Gandhi said the following about Christ:
"Although I have devoted a large part of my life to the study of religion and to discussion with religious leaders of all faiths, I know very well that I cannot but seem presumptuous in writing about Jesus Christ and trying to explain what he means to me. I do so only because my Christian friends have told me, on more than a few occasions, that for the very reason I am not a Christian and that (I shall quote their words exactly) “I do not accept Christ in the bottom of my heart as the only Son of God,” it is impossible for me to understand the profound significance of his teachings, or to know and interpret the greatest source of spiritual strength that man has ever known.
Although this may or may not be true in my case, I have reasons to believe that it is an erroneous point of view. I believe that such an estimate is incompatible with the message that Jesus Christ gave to the world. For, he was certainly the highest example of one who wished to give everything, asking nothing in return, and not caring what creed might happen to be professed by the recipient. I am sure that if he were living here now among men, he would bless the lives of many who perhaps have never even heard his name, if only their lives embodied the virtues of which he was a living example on earth; the virtues of loving one’s neighbor as oneself and of doing good and charitable works among one’s fellowmen.
What, then, does Jesus mean to me? To me, he was one of the greatest teachers humanity has ever had. To his believers, he was God’s only begotten Son.* Could the fact that I do or do not accept this belief make Jesus have any more or less influence in my life? Is all the grandeur of his teaching and of his doctrine to be forbidden to me? I cannot believe so.
To me, it implies a spiritual birth. My interpretation, in other words, is that in Jesus’ own life is the key of his nearness to God; that he expressed, as no other could, the spirit and will of God. It is in this sense that I see him and recognize him as the Son of God.
The Spirit of Jesus
But I do believe that something of this spirit that Jesus exemplified in the highest measure, in its most profound human sense, does exist. I must believe this; if I did not believe it, I should be a sceptic; and to be a skeptic is to live a life that is empty and lacks moral content. Or, what is the same thing, to condemn the entire human race to a negative end.
It is true that there certainly is reason for scepticism when one observes the bloody butchery that European aggressors have unloosed, and when one thinks about the misery and suffering prevalent in every corner of the world, as well as the pestilence and famine that always follow, terribly and inevitably, upon war.
In the face of this, how can one speak seriously of the Divine Spirit incarnate in man? Because these acts of terror and murder offend the conscience of man; because man knows that they represent evil; because in the inner depths of his heart and of his mind, he deplores them. And because, moreover, when he does not go astray, misled by false teachings or corrupted by false leaders, man has within his breast an impulse for good and a compassion that is the spark of Divinity, and which some day, I believe, will burst forth into the full flower that is the hope of all mankind.
Jesus’ Example
An example of this flowering may be found in the figure and in the life of Jesus. I refuse to believe that there now exists or has ever existed a person that has not made use of his example to lessen his sins, even though he may have done so without realizing it. The lives of all have, in some greater or lesser degree, been changed by his presence, his actions, and the words spoken by his divine voice.
I believe that it is impossible to estimate the merits of the various religions of the world, and, moreover, I believe that it is unnecessary and harmful even to attempt it. But each one of them, in my judgment, embodies a common motivating force: the desire to uplift man’s life and give it purpose.
And because the life of Jesus has the significance and the transcendency to which I have alluded, I believe that he belongs not solely to Christianity, but to the entire world; to all races and people, it matters little under what flag, name or doctrine they may work, profess a faith, or worship a God inherited from their ancestors."
— The Modern Review, October 1941, republished on mahatma.org.in/
The word begotten, has for Gandhi, a significance that is more profound and possibly nobler than its simple literal meaning. It's like believing that Salvation can be lived out on Earth as it is in Heaven.
But I believe belief that both those things can be literal and metaphorical and even instructive at the same time.
Gandhi's take on Christ shows us that one can be Hindu, Buddhist, a Janist,(an eastern post-Vedic/universalist faith) or any other faith and still understand and believe in Christ's example and teachings. Gandhi shows much understanding of the teachings of Christ and the example of His life and ministry.
That understanding can still change lives even if they aren't always taken literally. And more importantly the teachings of Christ can save lives. Literal belief I feel sometimes misses the metaphorical or analogous point in scripture.
Gandi's take on Jesus lead him to be one of the greatest forces for all things good and peaceful.
What if living Christ's teachings, even if one does not have literal belief, is what allows us to be truly saved? What if simply living the teachings brings about salvation for us and those around us? What if salvation eminates from within us out around us like ripples from a thrown stone in a pond? Is that how we can build up the Kingdom of God on Earth as it is in Heaven?
Is it possible to be saved without literal belief? Is literal belief more important than living by the teachings? Is living by the teachings the path to salvation?
If people like Gandhi cannot make it in to Heaven I'm not sure I'd fair any better.
