Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has
ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we
profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our
weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we
are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of
grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us
in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)
We have
a high priest who has ascended into heaven. Yesterday, a meme came across my
computer screen that said that Buddha wasn’t a Buddhist, Jesus wasn’t a
Christian, Muhammad wasn’t an Islam. They were all teachers and they all taught
love. I’ve asked for clarification but haven’t gotten it. I did a couple quick searches
and found a few statements by Shakyamuni
Siddhārtha Gautama (the Buddha) that mention the word love, and I’ve read that
Mohammed was loving, but I still don’t know what either of them taught about
love.
I’m not going to tell you that everything those two men said is a lie. The purpose of any religion is to guide people in a correct relationship with its god (if one exists), with the universe, and with one another. As human beings, we share a universe that tells us of a god, and we share one another. There are things that are self-evident. As the saying goes, “it doesn’t take a rocket scientist” to realize that somewhere along the line, “love” is going to come up as a subject.
Years ago, I analyzed the State of the Union Addresses for two presidents over a total of sixteen years. One was a Democrat, the other a Republican. Both mentioned the need for good educations for our children in every address. They both agreed to spend money. The only difference is in how they proposed to distribute that money, but that difference was huge. So, the fact that religious leaders all talk about love, means less than nothing. Even Jim Jones taught about love, until he and his followers committed suicide. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Charles Manson taught his “family” about love. What they say about love is important, but even more important is how they, themselves loved.
There is no claim by Muslims of Buddhists that their founders died for their sins. They didn’t sacrifice themselves for others. They may have been teachers, but they weren’t high priests, mediating between God and man. Mohammed did not return from the dead to let his people know whether or not his teachings worked. If Shakyamuni Siddhārtha Gautama was reincarnated, that meant his teachings weren’t enough – and if he was reincarnated, it was without the memory of who he once was. If he did reach Nirvana, his consciousness was subsumed in unconsciousness, so no one can ask him for anything. He doesn’t exist any more.
Neither of them promised to be with us always, even to the end of the age. Neither of them made the sacrifice necessary to pay for their own sins, let alone the sins of all who come to them. They didn’t claim to be God. Neither of them claimed to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Neither of them gave us the means to approach God with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Neither claimed to be God or the Son of God. And I’ve read that some of Mohammed’s followers were embarrassed at his failure to live by the rules he set. I don’t know whether the Buddha was similarly a failure or not.
Jesus said that no one comes to the Father, except through Him (Jesus.) The book of Hebrews has, and will continue to praise Him because He is worthy of praise. Fully God, fully man, He lived the live we could not, and stood as High Priest to make atonement for sins He did not commit, so that we (who did) might approach God. The others? Yeah, they might have been teachers. They might have said some neat stuff (maybe) – but I will follow Jesus, because threy don't even come close.
I’m not going to tell you that everything those two men said is a lie. The purpose of any religion is to guide people in a correct relationship with its god (if one exists), with the universe, and with one another. As human beings, we share a universe that tells us of a god, and we share one another. There are things that are self-evident. As the saying goes, “it doesn’t take a rocket scientist” to realize that somewhere along the line, “love” is going to come up as a subject.
Years ago, I analyzed the State of the Union Addresses for two presidents over a total of sixteen years. One was a Democrat, the other a Republican. Both mentioned the need for good educations for our children in every address. They both agreed to spend money. The only difference is in how they proposed to distribute that money, but that difference was huge. So, the fact that religious leaders all talk about love, means less than nothing. Even Jim Jones taught about love, until he and his followers committed suicide. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Charles Manson taught his “family” about love. What they say about love is important, but even more important is how they, themselves loved.
There is no claim by Muslims of Buddhists that their founders died for their sins. They didn’t sacrifice themselves for others. They may have been teachers, but they weren’t high priests, mediating between God and man. Mohammed did not return from the dead to let his people know whether or not his teachings worked. If Shakyamuni Siddhārtha Gautama was reincarnated, that meant his teachings weren’t enough – and if he was reincarnated, it was without the memory of who he once was. If he did reach Nirvana, his consciousness was subsumed in unconsciousness, so no one can ask him for anything. He doesn’t exist any more.
Neither of them promised to be with us always, even to the end of the age. Neither of them made the sacrifice necessary to pay for their own sins, let alone the sins of all who come to them. They didn’t claim to be God. Neither of them claimed to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Neither of them gave us the means to approach God with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Neither claimed to be God or the Son of God. And I’ve read that some of Mohammed’s followers were embarrassed at his failure to live by the rules he set. I don’t know whether the Buddha was similarly a failure or not.
Jesus said that no one comes to the Father, except through Him (Jesus.) The book of Hebrews has, and will continue to praise Him because He is worthy of praise. Fully God, fully man, He lived the live we could not, and stood as High Priest to make atonement for sins He did not commit, so that we (who did) might approach God. The others? Yeah, they might have been teachers. They might have said some neat stuff (maybe) – but I will follow Jesus, because threy don't even come close.
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