood.
nope mine definitely comes from experience with my fellow Canadians
First of all, this was a well-written list. Second of all, I couldn’t care less about American football or baseball. Why don’t you Americans learn a proper sport, like soccer? Third of all, the Lance Armstrong story is truly amazing. Fourth of all, the Germany/Japan entry stopped me from saying this list was too American. However, to put Jesus at #1 was ridiculous. I’m a Christian, too, but there is NO historical evidence that he actually physically arose from the grave. Please don’t put all of us Christians who believe in his message in shame by claiming those unscientific superstitions as facts.
There actually is. There is an interesting (yet huge) book by Josh McDowell about that kind of stuff. Sure, it has been attacked and all, and while I won’t say he is fully right, it’s still quite interesting and sheds some light on some common debates.
How can you be a Christian if don’t believe Christ defeated death? It is paramount to Christian faith.
I’m not saying Christ didn’t defeat death. I believe He did. I just don’t think He came back from the grave as some kind of a zombie. I believe that He came back in spirit.
You’re Protestant? Otherwise you wouldn’t say a thing like that.
You may well ask me, “Ok, where did Irwin come from?”–That’s easy. He always was.Just floating along on his back waiting for the time when he would create everything. That makes a lot more sense than some God creating everything.
yeah, that makes a lot of sense. ::eye roll::
there is no god and that is the simple truth. if every trace of any single religion were wiped out and nothing were passed on, it would never be created exactly that way again. there might be some other nonsense in its place, but not the same exact nonsense.
penn jillette
very profound and very true. people needed religion in the past to explain things they didn’t understand. “oh it is gods way of telling us we done messed up.” now we have science. god is obsolete and within a couple hundred years religion itself will be wiped out as obsolete and irrelevant as older people die out and a higher educated younger generation grows up.
Well, if Penn Jillette said it, it must be true. 😉
I guess we’ll all find out when we lose this mortal coil. And you are dead wrong, no pun intended, if you think religion will disappear. Humans are all born with “something” missing and don’t feel complete. Christians believe this is a relationship with God. He fills that yearning inside us. We all have it and religion will also be source for humans to fill this need.
i didn’t want to quote my sentiments when it was easier to copy and paste when he said the same thing i thought. however religion is slowly dying in the usa. in the last 10 years believers dropped by 10%. non-believers rose by 10%. coincidence? i think not.
Your stats are not totally accurate. You are quoting only one age group of people. Further in regards to growth of Christianity you are dead wrong. Christian books, Christian music and Christian churches are all growing. The contemporary church movement is one of the most impacting movements in America if not the most.
You know what blows my mind? Tom Cruise and John Travolta are considered lunatics for their beliefs in Scientology. The Mormons are lunatics etc. But to to believe in a guy that walked on water, multiplied fish, turned water into wine, resurrected after whatever days, that is absolutely logical. I mean, we see people walking on water every day, don’t we?
what is amusing is that Jesus in John 14:12 & Mark 16:17-18 said: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth in me, the works that I do shall he also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” This implies that Jesus’ true followers should be able to routinely perform the following tricks: 1) cast out devils, 2) speak in tongues, 3) take up serpents, 4) drink poisons without harm, and 5) cure the sick by touching them and MANY other of Jesus’ “works”. Curiously I have yet to see a Christian that can do any of the above on demand.
I have personally seen several of those items multiple times. I am by no means alone in this regard.
I do believe that Muhammed Ali probably should have made the list. Just an opinion.
Ali and Churchill are both legitimate additions to my list. It was a tough choice but I barely left them off.
October 25, 1986. Game 6 of the Major League Baseball World Series with The Boston Red Sox vs. The New York Mets and with The Red Sox within ONE STRIKE away from winning the World Series. Winning 5-2 and The Mets rallying back to beat the Red Sox in the bottom of the 10th inning. Eventually, The Mets won game 7 and The World Series as well
Here is one comeback that I remember just as clearly as when people heard of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and where they we’re. On October 25th, 1986. The Boston Red Sox we’re ONE STRIKE away from defeating the New York Mets in the 1986 World Series. The Giant scoreboard at Shea Stadium even had the words on it. “Congratulations To The Boston Red Sox for winning the 1986 World Series” ONE STRIKE, that’s all……………and they blew it. With the score even at 5-5 with a man on third base and 2 outs, Mookie Wilson gets up to the plate and hits a routine ground ball to first baseman Bill Buckner of the Red Sox. And OOPS !!! It goes between his legs and with the Mets down 5-2 with one strike remaining make this comeback that even Hollywood script writers could not even come up with, win the ball game 6-5. They eventually won game 7 and The Championship. According to the very well known sports broadcaster Bob Costas, he was in the Red Sox Clubhouse with the banners, the decorations, the champagne on ice, Mrs. Jean Yawkey, the owner of the Red Sox, camera crews, you name it. Bob Costas said that never in his life did he see a clubhouse empty out as fast as that one on that day. Me ? I was living in Concord, N.H., drinking Rolling Rock Beer from a bottle, doing shots of Chivas Regal, was sitting on a hideaway bed, watching it on a 25″ Magnavox Television, it was dark outside and when the Mets won the game, my two other buddies we’re as silent as could be. With our head lowered and our chins against our chests, we lowered our heads in disbelief. After about 15 minutes. I continued to drown out my sorrows with another beer and a shot of Chivas…..
Leave Buckner alone!
@ Bob. I have absolutely no problem with Bill Buckner. In fact, he has Hall Of Fame career numbers (Over 2700 career hits). If you dig real deep into the real story of what happened, Think of 2 words………POOR MANAGEMENT !! I mean, look at the state of Bill Buckner’s legs. He was practically wheelchair bound. I am a self-educated baseball historian and have been for 25+ years. For example I can tell you right off the top of my head that in 1922, Hall Of Famer Rogers Hornsby hit 42 Home Runs, had 151 RBI’s batting ave. of .401, a .750 slugging percentage and had a total of 250 hits. Or that Hall Of Fame Pitcher Jim Palmer is the only pitcher to have won more than 250 career games without ever giving up a Grand Slam Home Run. I own over 300 books on Baseball alone. Buckner should never had been put on first base and the manager at the time was John McNamara who was to put in a healthy Dave Stapleton to play first base. Observation is the key. I mean, look at Buckner’s legs as he walked off the field after the error. His legs and knees we’re a catastrophe !! And that’s putting it mildly !! So Buckner is really not to blame, but John McNamara’s poor judgement.
How about the pitching that gave up the singles and the wild pitch that tied the game to begin with? Or how about that it wasn’t even the last game of that series? Fans tend to forget team sports are just that.
You say Buckner isn’t to blame but you sure point the finger at him when you describe the loss (and I really don’t give a shizzz about your baseball books or stats, I mean….seriously)
Yep, Calvin Schraldi and Bob Stanley the relief pitchers. Its kind of like Bucky Dent who hit that home run in the 1978 playoff game with The Yankees defeating the Red Sox off of Mike Torrez and I am sorry if I have stirred you up into a frenzy !! But I am just practicing / using my 1st Amendment Rights (also known as the Freedom Of Speech). So its obvious to me that you know NOTHING about the Constitution of the United States Of America. How unpatriotic and incompetent of a person you are. I’m a military veteran and served my country well and that is proof that I have patriotism…………………..did you serve in the Military, BOB ?
By the way Jessica,you misspelled throat. You know,that thing that this site keeps shoving things down?
I love that no matter how heated or controversial a list is, we will always have the grammar police and the spelling patrol to keep it real. 😉 I like the creative and sly way you insulted Toptenz.net with your correction. Kudos and nicely done.
Wow ! There’s no 3 ways with Christ. People either love him (as I do) or they hate him with venom and foaming at the mouth.Actually he said that was the way it would be.
actually, I think I take the third position on this one. I’m a hindu and christ doesnt really mean anything to me because nothing within the entire Judeo-Christian religion makes sense to us…I dont particularly hate christ and I dont praticularly love him. Now silly, proselytizing christians (Mormons, Jehovah’s Witness, Catholic, Anglicans, Lutherans, Calvins) are what I could generally do without. Also I realize you might say those arent christians, but if you pray in front of christ then whatever your a christian.
My suggestion to you would be to either create a shared #1 spot with the leaders of all major religions or create a list entitled 10 reasons I love Jesus. If you own this site, you should give a little warning when shoving your beliefs down other people’s throaghts, why couldn’t you name this site Jesus and me? I came here for an interesting and factual read and now I am forced to disclaim every otherthing on here for fear it has been tainted by your “personal views”. I guess I’m not comin back.
I guess this post is separating the wheat from the chaff? 😉
Sorry to see you go based on 1 post out of 800 others that have nothing to do with Jesus or religion for that matter. Guess what? Every list is based on the author’s personal views. I have written just few (I hope you can agree with my views on hats https://www.toptenz.net/top-ten-hats.php as I wrote that list), but otherwise the views are expressed by the authors. I do agree with this list, but other lists I haven’t. I put disclaimer on another list and was attacked for that. You can’t please everyone.
Jesus and Me? I like the sound of that. It would make a great movie, starring Tim Tebow I would think. But as a name for this site? Not even close, Jesus wouldn’t like us picking favorites with the most beautiful eyes list – https://www.toptenz.net/top-ten-most-beautiful-eyes.php
personally, i didnt bother to read number 1 because if you didnt see it coming by the thumbnail of christ on the opening page then you’re (figurative, not the actual you TTM) jsut stupid. I think it was a good list and don’t think that I’ll avoid the site, because god/goddess/it/evolution gave me a brain to decide between whats presented to me. That being said I don’t think I want to be lumped in with the christian wheat, i’d prefer my basmati rice. 🙂
Hey, I like basmati rice too. We can all get along.
Jesus is just a myth. It’s impossible to believe in such a fantasy. Here’s the real story. A tiny bit of energy named Irwin was floating along in a void one day,minding his own business and whistling “Me And My Shadow” when all of a sudden Irwin started to get bigger, he didn’t know what was happening-He kept expanding and expanding unti he expoded. The pieces of Irwin became planets and stars and Starbucks and MacDonalds and moons and comets and Rosie O’Donnell. One piece had a slime pit that had nothing in it but slime and this is what our ancestors climbed out of and later became us. And Christopher Hitchens saw it all and said, “it is good”–So now I’m sure all of you will realize how unbelievable the story of Jesus and his resurrection is and start believing in the facts which are credible.
i’m going to create man and woman with original sin, because a magic rib-woman ate an apple because a talking snake convinced her to. then i’m going to impregnate a woman with myself as her child so that i can be born. once alive, i will kill myself as a sacrifice to myself to save you from the sin i originally condemned you to….except that you will still be born in sin for some reason. i will not give you any evidence of this, other then various conflicting tales written down decades after i existed by uneducated desert people. the tales they tell will bear striking resemblances to numerous myths from other, older cultures. but if you do not believe all of this without question, i will send you to roast in a lake of fire for all of eternity. (but i love you). this is true, despite the fact that i know the future, which implies that you are powerless to act in any way other than what i set in motion 6,000 years ago.
seems legit.
The nail has been hit on the head! Thank you for being that hammer.
And that’s the myth in a nutshell. I am going to kill myself in order to seek forgiveness from myself on behalf of creatures I created because of a sin they inherited due to the inevitable outcome of a situation I created myself. Yep seems legit.
This is an absurdly simplistic understanding of life. How do you explain the historic search for God and worship of God by humankind? How do you explain the evil behavior of human beings and the propensity to even do horrific things. Philosophers and theologians have spent centuries pondering these things and offering answers. You dismiss all of these thinkers and truths with an incredibly limited explanation – seems legit.
how do you explain the hundreds if not thousands of different versions of god? when people dont understand something they love to fall back on god. its a cop out. some day christianity will be gone and a new religion will take its place borrowing from christianity as it sees fit just like christianity borrowed from religions that came before it.
Evil behavior is supply and demand, simple as that. Plus a little crazy, there’s that too. But people acting poorly as an indication of god’s existence? That’s clever. And makes me seriously wonder why people choose to worship a god that inspires/can’t control evil. And stop saying seems legit people, us old folks don’t get it.
wow no 1 comeback brough tears to my eyes. i am not a religious person but i do pray and like to think i have a personal relationship with God 🙂
does nobody elese think it is ridicolous that things like sports victories can be in any way condiered greater comebacks than things like the recovery of japan and germany and other such mentions, like celebrity and sports comebacks are so unimportant when considered with any serious historical events
I would love to publish a list that focused on comebacks in specific areas. Any one want to submit one?
Good ol’ Internet, you never know when religious propaganda is going to jump up and bite you in the ass.
Chomp!
Though these Olympic sports we’re discontinued after the 1912 Stockholm, Sweden Games, American athlete Ray Ewry won a total of 10 Olympic Gold Medals. 4 in the Standing Long Jump, 4 in the standing High Jump and 2 in the Standing Triple Jump
Realised after id wrote it ha but still having jesus as number one is silly
Apparently we weren’t the first, the author notified me that Sports Illustrated did a list with the same #1 result. Cool – http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1024225/1/index.htm
1 Corinthians 1:18
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
8 out of ten – american comebacks. 1 involving america. And jesus. Small minded list but if you live in america there is no outside world so understandable. Well written all the same.
Most authors from this site are from America, so it is natural that most list are going to have an American influence. I can’t force more foreign writers to submit articles, although I would welcome that. There are many lists that focus on International topics and we don’t ignore other cultures on purpose. The large majority of readers are from the United States so are lists favor that crowd from time to time.
i think you forgot Churchill in your list of historical characters.
Also, the article is well written and interesting to read so the last part was extremely disappointing
What do you think of this? We weren’t even the first list publisher to make Jesus number 1 – Sports Illustrated did as well – http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1024225/1/index.htm
That’s nice, by the way, i made my point on this top ten, several times actually and i frankly lost interest in that discussion so i’ll move on another top ten 🙂
Good point; Churchill was truly a man in the political wilderness before WWII. And yeah, I think Jesus Christ was not a very a very good choice for this list. However, if the author was looking to stimulate debate he could not have chosen better it seems. 🙂
Like how this article america-centric
How is Jesus America-centric?
I don’t think he is talking about the Jesus part. He probably is talking about the sports,acting, and political parts.
I personally was a huge follower of this website, because I thought its writers to be a neutral fun non-bias party. This however is clearly not the case and I will no longer (to my sadness be visiting this site.) It is scientifically impossible for “jesus to exist” but beside that, amun ra alone raises heavy questions about him no where in this article was egypt mentioned . How in an article can you say “he resurrection cannot be a myth because it does not fit the characteristics of a myth” Please define the characteristics of a myth then, because clearly you have a higher knowledge than the rest of us atheists. I do not mean this out of disrespect. And the “how can that many people be wrong thing” … really? Ever heard of the Nazi movement, or the holy crusades? How could “that many people be wrong”…right?
Thanks Keynan, please allow me to add some arguments.
For several centuries, greeks thought that Zeus was responsible for lightning in the sky and vikings thought it was Thor. Most people also thought that the earth was flat, that the sun was revolving around the earth, that witches were real (but maybe you agree with them on that one), the list could be very long….
funny thing, technically speaking the world is kind of flat, because well it definitely isn’t a perfect circle but that’s for another day. I do not understand your witches joke? But very well, I only believe in what is scientifically possible, and god…is most certainly not. I read the bible, and it is not a fun or nice place for people to selectively pick what they think is good or bad. How do you feel about the old testaments views on women in churches? Or how about the dreamer of dreams shall surely be put to death what about the incest creation of . They say don’t take it literally…but they are the ones who printed it in words.
@keynan, just realized my comments wasn’t clear, sorry, english isn”t my first language but i actually agree with you.
I wanted to add arguments to your comment “how can that many people be wrong thing”, hence my arguments about lightning, and everything 🙂
Anyway, also to add a litle something to your comment that we shouldn’t take everything literally, here’s a video i particularly enjoy from “The West Wing”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD52OlkKfNs
So whos to say that Jesus shouldn’t be on that list?
Sorry to lose you, Keynan. Enjoy the rest of the Internet, I hear its a pretty big place. 😉
As I have said in many other comments, I am a Christian. I own this site and I am not trying to be politically correct. We are fair to everyone and respectful and sometimes views and opinions will clash. That is what makes Toptenz.net a fun place to visit – the varied views and opinions expressed here. Hopefully you will reconsider and stick around a while longer.
I would love to stick around, however I cannot for fear of false information continues to be handed out, unless their is a list created in fair use against religion, all pro-religion isn’t very fair at all, It’s VERY simple to create a top 10 reasons why jesus didn’t exist. You create to many lists that are in conflict with your religious views. I’m not saying every christian has to be the same, but to me (religion is an organized things, not a personal thing) a christian has to 100% be by the bible, or they really are not christian, they are merely picking and choosing what they like when they like, which is not an organized religion. So I am confused, because lists on stuff like wizards would be heavily contradictory to your god ( I wasn’t aware he gave magical powers to others, I assumed(that is if he created things) he created all equal.) The only things in the bible I truly agree with is slavery, as it is impossible to have a modern society without the use of slave labor, but that’s for another discussion as well. However, I wish you the best with your site, have a good day and good luck.
I would never post a list against Christianity. I have posted many lists that show that Christians aren’t the single-minded, stubborn people some would portray us as being, such as https://www.toptenz.net/top-10-recent-signs-evolution-is-real.php. Also, Christianity is a personal choice and therefore a “personal thing,” that is why it is so important to me and other Christians.
Yes we have a list on Wizards, but they are fictional characters in literature – https://www.toptenz.net/top-10-wizards-in-literature.php. I can enjoy a story about a wizard and that doesn’t conflict with my belief in Christianity and my God. In fact, J.R.R. Tolkien was a Christian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien) and so was C.S. Lewis (Narnia) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._S._Lewis) and both wrote about magic and wizardry. This isn’t a stumbling block for me.
I wish you the best as well. Hopefully you sneak back here every so often.
Well, Jesus is YOUR messiah not mine, Don’t you think him “giving” himself for all your sins, and everything is more important than anything…then you put him in the same list as a football player…and robert downy junior..man god is really falling behind in accomplishments these days. And I would like to add for the record,your “god” really doesn’t like wizards in literature he has a bit of a problem with others…having “powers” (too bad he gave them to cain and moses.) Let’s end the discussion, have a lovely day! and good luck with your religion.
I never said he was your Messiah. Why all the anger?
TopTenzMaster, while I do applaud your personal conviction, belief and faith in your saviour I do not think that you should let that bias your good sense. People prefer to be given the facts in an unbiased (or as little biased as possible) way so that they can come to their own conclusions. I feel that the main contention people may have with this list is they may see it as an overt form of proselytization (which seems to be a problem with you christians), kind of the same way a Jehovah’s Witness disarms you with casual conversation first. It would probably be more prudent for you to publish a list specifically around some aspect of your religion that can be historically sourced and then to publish lists giving the same respect to other religious groups.
Partially the reason that I say this is because in one of your lists mentioning Krishna, the author states he’s”some mythical character for some novel”, which is not only a flagrantly xenophobic take on another persons faith but an insult to any religion that doesn’t believe in Christ. I would be happy to submit a few lists to you on Hinduism, Buddhism, Ancient Religions and the Polynesian Religions to get the ball rolling. 🙂
I welcome your submissions. This site very open to other cultures. As long as it is well-written and respectful it has a good chance of getting published.
“For fear of false information:
You’d better just stay off of the internet alltogether then friend.
Amen.
It does not meet qualifications of a myth as I’ve already defined. In regards to fascism how can you compare followers of Hitler to people who were “witnesses” to the resurrected Jesus? You witness what you see which us very different to believing what you were told. So, that many witnesses cannot all have witnessed something that did not happen.
Since when did this website allow stuff like number one i am not religious but surely puttin jesus as number one could i dunno maybe be offensive towards other religions come on listverse sort it out
Sorry Gary but you’re on the wrong site. This isn’t Listverse.
This isn’t Politically Correct site. I’ve never run it that way and never will. But, this list shouldn’t offend anyone. If you believe something else or in something else that is your choice, but if you believe in Jesus and that he is the Son of God, you would agree with this list. If you don’t, then you disagree and move on. If you believe in another religion you are going to support that religion as strongly as Christians support theirs. This list is not offensive, it is a Christian stating his beliefs.
It is offensive to some because of the way you portrayed Christ as the most important person to have ever lived. For someone such as myself, who do not believe in Christ, or for perhaps even a Jewish person, or a Buddhist would disagree with you. Perhaps this list could be offensive when you give a long speech about how great Christ is when honestly, not everyone believes in him. I am not a Christian myself, but I see this article entry as a fervent Christian showing his love for his saviour. I can see how some people would be offended. I knew there was going to be a heavy dose of Christ talk just by the picture on the heading. I could have chosen to be offended, or I could have said “You know what, it’s not my site. I can read it and say nice list, or I can just leave it be.” Something that could perhaps have been taken into consideration was the vastly different audience on this site.
Offensive may be a strong word in my opinion, what’s pretty awkward here is that you’re comparing famous historical figures whose lives are pretty well documented to Jesus.
I think most historians would agree that Jesus existed but there are no scientific proofs of him being reborn.
Basically you are putting on the same level historical facts and faith.
I don’t care if people are believing in him, Buddha or the easter bunny but you can’t claim that jesus’s resurection is an historical fact.
By the way, it’s also impossible to crucify someone in the hands, because flesh would be torn apart by the weight of the body, the nails need to be placed above the wrists.
You can claim the historicity of the Resurrection. Either Jesus faked his death, the disciples stole his body or he actually rose from the dead. There are volumes written on this that go into much greater detail but it can be claimed to be historical fact.
@rick i’m sorry but it can’t, historical facts are necessarily corroborated by different sources or data. If i’m not mistaken all “facts” of jesus resurrection are coming from his disciples so probably not the most neutral of opinions… If you consider a writing in a book as an historical fact you would say the the Odyssey was true
I do appreciate your opinion and thank you for presenting it with respect.
As for this list, it was written by Pastor so your assumption is correct. And, for the record, many people do consider Christ as the most important person who ever lived, including me and the author of this list. That shouldn’t be offensive to anyone because I am a strong believer. I wouldn’t be offended if a site run by a Buddhist thought Buddha was the best thing since sliced bread. That is their belief and I would expect them to support it.
Couple of things I want to bring up. Lincoln first, his Emancipation Proclamation only freed the slaves in rebelious territory. For instance new Orleans was under Union control when that was written, those slaves there were not freed. It took the 13th Amendment (I think) to free ALL the slaves and that didn’t happen until 1865. To be fair, Lincoln did accept the Amendment brfore he was killed.
Second, ok, a pastor wrote this, if you believe or not the story tells that Mary found the tomb empty , not “some woman”. I’m not gonna argue about whether Jesus should be included or not but get the facts of the tale correct, please.
No, but it was a site that was known for presenting clear facts, or clear opinion. Not blending the two. Frankly at best it is negligent to post a list like that, not because it’s offensive. (It’s not) But by publishing something in the guise of fact, that is based on a single work of more likely than not pure fiction based on older myths (as no source can be self verifying, which apparently does not occur to this gentleman), you have undermined the credibility of this website. It’s opinion who made the best comeback, but at least I can verify in more than one source that the other 9 entries at least existed and probably did what the author states. Odd that number “1” is the only one that is based on a belatedly written oral history by authors of dubious intention. I say bring on the religious lists it’s still good info, but I can find a hell of a lot more sources that state unequivocally that Thor existed, but I wouldn’t expect him to make it to number one javelin thrower with 9 Olympians (get it?), would you?
Well said.
Again the resurrection does have historical evidence. In regards to the writers of the gospels you obviously know very little to make such claims. Thousands of scholars over hundreds of years have studied them and come to different conclusions than you. I wonder who has more knowledge and expertise.
I wonder if Sports Illustrated got this kind of response when the did a similar list with Jesus as the #1 Greatest Comeback too? – http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1024225/1/index.htm
Ugh…as a native Houstonian and huge “Luv Ya Blue” supporter back in the day I was hoping that the ’93 playoff game (I still remember it like it was yesterday) would not be on here but, alas…
Sean, I feel your pain. I was big Oilers fan from Earl Campbell era to the Run and Gun days, so I watched that game with great glee until the second half collapse.
I also had the pleasure of meeting Frank Reich, the quarterback of the Buffalo Bills for that game, and heard him as a speaker at my church. He was very humble and gracious. After meeting him I feel a little less sick to my stomach when I think of the game. Nice guy and a good winner, but still…ouch!
didn’t realize satan was a commenter on this website
didn’t realize pat robertson was a writer on this website
I know right
He’s not. As stated, a pastor by the name of Rick McDaniel is the author of this list. .
Oh, please… Even if your god is real, it´s unfair to have it in a list with human beings. ¿Why not Batman coming back from his broken back too?
Because a lot comic book characters eventually die and come back from the dead. NOt a big deal. Sheesh, everybody knows that.
¿Do you want the list of gods that came back like J.C.? Repámpanos, everybody knows that.