From: utzoo!decvax!decwrl!sun!megatest!fortune!hpda!hplabs!hao!menlo70!sytek!zehntel!tektronix!tekmdp!dadla!dadla-b!hutch
Newsgroups: net.religion
Title: Re: Jesus the non-divine teacher
Article-I.D.: dadla-b.396
Posted: Fri Mar 25 11:26:42 1983
Received: Mon Mar 28 01:26:39 1983
References: rocheste.1053

I disagree, mr. FtG, Larry need NOT keep his opinions to himself, if
you don't want to read them, then either hit "n" or desubscribe.  This
newsgroup was formed in order to allow free exchange of religious views
in an environment where that sometimes distasteful process can be isolated.

As to the imagined insult to the Islamic believers all over the world,
my first response is, Larry was quoting C.S. Lewis, and since Mr Lewis's
published works are available all over the world, you are spitting into
the wind in your attempt to keep them from being heard.  A more level-headed
response, less inflammatory at least, is that the Christian traditions, as
well as the Christian DOCUMENTS, about Jesus of Nazareth, are a whole lot
more reliable than those places in the Kuran (alt. sp.) where He is mentioned.
Among other things, the Kuran incidents are clearly the product of the
Arab culture in which the Kuran was written, and Jesus is portrayed doing
and saying things that are totally contradictory to His true nature as
displayed in the writings of His friends and immediate followers.  The
Islamic version of Jesus is an ascetic person who mocks the Jewish laws.
Jesus did not mock the Law, and He ate and drank (wine) with sinners, harlots,
tax collectors, public officials, and other criminals.  The only event in
the Kuran (that I know of) which describes Him in such a light is a passage
where He is challenged by the Pharisees coming out of a House of Ill Repute
(cliche' my own phrasing) and informs them that when one wishes to find
sick persons to heal, one goes to a hospital.  (Phrasing and wording may be
a bit off here - I am quoting from memory)  It is all fine and good for the
Islamic faith to have its own traditions about Jesus, but don't expect us
to accept them just because the Moslems believe them.  We don't try to say
you have to believe the Bible just because we do, only that you should in
all fairness to yourself investigate it carefully.

Steve Hutchison