Nice attempt to cross the religious bridge Irfan.

As a matter of curiosity is there a Bill Cruse Muslim equivalent for any non-muslim "saint"? Or is your compassion limited to muslims?

For the records Jesus was ans IS more than a good man. I noticed you slipped this at the end of your post.

The real meaning for the washing of feet - which in the time of Jesus more so than now was the lawsest of low servants job - was a demonstration that God incarnate came to serve and to die for humans.

A saint is a disciple of Christ meaning set apart for service. I believe the term saint was not in use then.

All acts of kindness are good - but only Jesus brings salvation to the lost world.

Coach, not everyone accepts that Jesus was God incarnate. Many people, not only Muslims, would agree with Irfan's characterisation of Jesus as a great man. I respect your beliefs and would not try to dissuade you from them, even though I do not share them. Is it possible for you to extend the same courtesy to Irfan and others? If not, why not?

Irfan wants us to acknowledge Christ as a teacher and 'great man', and PK wants us all to just believe what we want without imposing our beliefs on others.
The whole notion of 'Jesus is a good man' is somewhat contradictory.
The point is that Easter is the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, followed shortly afterwards by his ascension to heaven.
One cannot claim that 'Jesus was a good man' or 'Jesus was a great teacher' because it is not consistent with the teaching of Jesus.
Jesus said he is the Son of God, and that he died to take away the sins of the world.
Either this is true or not - and we believe it or not.
As Josh McDowell wrote in 'More than a Carpenter', Jesus is either 'Lord, Liar, or Lunatic'...
We can believe he is the Son of God and his teaching as recorded in the Bible and call him 'Lord'.
If we don't believe He is the Son of God, then he must be lying about his claim - or deluded into thinking that he was the Son of God.
In either of these cases, he would hardly qualify as a 'great man'.
We can wash feet and be nice to each other (both of those actions are desirable) but the gospel of Jesus Christ is much more than this.
Jenny Stokes
Salt Shakers

The snag we hit is that we have absolutely no idea what Jesus called himself. All the writings from the NT were done at least 70 years after JC's death (however he may have died).

I wonder why people can't be nice to each other without doing it in someone's name ? Why can't people wash other peoples feet all the time, not just at Easter ? If you left god, allah, jehovah out of the whole proceeding I would believe you are really nice, caring people. Doing something like this, whilst mentioning a dieties name, only makes me believe you are trying to notch up brownie points.

Jenny, Freethinker has a point. Jesus did not record his teachings. They were recorded after his death and have been revised by elements of the church over the centuries to suit changing agendas. Other religions feature Jesus but not necessarily that of the modern day Bible. To believe that the Bible is the one true account is just that, a belief. So hang on to your belief, but accept that there are others. Personal faith is not equivalent to universal truth. What really matters is how you apply your faith and what good it does you or others.

PK,

Have you actually read Jenny’s comments before spreading your ignorance around?

To ask a Christian to ignore universal truths to accommodate or be respectful to others is pure madness. It only proves that you don’t have a clue when it comes to theology.

Have you actually read the Bible? Which passages have been changed according to your claim? And why? To suit what agendas??

Jesus is the Word. He did not need to record or recite it. His eye witnesses wrote the New Testament, and many historians confirmed Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

The only religion other than Judaism and Christianity to record a Jesus account is Islam. Mohammad and the revisionists after him tried real hard to make Jesus look less than what he claimed to be but failed miserably.

If Jesus was just a man, how can you explain the Qur’anic account of His virgin conception, His miracles, His return to judge the world, etc…? Mohammad himself agreed that Jesus was greater than he.

To say that Jesus is less than God incarnate is to spit on God’s face and call Him a liar. Are you prepared to do that – assuming that you do believe in the same God of course and not a substitute to suit your faith and other beliefs?

Yes there may be other beliefs, and many religions, but only one true God, revealed in one true scripture, offering one absolute certainty of salvation in Christ Jesus.

Why would you want to believe anything else?

I am sure that Bill Cruse (who is not a Priest BTW) will confirm and say Amen to this or he can’t be called a Christian no matter how many feet he washes or lunches he serves.