6 Faith Leaders Important to Multiple Religions

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Faiths are often defined by their leaders. Faith leaders heavily influence a religion’s future beliefs and sometimes explicitly dictate them. Leaders set the tone for future generations, and they can make or break how outsiders interact with faithful adherents for centuries to come. Faith leaders are also the “face” of their religion. They are forever associated with the religion they helped build, to the point that some lose their original identity. Few Westerners know the name Siddhartha Gautama, but almost all of them have heard of “the Buddha.”

Given how closely tied faith leaders are to a specific religion, it is not unusual for them to become pigeonholed. Their teachings, legacies and even their names are forgotten or ignored outside of their religion. Every now and then, however, there is a faith leader that successfully bridges those spiritual boundaries. They may do so deliberately during their life, but most often a faith leader is not accepted or associated with a second faith until after their death. In such cases, the faith leader often has two very different associations to the different groups. One group may accept the faith leader’s historical importance but not their spiritual influence, or one group may accept some of the faith leader’s teachings but not all of them. Regardless of how much of their religion is accepted by an opposing faith, faith leaders that successfully bridge religious gaps are arguably the most influential figures to ever exist. So, who are some of these incredible people? Here are six faith leaders important to multiple religions.

Moses

Moses is one of the central figures in Judaism. It is Moses who leads the captive Israelites out of Egypt and to the Promised Land in modern day Israel. It is Moses to whom God speaks on Mount Sinai, and Moses is the one who first articulates the Law to the Israelites. The first section of the Torah, the Jewish holy book, is comprised of the Books of Moses, and his influence can be found throughout the rest of the text.

Muslims also revere Moses. Moses is one of the greatest prophets sent by Allah, and one of the few who brings a sacred text to the Earth to teach people correct behavior. Moses is also closely linked to Muhammad in Islam. The parallels between the two prophet’s lives are deliberately emphasized in Islamic writings, and Moses is often referenced before important events occur or important teachings are imparted.

Moses is also an important figure in Christianity. Christians do not revere Moses to the extent that Jews or Muslims do, but he is still one of the central figures in the Old Testament. He is referenced by Jesus Christ several times in the Gospels, and the story of the Israelite’s exodus from Egypt is perhaps the best known Old Testament story among Christians.

Gautama Buddha

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Gautama Buddha is the faith leader that gives the Buddhist religion its name. Though Buddhists believe he was not the only buddha, Gautama Buddha is arguably the most important buddha in Buddhism. It is Gautama Buddha’s teachings that form the foundation for all schools of Buddhism and whose sutras are best known.

Gautama Buddha is also an important figure in Hinduism. While many Hindus reject his teachings, some schools of Hindu thought recognize Gautama Buddha as the ninth incarnation, or avatara, of the god Vishnu. This belief is supported by the Hindu sacred texts the Puranas. Other Hindus maintain that Gautama Buddha was the avatara of the god Krishna.

Some Taoists also revere Gautama Buddha as the reincarnation of Lao Tzu. Lao Tzu was the founder of Taoism and the author of the Taoist holy text the Tao Te Ching.

Jesus of Nazareth

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Jesus of Nazareth is the central figure in Christianity. Called Jesus Christ by Christians, He is believed to be the Son of God. According to the Christian Bible, Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary and spent His adult life preaching to the people of Israel and Judea. He was betrayed by one of His disciples, crucified and then resurrected. Jesus is overwhelmingly the central figure in Christianity. Without Him, Christianity would not have even been conceived.

The Quran also discusses the life of Jesus of Nazareth, though the Muslim holy book refers to Him as Jesus, son of Mary. Jesus’s life story is very similar in the Quran and Bible. He has a virgin mother, preaches a text from God to His people and will return to Earth before the Day of Judgment. He is one of the greatest prophets in the Quran and is revered by Muslims around the world.

Krishna

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Krishna is a Hindu deity who is central to two different schools of Hindu thought. In Vaishnava teachings, Krishna is the eighth avatara of the god Vishnu while other schools of thought revere Krishna himself as the Supreme God. Krishna is arguably the most popular god among Hindus and is a central character in the sacred epic the Mahabharata.

In the Baha’i faith, Krishna is considered to be one of the divine Messengers. Baha’is believe that religious truth is revealed progressively by a series of Messengers whose teachings are tailored to suit the time and place of the Messenger’s appearance. The founders of most faiths are considered to be Messengers in Baha’i, and Krishna is Hinduism’s “representative” in Baha’i .

There are also small groups of Muslims who recognize Krishna as a prophet of Allah. Muslims believe that God sent many prophets to Earth, most of whose names are unknown today. Some Muslims believe Krishna is one of these messengers based on both Islamic and Hindu writings. One hadith states that “There was a prophet of God in India who is dark in color and his name is Kahan.” Krishna’s very name means “dark one,” and he is known in Hinduism for his jet black skin.

Abraham

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Abraham is one of the most important figures in Judaism. He is the father of the Israelites and the first person to form a covenant with God. It is from Abraham that the Jewish ritual of male circumcision is derived, and he is often considered to be a model of good religious behavior.

Abraham also features prominently in Islam. He is considered to be the first monotheist and the father of Ishmael, the man through whom Muslims trace their religious ancestry. Like Jews, Muslims consider Abraham to be an excellent example of good religious behavior, and Abraham features prominently in the Quran. He appears to Muhammad when Muhammad visits the heavens and calls Muhammad his favorite son.

Though he is not central to Christianity, Abraham does still play a part in the third Abrahamic religion. The story of Abraham’s covenant with God is reference throughout the Old Testament, and his obedience to God is underscored by his willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac, when God commands it. God eventually stops Abraham from killing Isaac and reveals it was a test to see if Abraham would obey.

Mary

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The Virgin Mary is the most important female figure in Christianity. She is revered as the Mother of God because she gave birth to Jesus Christ, and she is seen as the epitome of female chastity. According to some Christian traditions, Mary lived a life free of sin and was raised directly into heaven after she died. She is believed by Catholics to intercede on the behalf of sinners before God and is thus prominently featured in many Catholic painting, churches, rituals and prayers. Images of Mary are also very common in Orthodox churches and artwork.

Mary also features prominently in Islam. Just as in Christianity, she gives birth to Jesus when she is still a virgin and is known for her piety and chastity. In the Quran, Allah declares Mary to be the greatest of all women, and she is considered to be a prophet in her own right. Of the Quran’s 114 chapters, eight of them are named after people. One of them is title “Maryam,” the Arabic form of “Mary.” In addition, Mary is the only woman specifically named in the Quran.