The most beautiful thing in the academic study of religion is the ability to ask any and all questions — no matter their heretical nature — to find some possible truth in what is usually considered “absolute.”  From term papers examining ‘the psychology of speaking in tongues’ to proposing a new model of Christianity for ‘believers in exile’ like myself, it’s been a wild and often unsettling ride. But being allowed to ask all the “wrong” questions is what separates the realm of academia from the often-totalitarian mindset of institutionalized religion.  Continuing in this freedom of inquiry, I now want to unashamedly ask: Did Jesus’ teachings become what is now modern Christianity? After all, Jesus wasn’t a Christian. The gospels indeed played a role in forming Christian belief, but there is also a mass of literature that was purportedly authored by a single man: Paul of Tarsus.  Yes, it’s the same “Paul, the great corrupter of the teachings of Jesus” — as Thomas Jefferson once put it.  I remain unconvinced that Jefferson’s curiously slim and abbreviated Bible contains a more accurate depiction of Jesus of Nazareth, but I still applaud the man for dissenting against Paul — a modern monumental challenge indeed.  For the typical layperson, Paul of Tarsus was a true saint. Spreading his version of the gospel, facing persecution and saving the sinful multitudes around the Mediterranean — these qualities in themselves are not bad. But who’s to say Paul’s version of Jesus had anything to do with the Jewish carpenter walking around Palestine and stirring up the masses?Here’s the scholastic consensus: A Jewish man, Yeshua bar Yosef (Jesus son of Joseph), preached a message in Palestine about 2,000 years ago and was killed for it.  That’s about it — and even this much is debated. Now tack on Matthew, Mark, Luke and John’s perspectives. In the academic world they hold little significance as historical accounts but are infinitely valuable for the insight they provide into the beliefs of some of the early followers of Jesus.  Fun fact: We now know of about 60 different gospels that were floating around the Near East before Christianity came to its current state. My personal favorite of these, the Gospel of Mary, contains more Buddhist concepts than Avatar.  Apart from the four canonical gospels is the rest of the New Testament — and the dominant author of these is reported to be Paul.  Paul’s portrayal of Jesus differs from the gospels on many matters.  The relevance of the life of Jesus is primarily supplanted by his death. The pre-Easter Jesus of Nazareth becomes the risen superhero Jesus Christ, whose teachings about compassion and revolutionary love were replaced with concepts of alleviating our original sin and supplying remedial atonement. Considering Paul never met Jesus of Nazareth in the flesh, it’s not terribly surprising to think that there was some inventive thought occurring in Paul’s theology.  Beyond this, Paul’s Jesus usurps Jewish notions of the messiah, which have nothing to do with gentile salvation, a triune god or sacrificial death and replaces them rather with ideas of the soul and futuristic salvation reeking of neo-Platonism. Paul is reported to be as Jewish as matza ball soup, but his paganish theology and clear Greek influences suggest we may be dealing with more of a non-kosher ‘ham sandwich’ of Jewish thought.And this, my beloved readers, is just one of an infinite number of historical qualms that exist when one allows an ancient text to speak for itself. Applying the guise of “faith” to a historical conundrum doesn’t solve it — it only adds to the confusion. For those interested in the great turmoil that is the freedom of inquiry, go for it. After a multitude of sleepless nights spent wrestling with the great questions of faith, you’ll emerge the better for it. But be forewarned — it’s a wild ride.I took the red pill, and the rabbit hole is indeed deeper than I ever thought possible.Go now and do likewise. Andrew Robertson is a 23-year-old religious studies senior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_arobertson.____Contact Andrew Robertson at [email protected]