<So what convinced you the Jesus was not the Messiah?
Initially, it was more of a struggle with Original Sin after my son was born. I could not accept that any newborn was stained with sin just because some cultural myth said so. This is different from thinking that we are not flawed, of course we are, but Original Sin? No thank you.
As far as the Messiah, I can’t accept the resurrection. Jesus said a lot that was good, but anyone who reads religious myths from around the world will see a number of resurrection themes. There’s no reason why this one should be special.
I don’t mean to offend, I realize that some people here are literal in their interpretation of the Bible, I am not and there are things that I cannot believe. That said, there’s nothing wrong with the general principles - I got an excellent education via the Catholic Church and appreciate the spark that leads Christians to help others.
“Initially, it was more of a struggle with Original Sin after my son was born. I could not accept that any newborn was stained with sin just because some cultural myth said so.”
Looking at a little newborn, yes I see that would be hard to believe. I have three little ones also. I noticed something strange as they got just a little older. I had to teach them to tell the truth, but I never had to teach them to lie... it just sort of came naturally.
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“As far as the Messiah, I can’t accept the resurrection.”
I think you’re right in focusing on this. The resurrection is, of course, the linchpin of Christian faith. Paul himself said that if Christ didn’t rise from the dead then the Christian faith would be worthless.
If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, his apostles would have surely known it - regardless of what they may have taught or written. But that begs the question, seeing that most all of them were put to death for preaching a resurrected Christ, would they all have died for what they knew to be a lie?
As for rejecting original sin, you could have become an Eastern Orthodox chr*stian. They don't believe in it either. And it's called hayetzer hara`, the evil inclination, and it was created by G-d and placed in Adam by Him.