The current trend by some theologians is to look at how Jesus would have lived, acted and the society influences that may have influenced his teachings.  Yet, by doing so, I have read at least four different versions of what Jesus was about. Each is different.

The question to you is if we look at a persons' upbringing, societal influences, religions that influenced their thoughts, does that lead to having more faith in your belief, less faith, or even the loss of faith? 

Yeah!  What John said.

I would also add that if we truly desire to be followers of Jesus then we should constantly be striving to know him more, both in detail and from different perspectives.  If our knowledge and understanding of him becomes set or does not continue to evolve, then we are no longer growing.  And sometimes growing comes with growing pains.

Sure, just as it's possible that you may discover a different Jesus then what you previously thought. 

Of course there's more than one way to see Jesus and His teachings. But are you referring to the church's belief in Jesus' death and resurrection- if others' views regarding that part of Jesus and His teachings?

Thank you! Just needed clarification.

Let me put this in perspective of my dealings with school this semester:

I am taking a bunch of literature classes this semester (almost over yeah!) and have often been warned about interjecting biographical information into the criticism of a literary work.  If one can enjoy the beauty of Yeats' work, for example, do we need to know that much of it was written about a woman named Maude Gonne with whom he was in love, unrequited, for most of his life?  Is this pertinent to our enjoyment of the work itself?  Does this detract from the beauty he was able to create in a few lines and carefully chosen words?  How does knowing about his life and the people with whom he consorted change our views of his work? How does this qualify his themes?

I will never criticize anyone for wanting to know more about Jesus; one cannot help investigating those things about which one is passionate.  The problem arises, though, in the changing of intention of the works from universal to personal.  The Bible, like a collection of sublime art, gives the pathway to happiness and a framework in which we can relate our own lives.

To answer the question of the thread: yes.  One would have to be very careful; the mind and soul are often much stronger than good intentions.

Actually, for me, if I thought Yeats' work was a thing of beauty and I found out the story behind it, I would probably think it was more beautiful. I'm not familiar with his work (though I have at least heard of him). But, the fact that he wrote most of his work about an unrequited love would probably connect me more to it. It then becomes something more than just beautiful words. It becomes beautiful words with meaning behind them. Not all people are like this, though. Some people just like to enjoy poetry and music and paintings and other forms of art at face value. I love learning about the stories behind them.

Over the past few years, I've actually learned more about Jesus and the Bible and the history of the culture than I did before. I'm even more amazed by Him and have become even more grounded in my beliefs. My perspective on a lot of things has changed though, too.

That's a whole 'nother box of pandoras.