Prince of Peace

A believer in Christ’s unmistakable miracles, I’ve found that most monotheists insist upon creating their Creator’s nature in their own fallible and often angry image — a fire-and-brimstone, wrathful-condemnation Creator requiring pain-filled penance/payment for humankind’s sinful thus corrupted behavior.

Furthermore, I believe Jesus was/is meant to show to people that there really was/is hope for the many — especially for young people living in today’s physical, mental and spiritual turmoil — seeing hopelessness in a fire-and-brimstone, wrathful-condemnation Creator requiring pain-filled penance/payment for humankind’s sinful thus corrupted behavior. That definitely includes his death and resurrection, of course.

Although he was/is no pushover, Christ’s fundamental nature and teachings were/are notably different from the unambiguously vengeful God of Judaism and Islam (not to mention the Biblical Old Testament’s Almighty). Followers of Islam and Judaism generally believe, however, that Jesus did exist but was not a divine being, albeit Islam teaches that Jesus was a prophet:

After all, how could any Divine Being place itself down to the level of humans — and even lower, by some other standards? How could any divine being most profoundly wash his disciples’ feet as did Jesus, the act clearly revealing that he took corporeal form to serve? How could God not be a physical conqueror — far less allow himself to be publicly stripped naked, severely beaten and murdered in such a belittling manner?

For me, all of that makes Jesus even greater, not less divine. I like to believe he became a hopeful example of the humility of the Creator by joining humankind in our miseries, joys and everything in between. I also like to believe the Almighty via Jesus had occasionally enjoyed a healthy belly-shaking laugh with his disciples over a good [albeit likely clean] joke. Imagine the divine with a good sense of humor!