Other thinkers hold that what the original teachers of religions taught was the same but that their followers later misunderstood or distorted their teachings. They hold that what Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha and Krishna originally taught was the same, but that later people turned their message of unity and tolerance into a sectarian religion. Yet if we look closely at the existent teachings of such religious leaders we find very different approaches, attitudes and behavior. 

Books like the Koran and the Gita are hardly alike either in their tone or teaching. Such main topics of the Gita as the Self, karma, the gunas, yoga and renunciation are not found in the Koran unless we insert them between the lines. Teachers like Mohammed and Buddha had very different manners, one being aggressive and assertive in his religious proselytizing, the other being passive and non-violent. The list of could go on and on.