Jesus Vs Mohammed?

I am someone who identifies neither as a Christian nor as a Muslim, yet appreciates the value which both religions provide to the world. I have faith and morals, and from an intellectual and logical standpoint I know God is more likely to exist in some form than not. I have found, after years of studying the subject of monotheistic religions alongside my mom, there is no brief answer to the proposed question, which at the risk of oversimplifying, I will summarize as: "who do you prefer, Jesus or Mohammed?"

For one thing, it depends on whose version of Jesus we have in mind. The standard evangelical Christian Jesus is fully God, fully Man, sent to Earth to save us from Original Sin by offering himself as a substitutionary atonement. According to most Protestants, once someone believes in Jesus, they are saved for all eternity from any sins they commit, past present and future.

Muslims, far from declaring that Jesus never existed as some atheists do, or deconstructing him down to a vague nobody, as liberal or fallen-away Christians might, instead hold it as an article of faith to "believe in Jesus." What they mean is to believe that Jesus is one of a series of prophets given to present God's truth to people over the millennia. They even believe he was born of a virgin, despite this being traced back to a mistranslation in the Old Testament.

Muslims do not believe in the divinity of Jesus. They consider this to be a major sin, that of "attributing partners to God (Allah.)" Dr. Zakir Naik likes to challenge Christians to give him one verse in the New Testament where Jesus unequivocally says "I am God, worship me." If one brings up the statement "I and my Father are one," he will explain how it simply means they are one in purpose, in goals, in partnership.

I do not believe there is sufficient evidence in the Bible to say that Jesus is God or the Trinity exists or the standard evangelical "plan of salvation" is valid. Therefore, the Muslim view of Jesus is more aligned with my own independent study.

I also appreciate many things about Islam as a religion, despite the way it is often seen in the West. I mostly agree with their strict moral code: no alcohol, no movies, no charging interest, complete modesty, including not allowing "free mixing" of men and women, supporting and protecting women even to the point of insisting they need not work outside the home.

Even though I am a strong believer in the creative arts of images, music and writing, I understand how such pursuits can be distorted, become distractions and obsessions, and ultimately lead to spiritual and even physical destruction. As an example, most people understand Hollywood is a cesspool, especially with the rise of the Me Too movement. I often ask "what can you expect in such an immoral environment?" Not to blame the victims… but I digress.

Some of the things in Islam I object to are as follows: polygamy; government overreach, including restricting women's access to education and dictating people's orientation and clothing on pain of death; belief in certain fanciful things reported in Hadith, which have a notorious rate of inaccuracy; the fundamentalist tendency to interpret Jihad as war; certain purported elements of Mohammed's lifestyle; insistence on a carnal afterlife; and anything which does not emphasize the value and dignity of women.

Some of the weak points I see in Christianity are as follows: a lack of strong moral boundaries and tendency to be "wishy-washy" in preaching and teaching; a tendency to be too much obsessed with worldly culture; emphasis on the divinity of Jesus and the Trinity; the idea of Original Sin, particularly relating to the salvation of infants; a lack of understanding of Biblical economic values, a blind endorsement of capitalism alongside a fierce distrust of socialism, and a tendency to fall into the "conservative red-blooded American" bandwagon, becoming too politicized and polarized; and a de-emphasis on the modesty of women as it relates to dress and work.

Some of the things I appreciate in Christianity: the understanding that the creative arts, when properly used, can be redemptive and help us honor our Creator; the concept of humanity being made in the Imago Dei, or Image of God, which Islam lacks or misunderstands; the idea that Christ's redeeming act and the overarching narrative of Scripture is "the greatest story ever told," which leads one to a generally hopeful and constructive worldview; and the understanding of the inherent dignity and value of every human being, which provides a guidepost for balanced ethical evaluation of such things as abortion, physician assisted suicide, and technological advances in medicine and artificial intelligence.

It is often said that Christianity gave the Western world a foundation on which to pursue scientific discovery, exploration and invention. I would like to point out that the Islamic Golden Age was an era of relative peace and prosperity, with many advances being made in science, mathematics, cartography, architecture, linguistics and the preservation of past knowledge. This was at a time when the West was caught in the Dark Ages, brought on in part by corruption and greed within the Roman Catholic establishment.

Now of course, each of these issues I've brought up would take many pages of serious research and exposition to be able to discuss in full. I have only written out what is already in my head, without further investigation, as if I were speaking one-on-one with a friend.

I am not declaring either religion to be better than the other, nor am I saying the flaws which I see in Islam are not major ones. I'm simply stating my own personal opinions based on years of in-depth study.

In conclusion, I'll refer back to one of the question details, which read "who would you rather spend eternity with?" This depends on which version of each figure one chooses to believe is more historically accurate. If I believe everything evangelical Christians tell me, then Jesus is a Wonderful Person worthy of my worship, and Mohammed was a perverted warrior. If I believe what Muslims tell me, Mohammed was the final messenger of God, a wise and kindly person who taught us the right way to live and worship, whereas Jesus becomes "the one who came before," another humble servant of God, whose "Injil" or Gospel became distorted and ultimately lost.

If I were to base my beliefs strictly on "personalities," I would most likely say I'd rather spend eternity with Jesus the Creator God. I'm not sure I would trust what is known about Mohammed enough to spend eternity with him. If he was as carnal, indeed, as is claimed, I wouldn't want anything to do with him.

But knowing what I do about the lack of any real declaration of Christ's divinity in Scripture, and the risk of blaspheming the One True God by claiming He somehow begot a Son equivalent to Him, who was always there from the beginning… I will simply say that I would like to spend eternity with God and allow Him to teach me firsthand the truth about Himself, if He deemed me worthy of such understanding.

I can appreciate the contribution Islam has made to society without ascribing to the specific beliefs of the religion as a whole. The same can be said for Christianity. Though I consider myself a person of monotheistic faith rather than an atheist, I cannot accept all elements of Islam or Christianity, including each religion's portrayals of their teachers, without question.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share my somewhat unorthodox views on the subject. I usually avoid discussing spirituality in public, not wishing to inadvertently present myself as more "categorically" devout than I am, or more respectful of anyone's faith over another.

Words: 1314.

Written in response to this inquiry:
Muhammad or Jesus? Why?
The majority of the world's population believes in one or the other and that percentage is growing faster than the global population. Who is better and why? Who would you rather spend eternity with? If you are a Hindu or an atheist/ any other, can you explain why your perspective is not competing with Islam and Christianity?

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