As a Catholic, Joseph Roth believes Jesus Christ will return.

“Jesus said no one will know the time,” the 16-year-old North Idaho College student said.

Amanda Burruss of Hayden thinks otherwise.

She believes Jesus was an actual person, but that the Bible is more a “historical record” than anything else.

“I don’t think it should be taken so literally,” said Burruss, the mother of a toddler.

She said although she doesn’t believe Christ will return, she enjoys the secular traditions that come with religious holidays like Easter.

“It’s a reminder to keep myself in check and to be a good person,” Burruss said.

According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, Easter is one of the most important religious holidays of the year for many Christians as they celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

When asked if they believed Christ would return to Earth in the next 40 years, 27 percent of Christians believed that the Second Coming would “definitely happen” in that time, according to a March 26 Pew Forum survey.

Another 20 percent said Christ would “probably” return to Earth. Twenty-eight percent of Christians said Christ would “probably not” return in that time span, while another 10 percent said definitely not.

Buddy Jones, pastor of Coeur d’Alene Worship Center, said “absolutely” Christ will return, but when it happens, “the exact day and hour, we do not know.”

The Bible says, “no man knows,” Jones said.

He pointed to Matthew 24:36 which says: “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the son but only the Father.”

JoAnn, who didn’t want to give her last name, said she “absolutely” believes in the resurrection.

“We all do,” she said of her faith as a Jehovah’s Witness, which believes that Armageddon, marked by the resurrection, is imminent and it will usher in God’s kingdom on Earth, which will be the solution to mankind’s problems.

Hanging out in midtown on Friday afternoon, she said she wouldn’t be surprised if the Second Coming happens within the next five years. She sees signs like catastrophic weather or the collapse of government that could indicate the new era is close.

“It’s an ugly place,” she said of the world’s current state of affairs, but added living her life afraid of the end has made everything else in life seem trivial. “I’ve lived my whole life fearing the end of the world. I have bad credit. I haven’t taken care of my teeth ... It’s a bad problem for witnesses.”

Easter Sunday

Churches have been preparing for today, Easter Sunday. There will be special music and decorations. There will be sunrise services and sermons as Christians mark what is considered the cornerstone of Christianity, the resurrection of Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago.

They proclaim their belief with messages like “Christ our Hope is Risen,” “The King has left the building,” “He Lives!” and “Looking for a New Beginning.”

Ken Smith is pastor of Lake City Lighthouse Church, which recently moved to its new home at 650 W. Lancaster.

“God opened the door for us to come out here,” he said.

It had been at the corner of Dalton and Ramsey for five years. The change of address provides a larger sanctuary, more parking and increased space for ministries.

He said that the church, which has about 250 attending Sunday services, had 19 when it opened its doors.

“After my first Sunday, nine of them left,” he said, laughing.

Lighthouse church is having a 6:30 a.m. Easter service. Instead of its usual verse-by-verse Bible study, Smith will offer a sermon on the Resurrection.

The encouragement of the Resurrection is a wonderful time in a Christian’s life,” he said.

“Because He lives, we live,” Smith said. “It didn’t end at the cross.”

What happened

The Bible tells us, and historians and scholars generally agree, that a man named Jesus lived 2,000 years ago. He had many followers. The New Testament tells us he claimed to be God, he performed miracles and he said he would be put to death and rise again in three days. It says he was beaten, whipped, crucified and died. His body was placed in a tomb, blocked by a boulder and guarded by Roman soldiers.

Three days later, the tomb was empty. Each of the four Gospels say that Jesus appeared to his disciples and hundreds of others.

A Jewish historian, Josephus, also wrote a man named Jesus was crucified and on the third day “appeared restored to life.”

But many question whether his followers really saw Jesus again. Did they make up the story, maybe imagine it? What happened to the body? Was it stolen?

To some, Jesus was a great prophet, a man with followers, but certainly not God.

Paul, an apostle, wrote in the Bible that if Christ didn’t rise, his faith — and the faith of all Christians — was meaningless.

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead,” Paul wrote in 1st Corinthinans 15:20.

Pastors point out the changed lives of the apostles, who fled when Jesus was arrested and cowered after his death. When he appeared to them, they were filled with faith, courage and the strength to share the gospel and die for what they believed.

Peter was crucified upside down. Paul was beheaded. James was stoned to death. Luke was hung from a tree. Matthew, run through with a sword while preaching in the street.

Survey says

According to Catholic New Agency survey, about 60 percent of Americans say they intend to go to church for Easter Sunday, with 70 percent of Catholic Americans and 92 percent of practicing Catholics saying they will attend services.

“The survey shows that Easter remains an important part of the lives of most Americans,” said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson of the Knights of Columbus, which commissioned the survey.

Anderson said the celebration of Easter is “of great importance” to American Catholics, as is the spiritual preparation of Lent that helps Catholics to “lead a better life.”

A March 2010 survey by the Barna Group found that “most Americans consider Easter to be a religious holiday, but fewer identify the Resurrection of Jesus as the underlying meaning.”

In all, 42 percent of Americans said that the meaning of Easter was the resurrection of Jesus or that it signifies Christ death and return to life, the Barna Group found.

Will Christ return?

John Lamphiear, looking to relocate to Coeur d’Alene from Tetonia, said he knows from his strong Christian upbringing that Christ will return.

“Whether it’s in my lifetime or not ... it’s possible,” Lamphiear said, walking downtown on Friday.

To him, that would be a vindication for Christians who stayed loyal to what they believe, he said.

“It would be a recognition of the faith we had over our lifetimes,” he said. “Kind of believe it and you will see it, versus you have to see it to believe it.”

Kristen Damiani, another NIC student, shares Roth’s belief.

“I know it’s irrational when I think about it in rational terms, but it’s just something I believe,” the 28-year-old Hayden resident said.

She has a class this semester that has included the study of other world religions, and she has found it challenging to her beliefs.

Religions like Buddhism “make a lot of good points” and stand up well to logical analysis in a classroom setting, she said. But she still believes what she has believed since she was a kid.

She was raised in a Christian family.

She was taught to “look both ways before you cross the street, and believe in Jesus,” she said. “I don’t necessarily hold everything in the Bible as absolute.”

Isaiah Montalvo, of Coeur d’Alene, said he believes in the second coming of Christ.

The 17-year-old, whose beliefs were influenced by his family, said he doesn’t know when it will happen.

He knows plenty of people who believe like he does, and some others who don’t seem to care either way.

“They seem more concerned with what’s going on now” at school and in their personal lives, Montalvo said.

Although she grew up in a family that wasn’t church-going, Burruss said she believes there is a God.

“I believe in a higher power that loves us and looks after us,” Amanda Burruss said. “There is too much perfection in everything around us for there not to be.”

Preachers’ view

Mike Rima, pastor of Lake City Community Church, will give a sermon on the theme of “Restored.” The church had two Easter services Saturday night and three scheduled for today.

There are things in life, like old cars or boats, that have broken down and need to be restored.

“The message of Easter is that life can be restored,” he said.

Christ, Rima said, will return.

“Scripture clearly states the same way he left, he will return,” he said.

Speculation on when that would be is just that, speculation. A guess. Meaningless.

“Jesus himself said, only the Father knows,” Rima said.

Mark 13:32 says, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.”

Rima said if you look at the teachings of Jesus and the parables he told, the message was “be ready.”

Rima said he is not one to speculate on Christ’s return.

“I lean toward, be ready,” he said.

Smith, too, said Lighthouse church is blessed with its new home. He and members will continue carrying out God’s mission and preparing for Christ’s return.

Easter Sunday is a great day to share the message of hope — and faith.

And belief in Christ’s return.

“We have a place capable of holding the people God sends us,” he said.