The problem with Christianity is there's too much focus on Jesus Christ.
That may sound like a funny statement because his name is right in it, but that's because the religion was supposed to about what he was teaching, not the man himself. Jesus wasn't out trying to start a whole new belief system, he wasn't trying to get people to pray to his cross or make statues of his mother. He was out spreading and reinforcing the ideals of Judaism.
Jesus was raised in a strong Jewish household, surrounded by family who was very religious. He picked up on it quickly, naturally, and at a young age could be found at the Temple arguing with the Rabbis, testing their knowledge and faith. As he got older and began realizing his purpose, he began travelling to other areas to teach and support the religion of Abraham. He did modernize some of the older practices, gave alternatives to others, but at the core still maintained all of the fundamentals of the Jewish religion, as well as continuing to practice observances such as Passover, the Sabbath, paying tithes, etc. This was why the Romans and the Jewish High Council persecuted him, because he was bringing people back to their faith while opening their eyes to the corruption and hypocrisy that was taking place among their rulers and elders.
Christianity is not a different religion, but a modern version of Judaism. Or rather, it was supposed to be. Somewhere along the way, Christians began focusing more on things like the virgin birth and the crucifixion/resurrection, rather than on what Jesus was actually teaching that got him executed in the first place. The crucifixion and resurrection were meant to give emphasis to his teachings, to be a sign of proof that what Jesus was saying was true. In some aspects it was also meant to expose the corruption in politics and in the Temple. These events were not meant to be a focal point of the whole belief system. Christians put so much emphasis on what he did, but when asked why he did it, only respond with "he died for our sins." And that if you "accept" Jesus as your savior, then you will be granted access to Heaven. Unfortunately, this statement is not true. I'll talk more about the Apocalypse in a different piece, but for quick reference the Bible states that only 144,000 Jews will be going to to the upper levels of Heaven, most of them Rabbis. That alone proposes a huge problem for Christianity, because of how far it's deviated from Judaism. But the main argument in the statement is about Christ dying for our sins. Again, this is not true. He died to absolve the Original Sin (Eve disobeying God and eating the fruit Samael tempted her with), but not every sin, and not personally for each individual person. It was more of a blanket move to get rid of the Original Sin as a whole. But why did he do it? To cleanse our souls? A little bit, to an extent, but the main reason he did it was to put emphasis on his teachings and to prove the power of God. It wasn't an ego trip trying to prove that he was the Messiah, none of his miracles were, they were meant to show that "through God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). To put it in real simple terms, they were attention-getters. Once the people began seeing proof, they began to really listen and believe. This is not the first time a prophet has used miracles to gain attention either, such as Abraham or Elijah, or especially Moses in Egypt dealing with the Pharaoh. Jesus knew the authorities were getting closer and his time was drawing to an end, and if he kept running like some of his Apostles suggested it would have started to contradict his message and eventually put a black mark on the faith. So he did the best thing he could do, to put a final stamp on everything he had been saying, and to prove there was truly life after death, he performed the ultimate miracle: his own death and resurrection.
It is important to note that God did not send Jesus here to die. That was not the original intent, Christ was meant to absolve the world of sin by defeating the Devil. That's all the prophecies really said. Instead though, Jesus took it upon himself to allow himself to be captured, then at the moment of his death he took on the Original Sin. This is why God turned his head from Jesus, and Christ called out the famous lines from the cross, "My Father, why have Thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). This is because Jesus had become too ugly with sin, and God was ashamed. What God did not realize however (or perhaps he did) is that Christ had worked out a deal with the Devil already, to go into Hell after he died. Upon his resurrection however, Jesus led all the previous souls out of Hell and into Heaven. That whole redeeming act in general is how Jesus found favor with God again, and was able to ascend into Heaven. This event is known as the Harrowing of Hell, and is observed on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. But had he not done that, or Jesus' plan went awry, the whole situation could have played out differently.
But back to the original point, Jesus was not sent to Earth to die specifically, yet Christianity puts so much focus on the event. So much so that Easter is considered the most important Christian holiday, more so than Christmas. Yes it was a selfless event that gave Jesus his martyrdom, but again that's not what Christianity was supposed to be focused around. One could argue that this event is so significant because this is where the biggest split between the Abrahamic religions takes place. The Jewish peoples do not acknowledge Jesus' resurrection, and depending on which sect of Judaism, may or may not acknowledge the virgin birth or some of his miracles. Muslims also reject the idea of the crucifixion and resurrection, although they do believe Jesus was a great prophet who performed miracles and ascended into Heaven to one day return again. But up until that point in the story, Christianity and Judaism, and even a lot of Islam, share the same plot. When John 3:16 states that whoever "believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life", that didn't mean worshipping the man himself, but rather believing in what he taught and stood for. Christ wanted to bring people back to the Jewish faith, and for them to adhere to the Torah and the word of God, not worship him for what he did. Jesus didn't bring Lazarus back from the dead to prove what he could do, it was to show what faith in God can do. He also didn't do it just to save one soul, raising Lazarus from death bought over an entire village and made them believers. It is, of course, important to remember these deeds and miracles that Christ performed, but the entire religion should not be hinged around them.
Most of the Christian religion is focused on the life of Jesus, where he went and what he did, rather than what he was teaching. Even a lot of the teachings they do try to highlight on are parables...told by Jesus. Many of the other stories and examples they give from the New Testament all involve Jesus. There's even a New-New Testament, which talks more about Christ and what he does, that's known as the Book of Mormon and is the central doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Christians have built holidays, practices, songs and everything around the life of Jesus, yet there is no holy day to observe the poor widow giving tithe or the prodigal son returning home. The lessons learned from those stories are far more important than observing when the people of Jerusalem laid down coats and small branches for Jesus to ride his donkey across (Palm Sunday).
The New Testament is a great companion to the Old Testament, but it should not be followed solely or have an entire belief system built around it. What the Christian religion should look like today would be more reflective of Judaism, with the New Testament stuff sprinkled on top. But some time centuries ago, and especially during the Renaissance, Biblical figures started to become more personified and transformed into archetypes, and the focus was being shifted to the person and their actions, and their narrative, rather than the meanings and purpose behind them. In some aspects these figures have been idolatrized, such as with a Crucifix or a statue of the Virgin Mary. The fact that people pray to these emblems, or even directly to Christ or Mary, is a bit contradictive to Jesus' whole message in the first place. The life of Jesus Christ should certainly be remembered and talked about in Christianity, but no where did he ask for a religion to be based upon it. Everything from his birth to his miracles to his death and resurrection were meant to be signs of proof that God is real, and if you have faith in him and follow the covenant, then you too can be granted an afterlife. Christianity shouldn't be so much about what he did, but rather why he did it.
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