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Some groups identifying themselves as Christian, such as [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], and [[Christian Science|Christian Scientists]], believe Jesus was divinely inspired but not God [[incarnate]]. See also [[Nicene Creed]]. Others such as [[Mormons]] believe in the Trinity, but maintain that God the Father created Jesus as God the Son, that Jesus created the universe, and add their own sacred texts that continue on past the [[New Testament]]; and thus form a different sort of overall Christian history.
===Unitarians===
[[Unitarianism|Unitarians]] believe in the unity of God, and do not believe in the Trinity. While Unitarians generally hold Jesus in high regard, they do not believe he was divine (though some believe he was the human son of God who thus became immortal). Some Unitarians consider themselves Christian in the sense that they are followers of Jesus, while others do not self-identify as Christian.
===Hinduism===
[[Hinduism]] is divided on the issue of Jesus—some hold that it is unlikely he existed, or that he was just a man, others say he was a great [[guru]] or [[yogi]], others still equate Jesus with an [[avatar]]. A great deal of earlier inclusion of Jesus within the Hindu pantheon is connected to the emergence of the [[Saint Thomas Christians]]. The [[International Society for Krishna Consciousness|Hare Krishna]] sect of Hinduism believes that Jesus is the son of Krishna (who they believe is God the Father that Jesus spoke of), and they accept many of his teachings.
===Islam===
[[Islam]] teaches that:
*Jesus ([[Isa]] in Arabic) was one of God's many human prophets who were chosen to teach Islam to mankind at different stages; the final and completed stage being taught by God's final prophet, [[Muhammad]].
*There is no god except the one true God. God does not have a son. Thus, as with all prophets, Jesus was a human being.
*As with all prophets, Jesus was able to perform miracles, but only by the will of God.
*Jesus was neither killed nor crucified; but God made it appear so to the people.
*Jesus is alive and shall return to the world in the flesh along with the [[Mahdi]] once the world has become filled with injustice.
[[Ahmadiyya]] Muslims believe that Jesus survived the crucifixion and travelled to [[Kashmir]] (See [[Yuza Asif]]). They also believe that references to the [[Second Coming]] of Jesus in religious scriptures are allegorical and refer to the arrival of [[Mirza Ghulam Ahmad]].
===Judaism===
Traditional [[Judaism]] has deemed Jesus a [[false messiah]], and religious Jews are still awaiting the arrival of the Messiah. Many Jews see Jesus as a minor miracle worker or failed rebel leader, but a small number consider him a great teacher. Others note a passage in Deuteronomy 13:1-6, which speaks of not adding or subtracting from the commandments, and of prophets who tell you to go against God or the commandments. Some scholars believe that Jesus is mentioned as [[Yeshu]] in the Jewish [[Talmud]], although many scholars dispute this.
===Other perspectives===
[[Atheism|Atheists]], by definition, do not believe in a divinity — and thus not in any divinity of Jesus. Some doubt he lived, some regard him as an important moral teacher, and some as a historical preacher like any other.
The [[Bahá'í Faith]] considers Jesus to be a manifestation (prophet) of God, while not being God incarnate. Some [[Buddhists]] believe Jesus may have been a [[Bodhisattva]], one who gives up his own [[Nirvana]] to help others reach theirs.
The [[New Age]] movement has reinterpreted the life and teaching of Jesus in a large variety of ways (For example, see [[A Course in Miracles]]). He has also been claimed as an [[Ascended Master]] by [[Theosophical Society|Theosophy]] and some of its offshoots; related speculations have him studying [[mysticism]] in the [[Himalaya]] or [[hermeticism]] in [[Egypt]] in the period between his childhood and his public career.
The discipline of [[Christology]] discusses who Jesus was or was not from a philosophical and theological perspective. The [[Christological argument]] attempts to prove the existence of God based on the existence of Jesus and his claims about himself as presented in the gospels.
The questions of the divinity of Jesus was discussed and voted on by [[Ecumenical council|Ecumenical Councils]], starting with [[Constantine I of the Roman Empire|Constantine I]]'s attempts at producing unity, enforcement of the resulting decision thus suggesting an air of politicisation to the supposedly religious issue. It is not the case that all scholars reject Jesus' divinity, yet some may choose to describe the social and cultural implications of claiming divinity in the [[1st century]]. As such, scholars are interested in providing an historical context to the beliefs and tenets of Jesus' apparant [[Kingdom of God]] movement. As a consequence, some secular scholars believe he was simply a [[Judaism|Jewish]] [[apocalyptic]] [[teacher]] and [[faith healer]] who was crucified, and was subsequently the inspiration for Christianity.
==Date of birth and death==
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