what if Jesus had never been born?

I have been lent a book which is a novel about what it would be like if Jesus was born now instead of 2000 years ago.

I have not started to read the book yet, but it made me think. You see, if Jesus had not been born the world would not be at all like it is now. Followers of Jesus and of Christianity (not necessarily the same thing) have had a huge impact on shaping the world as we know it.

If there was no early Church then there would have been no Roman persecution. There would have been no believers spreading across Europe with the message of Jesus. If there was no Jesus there would be no Christianity for Constantine to adopt as the religion of the Roman Empire. So would Rome have carried on with Pagan Gods? What kind of dark stuff would have gone on in the centuries since then.

What about art or music- loads of amazing stuff by amazing people like Leonardo de Vinci, Michael Angelo, Handel, Bach has been commissioned to worship God. What would have been the influences if there was no Jesus?

Fast Forward a good few centuries... many of the significant social reformers were Christians and were influenced by their beliefs: William Wilberforce, Elizabeth Fry and more. Was it just their faith that told them “something is wrong” and made them press for change? Would mankind have a conscience to make the world a better place without the influence of the Holy Spirit in lives dedicated to Jesus?

Thinking about life without Jesus makes me think of a very dark world as much of the influence of God I am aware of has come from Christians but of course, life without Jesus is not the same as life without God or “god”.
What would the influence of other religions have been without Christianity on the scene? Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, New Agers all worship many gods while Muslims and Jews have the same roots as Christians.
If “Jesus the Prophet” was not on the scene would Muhammed have come along? Would Islam be the same as it is now? Would it have become the dominant religion of Europe?
What about the Jews? They are God's chosen people, they are still looking for the Messiah. Would they have become a stronger religion if there was no Jesus?

Anyway... while it is interesting to ponder these things the fact is Jesus did come and does show us the way to live, and I am well glad He came. The challenge is to live our faith in a way that shows Jesus came and proves He is relevant today.