I want to understand how other religions view Jesus. Have you written anything on that topic? I want to make sure I am on base as I share this information with others. - Mark
Sure. Here is a brief answer:
- Muslims accept Jesus as a prophet who did miracles, was born of a virgin, will come again at Judgment Day… but they reject his crucifixion (99% of them do) and his resurrection (100%). They also generally hold that he was sinless. The main chapter of the Qur’an on this is Sura (chapter) 19.
- Hindus often worship Jesus as one of many gods and goddesses. Most see no problem with worshipping multiple divinities. But he is certainly not the exclusive way to God.
- Jews usually accept that he was a rabbi, or popular leader. Early rabbinic Judaism admits the miracles of Jesus and his followers, including exorcisms. They mention his execution but reject his resurrection. He was not the Messiah, since he failed. Nowadays, they reject the notion that the Messiah would suffer, even though this is found in early Judaism and even some medieval Jewish sources.
- Buddhists have no problem with Jesus, as long as he doesn’t make absolute truth claims. In classical Buddhism, the central doctrine is the no-soul doctrine. No one truly exists – not you, or me, or Jesus. Some liberal Christian scholars, like Marcus Borg, try to equate the teaching of Jesus with the teaching of the Buddha, but this is not very convincing to a Bible believer. The differences outweigh the similarities.
Does that help?
