Religion is from the Latin word “religare” which means to bind. It is referred to a common belief that binds a people together in their relationship with the ultimate being to find solutions to fundamental questions of life. This question centers on the ontology of man, which include the origin of humanity and the destiny of humanity and the sustenance of humanity in the midst of miserable experience. In religion human projects their aspirations, grievances and expectations to the ultimate being with the expectation of getting solutions and consolation to these problems.

The question of Jesus’ attitude to people of other cultures, religions and ethnic groups remains an important question in missiology. This question is the foundation of all missionary and evangelical activities and stands as the take off point of ecumenism. Jesus himself welcomes representatives of the nations, such as the Canaanite woman, the centurion and perhaps the possessed man of Gerasa and bestowed on them a participation in the benefit of the reign of God.

Nevertheless, I shall approach this term paper by exploring the religious inclinations of man which is intrinsic in him. In doing this I shall look into the redemptive role of Jesus and how he tackled the fundamental question of man. I must not fail to look at how Jesus related to non Jews in order to establish a ground for inter-religious dialogue. My task, therefore, will be to see Jesus in the faces of the different religions with this I shall draw out my conclusion for religious dialogue.

RELIGIOUS INCLINATION OF MAN

From the time man’s existence became known man has always long for religion, in search of an ultimate being whose existence is necessary for the satisfaction of man spiritual desire. Religion has existed in all human societies from early times. Although belief systems and traditions of worship differ from culture, they also have many common elements. In all cultures, human beings make a practice of interacting with what are taken to be spiritual powers. These powers may be in the form of gods, spirits, ancestors or any kind of sacred reality with which humans believe themselves to be connected to. The basic question of all cultures and people is how can the world situations make meaning to them? How can one overcome his present predicament with a more balanced and relaxed mind?

Nevertheless, the advent of Jesus Christ, the only son of the father became an answer to man’s perennial questions. Jesus became a model and a solution to man’s anxiety. He was a consoler, a comforter, a healer and an advocate in a world which seems to be ruined by injustice, marginalization and survival of the fittest.

JESUS IN THE ECONOMY OF SALVATION

The economy of the Old Testament was consciously oriented that it should prepare for and declare the coming of Christ, savior of the entire human race. Prior to the coming of Christ the book of the Old Testament unravel the understanding of God and man and make it conspicuous to the whole world how merciful God is.( Vatican II Divine Rev. 15).

The coming of Christ, pave a way for a newer understanding of the relationship between God and man. For when the time had fully come (Gal4:4), the word became flesh and dwelt among us full of grace and truth (Jn 1:14). Christ established on earth the kingdom of God, revealed his father and himself by deeds and words and by his death, resurrection and glorious ascension as well as by sending the Holy Spirit, completed his work. Lifted up from the earth he draws all men to himself (Jn 10:32) for he alone has the words of eternal life (Divine Rev. 1).

JESUS IN THE SALVIFIC HISTORY

The disobedience of the first human parents as recorded in the book of Genesis brought in disorder and pain to humanity. The taint of original sin is transmitted to succeeding generations by the act of procreation. Humanity is therefore unable not to sin. Only the irresistible grace of God can free his creation from the power of sin and that grace was given in Christ.

Nevertheless, the advent of our Lord Jesus was to upgrade the human nature that was degraded by the taint of original sin. Christ stands as a perfect redeemer, restorer of humanity. He underwent suffering as a suffering servant in order to lift man up to the state of a glorious. Through his blood which he shed on the cross man established a new covenant with God.

Furthermore, Paul and other New Testament writers interpreted the work of Christ as overcoming the tremendous power of inherited sin and evil once and for all reconciling humanity to God and thus making peace. Christ in his human nature united all to the father by overcoming death through his death and resurrection , redeemed man and changed him into a new creation( Gal 6:15, Cor5:17) . For by communication his spirit, Christ mystically constitutes as his body those brothers of his who are called together from every nation. (Lumen Gentium7, p.355).

Furthermore, the significance of Christ in human salvific history cannot be overemphasized. “For God so loved the world that he sent his only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life, Jn3:16. This implies that through Christ the spirit of God in man became rekindle; man who seemed to be doomed became redeemed by the precious blood of Christ.

JESUS AND OTHER RELIGIONS

The life and mission of Jesus Christ have significant effect to all religions. The message of Jesus is directed to all nations. He foresaw a universality of faith that would gather up all of that despised based on their social status or geographical locations, whether of Rome of Syro-Phoenicia or of the Galilee. This is reflected in the introduction of the sermon on mount;

“They carried to him all the afflicted. The great crowds that followed him came from Galilee, the ten cities, Jerusalem and Judea and from across Jordan (Matt4:24-25)”.

Jesus established a ground to proclaim the Goodnews to the mass of humanity, and proclaim the joy of the reign of God to all the poor of the world. The universality of human miseries centered on the universality of faith or poverty of heart which in turn calls for universality of the divine gift, Lucien,(1988).

Religion as it is commonly known refers to a search for an ultimate being with the aim of getting a meaningful answer to human predicaments in life. Jesus’ mission on earth was to give answer to those basic questions that had affected the entire life of man since the fall of man through original sin. The teachings and ethics of the various religions contribute towards the understanding of the mission of Christ which is salvific and eschatological.

However, Jesus made his mission explicit to the people by his recitation of the prophecy of Isaiah;

     “The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach Good news to the poor, he has sent me to proclaim release to the captives And recovering of sight to the blind, to set liberty to those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (Isaiah 61).

Obviously, there was no culture where Christ is not expected. Christ in his person and in his teachings, in his life and his death represented the divine answer to a question that had in fact been asked everywhere, the divine fulfillment of an aspiration that was universal, in short, what one of the earliest of them called the ground of hoping that may be converted and win their way to God, through Jesus the Christ, our common name and our common hope. Jesus is therefore an answer to all religious aspirations. Jesus stands as a consoler to all religions and one who gives calmness to all religious curiosities. Jesus Christ is the end point of all religions consciously or unconsciously, Jaroslav (1985).

Furthermore, all religions are searching for the truth. Jesus is an embodiment of truth. He asserted; “I am the way the truth and the life”. Hence Christ is the only truth which all religions had been searching over the centuries. In Jesus Christ man gains fulfillment, spiritually, psychologically, socially, ethically and intellectually. Jesus said; “come to me all you who are heavily burdened and I will give you rest”.

JESUS IN THE FACES OF OTHER RELIGIONS

1.                  AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION

In African Traditional religion the ancestors play important roles, having fulfilled their days and having observed the tradition, social customs and family duties, the deceased come to be considered as protectors and intermediaries between God and human beings. They are manifestations of a source from which life flows. This life is received from God and has its foundation in his power.

Sequel to this enormous reverence given to ancestors and in view of those glittering qualities that give rise to ancestors, faith in the ancestors could be a support for faith in Jesus. The God of Jesus Christ is the God of life. Jesus who shares in this life in a special way presents himself as one who gives life and gives it in abundance ( Jn 10:10), from this point of view Jesus can be considered as an ancestor indeed, the ancestor par excellence, Nyamiti(1984).

Furthermore, health is something of tremendous value to Africa and hence all efforts are directed towards the preservation of life. Death is often rejected and sickness is often prevented. Health lies in maintaining perfect harmony in the natural social and cosmic orders, both visible and invisible. When this harmony is disturbed, remedies will have to be sought. Jesus is presented in the Gospels as one who went about healing. He is both liberator and a healer, through his healing action, he shows himself to be in touch with human suffering. In healing he calls for commitment. This implies that the man Jesus is one who the Africans seek in their quest for healing. This is because Jesus is a healer, a comforter, consoler and a peacemaker.

2.                  JESUS BEFORE THE JEWISH TRADITION

Jesus was a Jewish. Jesus did not come with the intention of establishing a new religion. He came for the completion of the prophecies in the Old Testament. His mission to Jewish was to give hope to those in despair, to proclaim liberty to those in captive as prophesized by the prophet Isaiah.

However, Jesus Jewishness is not only the fact of his birth but also for his penchant for the scriptures and for the temple as evidenced in his preaching and his ministries in general. It is pertinent to say that the first Christians were in fact Judeo-Christians, though very soon Gentiles entered the church. Jesus did not come to condemn a religion that had been established. He came for a reformation and a better enlightenment towards the understanding of the teachings of the prophets. The new climate established by the Declaration Nostra Aetate of the second Vatican Council has allowed both Jews and Christians to take a new look at Jesus.

3.                  JESUS IN THE FACE OF ISLAMIC RELIGION

 A lot is spoken about Jesus in the Quran. These include his virginal birth, the role of Jesus as a prophet, his mission to confirm the Torah. It is quite amazing that when one goes through this passages one deduces the similarities shared between Christianity and Islam.

However, the only difference found between these two religions is that divinity of Jesus is denied in Islam. The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus into heaven is affirmed in Islam. They show reverence to Jesus and recognize his importance in human salvation, but they rank him lower than Mohammed.

Muslim mystics write of Jesus as a spiritual teacher, one who emphasized fear and love of God, patience in time of trial, abandoned to God, ascetic and poverty, humility and love. For Ibn Arabi (d.1240) Jesus is the seal of holiness.

Though the divinity of Jesus is denied in Islam, the attributes given to Christ in Islam contradicts this denial and project his divinity. There may be temptation to seize some of the expressions used in the Qur’an with regard to Jesus (“word, Spirit from God”) and see them as pointers to belief in the divinity of Christ. The whole Qur’anic context, with its strong denial that Jesus God, would invalidate such a procedure when speaking about Jesus with Muslims, it would seem preferable to take as starting point his message and from here work back to the person and mystery of Christ.

4.                  JESUS IN THE FACE OF HINDUISM

Jesus is a figure to be admired, revered and emulate among the Hindus who have come in contact with the teachings of Jesus Christ. Some have come to admire Jesus but without any feeling of commitment to him, but within the context of Hinduism. Still others have responded to the person of Christ by seeking Baptism and incorporation into the church.

It is quite interesting that Jesus is referred to as an ethical symbol among the Hindus. Many Hindus have no difficulty in accepting Jesus as divine. What they find difficult is the Christian understanding that the incarnation of God in Jesus is unique. Jesus is often seen as the supreme example of self realization, the goal of the Hindi dharma. He is taken to be a symbol of human progress. For some he becomes more of an ideal than a historical person.

According to Hindu traditions, history always provides an imperfect knowledge of reality. In such a context, to identify the mystery of Jesus Christ with historical fact is seen as reducing God to imperfection.

5.                  JESUS IN THE FACE OF BUDDHISM

Among the Buddhists Jesus is seen as an embodiment of self abandonment, denial and self emptiness. Some see Jesus as the Liberator, because he teaches people the view of life, helping them out of darkness and blindness. Jesus does not impose liberation but offers it, through faith in him. For the Dalai Lama it is the compassion of Jesus that is most striking. He sees Jesus that is not striking. He sees the importance of the Gospel teaching on love of neighbor, kindness and forgiveness.

JESUS IN OUR SELF DISCOVERY

The goal of humanity is to discover oneself so as to understand the principles that govern human society and God through whom all comes into being. Jesus is the embodiment of knowledge in Christ one discovers his divine mission. Jesus is the way to the father and through him man gains spiritual nourishment. Hence; “cut off from me you can do nothing” (Jn 14 :)

CONCLUSION.

 A glance at different religions gives one the insight that there are many approaches to Jesus. As Christians we are rooted in our belief in Jesus as the son of God, Lord and savior, and our love for him. It is the faith and love which allows us to go to others. We may feel that though they do not fully share our belief in Christ and our commitment to him, they are able to walk part of the way with us.

Nevertheless, the Good News of Christ has been sent to all ages, traditions and cultures, it is not limited to particular system of life. It is not tied down exclusively and indissolubly to any race or nation, to any particular way of life. The church is charged with a universal mission, this is the communion with the different forms of culture and religions thereby enriching them both itself, cultures and different religion it encounters, through message of Christ (Vatican II, pastoral constitution on the Church in the Modern world, n.58).

Jesus is relevant to all religions. Since the basic question of all religions is how one can overcome the problems of human suffering, sickness and death. Christ is the answer to these questions. He was a healer, conqueror of human sufferings and even was victorious over the power death through his resurrection. Jesus is the authentic way to the father. Hence all religions and cultures in their various practices create dispositions towards the understanding of this mystery of Christ.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Adigwe, H.A. (2003), One God Many Religions, Onitsha: Thonik Prints Production LTD.

Jaroslav, P. (1985), Jesus through the Centuries, London: Yale University Press.

Lucien, L. (1988), Unity and Plurality, U.S.A: Orbis Books.

Nyamiti, C. (1984), Christ as Our Brother Ancestor. Zimbabwe: Mambo Press.

Owen, W.(1982), Six World Faith, New York: Cassell Publishers Ltd.

Second Vatican Council, (1988), Dogmatic Constitution, Lumen Gentium, Ireland: The Ambassador    Publications.