It does not matter what Jesus really was (or Mohammad)

Submitted by Ted (United States), Feb 24, 2011 at 02:41

Dear Dr Pipes:

Amin Riaz made a commonly repeated mistake. When looking at religious icons, people often start arguing what the icons really were or were not. In actuality what the religious icons or symbols were does not matter. What matters is what the current believers believe they were. What exactly Jesus was is unimportant. What is important that the current Christians believe that he was a kind man who gave his life for others. And, no sensible person will argue that this description is that of a good man.

On the other hand, the current followers of Muhammad believe that he was the last messenger of God and he also was a great general, statesman, and politician. It is this latter description that many find objectionable. To them a statesman and general who is working for the advantage of his clan cannot be holy and may not be true representative of God. Once again, what Jesus and Muhammad exactly were is not important. The currently believed descriptions of them differ significantly and one appears to be good and the other questionable.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".