Who is the Most Influential Person in History

[Jammer]

I think Jesus Christ is the easily the most influential. I mean, by a factor of like 100. It's a no-brainer. Of course, this is assuming that he was a real, actual person, and even if He couldn't do what the Bible says He could, it doesn't diminish the influence He's had on the world. Jesus -> Catholic Church, Spanish Inquisition, Crusades, religion wars, a very large part of modern RELIGION, tons of cultural stuff, and lots and lots of other things.

I really don't see how you can not think Jesus was the most influential person, whether or not you believe in Him.

I'm not really a history buff, so I couldn't tell you who else was really influential.

But in the past few centuries, I think Adolf Hitler is the most influential.

 

[TheOfficialSonicFanboy]

I think Jesus Christ is the easily the most influential. I mean, by a factor of like 100. It's a no-brainer. Of course, this is assuming that he was a real, actual person, and even if He couldn't do what the Bible says He could, it doesn't diminish the influence He's had on the world. Jesus -> Catholic Church, Spanish Inquisition, Crusades, religion wars, a very large part of modern RELIGION, tons of cultural stuff, and lots and lots of other things.

I really don't see how you can not think Jesus was the most influential person, whether or not you believe in Him.

I'm not really a history buff, so I couldn't tell you who else was really influential.

But in the past few centuries, I think Adolf Hitler is the most influential.

Why do any of you doubt the Jesus Christ is the most influential? The last 2000 years (ish) since His death has been a bunch of arguments/wars/political actions that somehow trace back to Him! Whether you're are a Christian or not, you must know how many wars and arguments trace back to Him.

 

[Thrillhouse-vh.]

Michael Jackson.

After all, he was titled artist of the millennium, was he not? You don't get that title for doing nothing. I mean, not even JESUS has been called that!

 

[shadenexus18]

Jesus Christ

The man died so that we may have everlasting life.

Nobody can top that. Not even Shigeru Miyamoto. But he comes awfully close. jk.

 

[Jam Stunna]

Abraham. Over half of the world's population believe in Abrahamic religions, and most major conflicts and global events can be traced back to some sort of religious motivation.

 

[Cobalt]

Jesus and Muhammad are definitely number 1 and 2. No ifs ands or buts for me; the effects from the religions they founded are so profound, they're still cause of severe issues today, 2000 and 1400 years later, respectively.

Washington is pretty high up too. Newton of course, and possibly Leibniz though you could use Newton to fill his space. Romulus and Remus (Rome), Alexander the Great (his empire), and King John (Magna Carta) also fill high positions.

On the not-so-glorious side, you've got people like Hitler.

EDIT: Ninajed. Anyway, I disagree about Abraham. He himself wasn't very influential; his family has ties to the major religions that have historically had conflicts. That's why I think Jesus and Muhammad are higher, because they actually founded the religions, related to Abraham.

I don't think of the question as meaning "Who, if he never existed, would change the world the most?" I think of it as meaning "Who affected the world the most?" And that definitely goes to Jesus and Muhammad.

 

[Eight Sage]

and a lot less war.

or more...

Jesus is the most influential person in History. I mean, he's God's son you know.

 

[Tryptomine]

I'd probably say Gutenberg, his printing press gave way to pretty much every invention and discovery in the past 500 years.

 

[darkatma]

and a lot less war.

or more...

Jesus is the most influential person in History. I mean, he's God's son you know.

Jesus may be God's son, but more deaths happened in the name of God than satan.
Crusades anyone? Please.. interpretations of the Bible/any other holy book lead to more suffering, discrimination, profiling, and genocide than anything else. Hitler was a god**** 'christian'.

=/
anyways yea that's a bit off topic. Anyways somehow I'd still identify myself as christian, just not the way a fundamentalist would, or the way the idiots who cause pain and suffering under some Deity's name would.

More on topic, that list is very subjective. The historian had criteria for rating influence, but he couldn't have possible accounted for every factor. I recall reading another list that had Da Vinci as first.

Anyways, I'm surprised Chinese Paper inventor Tsai Lun is 7th on that list. I guess paper is just so important to our lifestyles..

 

[shadenexus18]

or more...

Jesus is the most influential person in History. I mean, he's God's son you know.

Preach on preacher!

That and he walked on H20. Freaking so tight.....

 

[Eor]

I'm going to have go with Muhammed. He personally wrote the Quaran, and unlike the Bible it was transcribed and completed during his time, and being the sole author of something like that alone is something to push you up. Besides that, and founding one of the worlds largest and influential religions, the Muslim conquests in the seventh century by him impacted that region and the rest of the world now. Not much can triumph that.

 

[KaptKRool]

I'd have to say Abraham, because if it weren't for him, there would be no Judaism, Christianity, or Islam. And as he explains in his list, the 3 major Abrahamic religions have caused more change and shaped the modern world more than any other force.

Caeser or Augustus would be next, both are kind of linked, if it weren't for Caeser, Augustus wouldn't have been an emperor, but Augustus was the one to make Rome an empire, even though Caeser is the one who conquered all the land for it. They're kinda tied, but if possible, I'd just group them together as one. Either way, the Roman Empire was the major force for the next couple of centuries, and helped spread and change religion and society.



And after that, probably Mario.

 

[KaptKRool]

Jesus Christ is. No doubt. Cause there would be no hope if it wasnt for him.

Uhhhhh, no, there was plenty of hope and good things happening before Christianity. Just because you believe in that doesn't mean it's the only thing keeping this world in order, human beings have the ability to find hope and be happy and do good things for one another without Christianity. Just looka t other religions if you don't believe me, Christians aren't the only happy and hopeful ones.

That was a pretty arrogant thing to say, did you forget about the tens of thousands of years of life before Jesus was born and Christianity was thought up? Its not like everybody was all depressed and sitting around saying to each other "If we don't get a new prophet, we're all DOOMED!"


If you think Jesus was the most influential, that's fine, but if you think Jesus invented hope, you've got some problems with your reasoning.

 

[shadenexus18]

You guys are like....way way off.

First off, I find it really funny that people say God's name in vain (zomg omg JC, etc etc) and yet don't believe in Him. They believe in something else. I mean c'mon, I've never heard anybody say "Oh my Muhammad!!"

Muhammad was just a mortal and nothing more. Moreover, what has he ever done for anybody except write a bunch of funamentals that you should live by huh? I'll admit though, the stuff he has in the Quran is pretty deep, but that doesn't make him THE best. Chirst is. He died for all of us.

@Kapt, no....their really wasn't. If it wasn't for Christ, we wouldn't ever be allowed to reach heaven.

 

[Tryptomine]

You guys are like....way way off.

First off, I find it really funny that people say God's name in vain (zomg omg JC, etc etc) and yet don't believe in Him. They believe in something else. I mean c'mon, I've never heard anybody say "Oh my Muhammad!!"

Muhammad was just a mortal and nothing more. Moreover, what has he ever done for anybody except write a bunch of funamentals that you should live by huh? I'll admit though, the stuff he has in the Quran is pretty deep, but that doesn't make him THE best. Chirst is. He died for all of us.

@Kapt, no....their really wasn't. If it wasn't for Christ, we wouldn't ever be allowed to reach heaven.

This isn't a religion thread... (Sadly, I'm saying this as much for myself as for you, since it's the only thing holding me back.)

 

[shadenexus18]

This isn't a religion thread... (Sadly, I'm saying this as much for myself as for you, since it's the only thing holding me back.)

No no no, by all means. If you wanna debate on why or why not JC is the most influential person ever then say what's on your mind.

 

[Tryptomine]

No no no, by all means. If you wanna debate on why or why not JC is the most influential person ever then say what's on your mind.

My issue has nothing to with with his influence, but rather when his followers ignorantly dismiss all other schools of thought because of circular logic and fail to realize or aknowledge that others may think differently.

 

[bballstar23]

I'm going to have go with Muhammed. He personally wrote the Quaran, and unlike the Bible it was transcribed and completed during his time, and being the sole author of something like that alone is something to push you up. Besides that, and founding one of the worlds largest and influential religions, the Muslim conquests in the seventh century by him impacted that region and the rest of the world now. Not much can triumph that.

As a Muslim, I'm going to have to correct you there. Muhammad was an illiterate individual, meaning there was no way he could write the Qur'an. Though others may not believe in God, and I respect that, Muslims do not believe that Muhammad had any part in writing it, especially having no experience in poetry and other requirements need to create something of that magnitude. Moreover, the Qur'an was not compiled as a book until after his death, while it was memorized and passed down (as well as written on leaves and other such materials) during his lifetime. I do have to agree though that he is one of the worlds most influential individuals, especially since all Muslims are meant to look to him as a basis for their behavior.

 

[shadenexus18]

My issue has nothing to with with his influence, but rather when his followers ignorantly dismiss all other schools of thought because of circular logic and fail to realize or aknowledge that others may think differently.

I'm really really hating the Tower of Babel right about now....

Anyways, I honor and respect that people believe in different religions. However, I have yet to fathom why?

 

[bballstar23]

I'm really really hating the Tower of Babel right about now....

Anyways, I honor and respect that people believe in different religions. However, I have yet to fathom why?

I mean this in no offense to anyone, and don't want to turn this into a religious debate, but in Islam, we believe that both Moses and Jesus were prophets as well, preaching the same religion, but eventually, their scriptures were changed as well as their original message. This is why the Qur'an is not allowed to be translated into a separate language without keeping the original Arabic with it, and also why Muslims are required to pray in Arabic. It's a preventative measure used to make sure the Qur'an's message remains unchanged.

Mods, if this is inappropriate for this thread, then feel free to edit my post.

 

[shadenexus18]

I mean this in no offense to anyone, and don't want to turn this into a religious debate, but in Islam, we believe that both Moses and Jesus were prophets as well, preaching the same religion, but eventually, their scriptures were changed as well as their original message. This is why the Qur'an is not allowed to be translated into a separate language without keeping the original Arabic with it, and also why Muslims are required to pray in Arabic. It's a preventative measure used to make sure the Qur'an's message remains unchanged.

Mods, if this is inappropriate for this thread, then feel free to edit my post.

Moses was a prophet, but I believe Christ is the Alpha and the Omega. Yes I'll admit that the Holy Bible was written by man, but God influenced those men by the Holy Spirit. So nothing in their is wrong.

 

[Tryptomine]

I'm really really hating the Tower of Babel right about now....

Anyways, I honor and respect that people believe in different religions. However, I have yet to fathom why?

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." -Stephen Roberts

(Properly reworded, I also beleive it could apply to those who beleive other religions.)

However, I beleive I am getting far too tangental. Returning to the topic at hand, I have actually been giving the matter some thought, and have come to the conclusion that the concept of "most influential in history" is inherently flawed. Of course those who came earlier in history would have been more influential, their impact has had more time to create more repercussions. In such a case, the only possible answer to the question would be the very first homo sapien.

 

[Aesir]

I think it's funny some individuals were put on that list when theres no historical evidence that they ever existed.

 

[Eor]

As a Muslim, I'm going to have to correct you there. Muhammad was an illiterate individual, meaning there was no way he could write the Qur'an. Though others may not believe in God, and I respect that, Muslims do not believe that Muhammad had any part in writing it, especially having no experience in poetry and other requirements need to create something of that magnitude. Moreover, the Qur'an was not compiled as a book until after his death, while it was memorized and passed down (as well as written on leaves and other such materials) during his lifetime. I do have to agree though that he is one of the worlds most influential individuals, especially since all Muslims are meant to look to him as a basis for their behavior.

I didn't know he was illiterate, but I was under the impression that his followers transcribed his words while he was alive, and that the Quaran was compiled a few years after his death? I was judging it based on this find (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sana'a_manuscripts). I didn't mean write as in he personally wrote the words (though I did think he wrote some of it), but instead as in his words where correctly translated down by others. Whether those words where by God or not doesn't change his influence to me.

 

[Cobalt]

I think it's funny some individuals were put on that list when theres no historical evidence that they ever existed.

If you're referring to Jesus and Muhammad, they certainly did exist. Whether or not they were related to divinity is a religious thing, but historically, they were very very real.

 

[Thrillhouse-vh.]

If you're referring to Jesus and Muhammad, they certainly did exist. Whether or not they were related to divinity is a religious thing, but historically, they were very very real.

I think it's debatable over Jesus, but Muhammad and Abram DEFINITELY existed.

 

[Aesir]

If you're referring to Jesus and Muhammad, they certainly did exist. Whether or not they were related to divinity is a religious thing, but historically, they were very very real.

secular evidence says otherwise. The evidence that says he does exist, has been proven to be forgeries.

Speaking of Jesus, I know next to nothing about Muhammad.

 

[Eor]

Muhammad definitely existed, Jesus likely existed, though he's not as confirmed as Muhammad, while Abraham has no evidence to back up for, so I'm not sure why you listed him as definite as Muhammad.

 

[The Mediator]

I think that the most influential person in the world is...
SAKURAI!

Because without him, we wouldn't even have this forum. So, we wouldn't even be having this discussion!

I dare you to argue against that!

Spoiler

Sakurai, if you're reading this, please acknowledge my kiss-***-ness, and make Ike better.

 

[Thrillhouse-vh.]

Muhammad definitely existed, Jesus likely existed, though he's not as confirmed as Muhammad, while Abraham has no evidence to back up for, so I'm not sure why you listed him as definite as Muhammad.

Incorrectly informed freshman grade history books FTL, eh? Seriously, it says Abram and Muhammad have the most going for them.

 

[RizardoLawless]

Obviously Gutenberg, we'd be in the stone age still without the printing press

 

[fluffy]

William Hung. This thread is over.

 

[Aesir]

Muhammad definitely existed, Jesus unlikely existed, though he's not as confirmed as Muhammad, while Abraham has no evidence to back up for, so I'm not sure why you listed him as definite as Muhammad.

Fixed it for you.

 

[Eor]

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_275.html
http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_jcno.htm

It's normally good to use evidence to back up your views, instead of just being a dick.

 

[_Phloat_]

Bar Rafaeli

****, thats horrible spelling, ill edit it later.

 

[Aesir]

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_275.html
http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_jcno.htm

It's normally good to use evidence to back up your views, instead of just being a dick.

I didn't feel like getting into a "did jesus exist debate" if I did I would have joined the debate forums. >_>

and yes I am being a ****, it's what I do best.

Where those suppose to prove a historical jesus existed? because from what I skimmed it doesn't really do that job. >_>

 

[Pluvia's other account]

Oh pfft, the list could go on and on.

Julius Caesar
Isaac Newton
Adolf Hitler

Hitler was definitely a bad guy, but he must've been pretty darn influential.

 

[iMichael]

This can not be answered because alot of people have influenced us. I think the thread should be asking "Who are some of the people who influenced us?" or " Name some of the most influential people in History".....Your asking for one person, which cannot be answered, seroiusly. I'll name some...

Martin Luther King Jr.
Malcom X
Shigeru Miyamoto
Rosa Parks
Tupac
Reggie Fils-Aime

Note: I did name people who are alive...The two that I did name who are alive do work for Nintendo. They are amazing people...take the time to read about these two...pure amazing.

 

[Doc_Holiday]

Jefferson Davis.