REJECTED by Cobourg Daily Star, May 25/08

Northumberland Youth For Christ executive director Daryl Stogryn (May 23, Local Youth For Christ leader has a world of responsibility) recently said,

"Our vision is to see every young person of every people group of every nation cared for and given an opportunity to make an informed decision on the person, work and values of Jesus. If I wrote exactly the same statement and inserted the name Buddha or Gandhi, very few people would complain."

Mr Stogryn is quite right. The comparison and what it reveals is significant. Jesus is the only begotten Son of God almighty, whereas Gandhi is a full-fledged mortal born of original sin and a very non-immaculate conception. Both were dissidents of their time; both offended the authorities of the day. The unholy Roman Empire was only too happy to be complicit with local religious authorities in the execution of Jesus, however the British Empire was more merciful to Gandhi.

Here is a bold question: what if the name of Mohammed (peace be upon Him) were inserted. Can such a thing be discussed in the public domain? Everyone should be able to make an “informed decision on the person, work and values of” the central characters of such major religions.

Unlike Jesus, Mohammed (pbuh) made no assertion of being a direct relative of Allah. Both are regarded as prophets, but Mohammed (pbuh) is more specifically regarded as the Messenger.

Jesus walked on water, turned water into wine, brought a dead man back to life, made a blind man to see, whereas Mohammed (pbuh) performed no miracles whatsoever. Mohammed (pbuh) had nine wives and several concubines, including Aisha, his favourite wife whom he married when she was six and consummated when she was nine years old. Jesus’ relationship with women was ambiguous.

Jesus lost his temper once when he ransacked the tables of money lenders by a house of worship. Mohammed (pbuh) was a military leader who led his followers towards Mecca to attack a caravan of the Quraysh tribe. The Muslims numbered only 300 to the Quraysh’s 1000, however the Quraysh were defeated.

Attention shoppers: if we comparison shop between a Ford or Toyota, or between shampoo rinses and other temporal trivial things, then it behoves us to treasure our immortal souls and exercise the freedom of choice for a prophet to be a role model – after all, eternal damnation or everlasting peace are the stakes.

-- Wally Keeler