Jesus vs. Mohamad

[asiaticdarkperson]

I always thought Mohamad's case was strangely ironic.

Here's a guy who rose from a giant sandbox, an extremely desolate and inhospitable wasteland lacking trees, fresh water or arable land. A land where resources were so scarce and the environment so unfavorable, that it had been left practically untouched by conquerers from east and west.

So this guy unites the Arab desert-dwellers, who were descendents of Israel; white (brown) Semitic people who had escaped slavery in Egypt in ancient antiquity; who had not developed civilization until the 7th century AD.

Mohamad conquered some with words, others by the sword. And he lived to see his homeland united and strong. He was like Cyrus of Persia in this respect.

He set up a sociopolitical religious establishment that went on to conquer much of the world later on. Baghdad became the world's cultural and scientific capital; then came Avicenna, Al-Razi, Farabi, Hafiz, Sadi, Ferdosi, Rumi, Omar Khayam, and many more. These people were all strict adherents of Islam, and the Einsteins, Plancks and Davincis of their day; on the frontier of scientific and philosophical inquiry.

Fast forward to the modern era. The heartland of Islam is dubbed the richest area of the earth, for its mind-boggling petroleum reserves. Iran and Iraq are runner-ups, with Iran holding the world's largest natural gas reserves after Russia.

So, one could say that Mohamad left his descendents with half of the earth's total riches smack in the middle of the Islamic world. One could say that he was a successful military general; a successful politician-economist, and a successful religious leader. All in one.

I think it's fairly obvious that we are talking about a very powerful man, in a whole different class than the men of today. This man inspired people like Rumi and Avicenna, Hussein and Ali. It is said that his mere presence was enough to affect people.

Then we have Jesus, still bleeding on the cross after all these years. I believe after Jesus Europe was plunged into dark ages not to emerge for another 1500 years. (Think Rome under Tiberius, Caligula and Nero for a millenium and a half) Europe only came out of the dark age when Europeans started to doubt Christianity, IMO.

So, how were they different??

I think it's safe to say that both men preached a single doctrine; the Jewish mythology. They edited the original Semitic worldview so as to fit it to people's understanding.

I believe the parallels between Gnosticism and Islam are so striking they are undeniable. They are both essentially the same mythology, IMO.

So, why is it that two men, who were IMO the same man in terms of archetypes (messiah complex coupled with extraordinary leadership skills and esoteric knowledge) who adhered to and preached the same mythology (ie. they described the world in the exact same way) turned out so differently?

Here's the facts on the ground today.

The priests of Jesus are now famous globally for getting drunk on wine and abusing pre-teen boys. And Pope Godhimself the Nth has been busy excommunicating saints and mystics, organising inquisitions to obliterate talented individuals and destroying native cultures world-wide. He's often been devoting his time to arranging Crusades and overthrowing kings he didn't like, and in some cases Mr. Nth has been too busy licking his own daughter's vagina to notice anything else.

The priests of Mohamad are today famous as, I quote, "raghead sandnigger terrorists with a shitload of C4 strapped to their chest" (or esteemed resistance leaders living in exile, depending on source) fighting to bring down imperialism.

In any case, both of these 'prophets' seemed to have prophesied that a time would come when humanity would be divided into two sides: the bad guys and the bad guys. These bad guys, both claiming they are the good guys, will fight over Jerusalem and destroy the world in the process. The real good guys will wish they were never born.

[The Late Mitchell Warren]

I try to respect all faiths, Muslim & Christian, even though I'm somewhat of an agnostic myself.

I agree that Mohamad was more effective in reaching his "target audience" than was Jesus. It was obvious Jesus' followers wanted a politician and not a spiritual savior, and Mohamad was IMO, a politician.

Jesus, by his own words, was a failure in a political sense, a revolutionary in the spiritual sense. So as far as ministry goes, I don't think it's a fair comparison.

Nevertheless, as far as fruitages go, I think a case could be made that both men created destructive religions. I'm pretty sure though, that their messages were pure and idealistic. The fact that people misinterpret their messages is basically a random occurence.

In fact, to me, it seems as if the best "fruitage" results from people who say to do nothing at all (like John Lennon or Gandhi) rather than people who suggest ideas on activism.

[karlsie]

Actually, both Buddhism and Taoism teach a somewhat do-nothing-at-all philosophy, which has become a religion for some. Of course, though, if you're a writer, do nothing at all might be a little difficult to incorporate as most people want to do something.

[asiaticdarkperson]

Doing nothing is actually what I've been doing my whole life, according to my mom.

But here's a thought. Get a wooden crate that you can sit in comfortably with the lid on. Sit in it for 24 hours without interruption. Then tell me this is doing nothing!

[karlsie]

Careful now, or you'll be sounding like a follower of Thoreau. Thoreau believed the only house you needed was a box you could carry on your back. Oddly enough, though, he did do something. He wrote several thought provoking books, including "On the Duties of Civil Disobedience", went to jail several times for not paying his taxes and inspired environmentalists to experiment with growing edible plants under the most adverse conditions.

[asiaticdarkperson]

I'm not talking about living quarters karlsie.

This crate to sit in is like sensory deprivation. As you get bored sitting in a claustrophobic pitch black box, your perception will be freed from the self. You will start seeing visions or dreams.

I know Gurdjieff and Crowley made successful use of this configuration. So have I.