As I continue my debate of "Christianity vs. Islam", I am going to focus this post on the one, basic, fundamental reason why Islam (or any other religion) simply does not make any sense...

My very good bloggy friend, Maria, always comments so wonderfully on my posts. I love readers like her -- our views differ, yet she can appreciate what I'm trying to say and why I'm saying it. She's one of those loving, peaceful people who embrace all religions and accept them for what they are. I think that's awesome, and I really wish I could be that way. I am taking her principals of "accepting all religions" and basing this post on that phrase. Now, don't misunderstand me -- I love and embrace and accept all people. I simply don't love and embrace and accept all religions. Here's the basic reason as to why:

How do you know you're doing it right?

Let me clarify...

Our pastor recently gave a sermon on how to identify "the win." The message was about understanding how we Americans define success versus what God defines success. In society, such things as wealth, power, status, house, car, vacations, boats, stocks, clothes, brands, toys and reputation are all indicators of "success" in some form or another. I'm sure there are some people out there who would disagree, but to society as a whole this is all true. (Don't believe me? Who are the most watched, most revered, most admired people in our world? Not philanthropists, not clergy, not stay-at-home moms or teachers... they are celebrities! And the more outrageous they are, the more popular they are.)

Yet it's a completely different story to God. The "win" is different according to Christian doctrine. It's all opposite of what American society views as "the win."

First of all, there is one "sure" way to win, or get the prize (meaning eternal life in Heaven with God): Believe in the Lord, and accept Jesus Christ as His son and your savior. Repent and confess all of your sins, and ask for forgiveness. This process requires one to scrutinize past actions, and humble oneself so that he/she can ask for forgiveness. With the prayer to God and the acceptance that Jesus is paying the price of punishment for your sins, you are then "reborn" as a Christian -- one who lives and breathes in Christ. From that point, a person should live as sinless as possible. However, God realizes that we are human, and that we're far from perfect. It's sometimes hard to know what right and wrong is, and sometimes we make mistakes. Sometimes we cannot resist temptation. The Lord gives us the Ten Commandments to live by, as well as several teachings and parables from Jesus and his disciples. It is our duty as Christians to strive to live as much by those teachings as we possibly can. Yet if/when we mess up, we can know in our hearts that we are "saved" and that Christ has taken that punishment from us. As long as we keep those lines of communication open (as well as our hearts and minds) to God and Christ, eternity with the Lord is ours forever.

The Muslim commenter to my recent posts typed/pasted a lot of stuff in his/her most recent comment. Way too much stuff for me to sort through and comment on. However, there was one line that particularly stood out to me:

"Islam tells us that every human being is born pure and free of any sin, and will stay so, until he commits a sin as an adult."

Basic, fundamental Christianity teaches the same thing. But what happens in Islam when an adult does sin? How does one get into Heaven (Paradise, as Muslims call it)? I decided to do a bit of research online, and here's what I found:

(From the website "Understanding Islam"): "The believers will most definitely succeed (in the hereafter). Those who humble themselves in their prayers; who avoid vanities, who are active in deeds of charity; who preserve their chastity except from their spouses and from those whom they own, for they are free from blame, but those whose desires exceed those limits are transgressors; and those who faithfully observe their trusts and their agreements; who (strictly) guard their prayers; these will be the heirs; who will inherit paradise, they will dwell therein for ever." (Al-Mu'minoon 23:1-11)

It goes on to say:
So to summarize, according to the Qur'an in principal, "purification" is the qualification that people need in order to reach paradise. To be more specific, it is belief in God and the Day of Judgment as well as doing righteous deeds that makes one qualified for paradise. To see some more specific features of these believers we can refer to verses like Al-Mu'minoon 23:1-11.

The Qur'an also informs us that God is very forgiving and kind and that He is willing to forgive any sins other than Shirk (i.e. believing in partners with God) (Al-Nisaa 4:48 ; Al-Zumar 39:53). This indicates that although we should do our best in acquiring the above mentioned qualifications, God with His vast mercy and kindness does not restrict paradise to those who reach these qualifications in their perfect shape.

So that is the part I don't understand. If the ONLY sin that Allah is not willing to automatically forgive is believing in other gods (or, for example, the Son of God: i.e. Jesus), then what keeps a person from being greedy? Or hateful? Or violent? Or murderous? If every Muslim who believes in Allah knows that in the end, all will be forgiven, why would they need to live a good, honest, wholesome life?

The first verse above talks about humbling oneself in prayer, giving to charity and not being vain. Yet I'm sure that a lot of people who are Muslims aren't like that. In fact, my siblings are not like that. My Muslim sisters do not pray regularly, nor do they give to charity (isn't 2.5% stated as one of the Pillars of Islam?), and they can be quite vain at times. According to the paragraphs afterwards, it's okay that they don't do those things, because Allah is all-forgiving. So let's say hypothetically they take it a bit further. Let's say that I have sisters who steal, who lie and who are greedy. Are they still forgiven? What about if they're violent and abusive? What about if they murder? Have abortions? Degrade others? Extort family members? Molest children? (My sisters aren't like this... I'm just giving an example.) Does Allah still always forgive? EVERYONE goes to Paradise?

I'm just not okay with that. Sure, I'm sure that there are some altruistic people on this earth, but what about everyone else? What about the "bad" people? So (not to lump all Muslims in a group, but I have to ask), what about the terrorists responsible for the 9-11 tragedies? Or Suddam Hussein? Osama bin Laden? Suicide bombers? According to the above doctrine, they are all in (or will be going to) Paradise. How can that be? There is NO punishment? None? No reason to lead a good life here on earth? Nothing to fear?

No offense, but learning that tonight just shed a whole new light on Islam. Of course it's the fastest growing religion in the world -- there is no punishment! There is no clear concept of right vs. wrong, or of Hell vs. Heaven. Sure, if there are a bunch of religions out there and one of them supposedly promotes peace, love and Paradise for everyone... then, duh! I'm not surprised it's popular. But as I stated in my last post: popularity does not equal truth.

I absolutely adore the fact that I know God is full of love and light. But it also makes me feel good to know that there will be punishment, too. It does. I'm sure others feel the same way. There are some really, really bad people on this earth. Everyone deserves forgiveness, but it should not just be a "given" handed out freely with no strings attached. If the doctrine of Islam is true, then one doesn't even need to realize or acknowledge his/her sins -- they don't matter.

But wait... are there are words in the Koran about good deeds and righteous acts? Yes, there are. Here is the same writings from the website that I posted above:

"To be more specific, it is belief in God and the Day of Judgment as well as doing righteous deeds that makes one qualified for paradise.." And there was also this phrase: "...but those whose desires exceed those limits are transgressors;". What ARE the righteous deeds? What are those "limits?" How many is enough? How much is not enough? What exactly are the deeds that get you into Paradise versus the ones that don't count? And do two of one small deed equal one big deed? Does a deed that is done by someone who is rich, healthy, happy and powerful on the same exact level as the identical deed done by someone who is poor, weak, sick and of limited means? What's the grading scale? What defines a sin or a good deed? And what are the quantities/qualities that are enough? In other words, if I'm a Muslim, how exactly do I know that I am doing it right??? According to what I've read above: a) you don't exactly know and b) since Allah is all loving and all forgiving, it doesn't matter.

There are many examples of right and wrong in the Bible. But to base salvation on the level/quantity/quality of a person's deeds would be impossible. Yes, the Bible tells us how to live; those words -- whether via Christ or via prophets -- are the Lord's words. The four gospels are 4 books written by 4 different people who have almost the exact same story about the life and teachings of Christ. There were numerous witnesses to his crucifixion and to his resurrection. Like these other religions, Christianity shows us how to live a good life, and gives us rules to live by. Yet the one thing that Christianity offers that NO OTHER religion offers is this: a clearly stated doctrine that gives no doubt as to who will get Heaven/Paradise and who won't. Mankind was so deep in sin that God offered us a way out of it... a "pass" so to speak. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

In order to get that pass, a person only has to do a few simple things: acknowledge and confess all sins... believe in God with all his heart/mind/soul... and recognize that Jesus died so that we don't have to take the punishment that we earned for ourselves by sinning. Of course, because we have given that burden to Christ, most true Christians try to live out their lives just as God has instructed via the Bible. We do this because we are grateful for the chance at salvation, and we recognize all the things we've done wrong. If I did something that earned me capital punishment and my biological father stepped in to die and take that on my behalf, you bet your butt I'd be humbled. And I'd honor him by living a good, clean, honest life.

What in the religion of Islam forces one to be humble and repent? Or to live a good, clean life? How could a quiet, respectful, humble woman feel good about herself when the lying, cheating, murderous man next to her gets the same reward?

There is no definition of "the win" -- meaning a successful life that earns the ultimate reward -- in Islam. I did some reading earlier on Judaism as well, and it was even more muddled than Islam. I could not find exactly what one needs to do to get eternal life in Heaven with God, nor what that afterlife is exactly like, nor what specifically constitutes a "successful" life versus one that isn't successful.

That's why, in my humble opinion, Christianity is the only religion that makes sense. There is a clear, true definition of salvation. There is punishment for the wicked, reward for the righteous, and a way for the wicked to "right oneself" and become reborn so that they could have salvation, too. This principle is very similar to what we humans have here on earth today. If one breaks the law, they get fined or go to prison. The sentence fits the crime (usually). But if one becomes rehabilitated while imprisoned, there is hope for parole. Christ is our parole. Yet if someone is happy that they are wicked and would continue to live that way without remorse, then they will have punishment for life. I simply cannot accept a religion where murderers, thieves, molesters, terrorists and rapists could be loved, accepted and welcomed into Paradise without any requirement of repentance, or punishment or asking for forgiveness.

Jesus is not blasphemy, as my Muslim commenter stated. He is a Gift from God. He is our "pass" -- our salvation. A way to know without a doubt that we will be with the Lord in Heaven after our lives here on earth are done. We should not deny Christ -- we should embrace Christ and thank God for Him. Through Christ we can have a clear, direct, "successful" path to God.

"Therefore God exalted him [Jesus] to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11)

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes." (Romans 1:16)

Comments are welcome! Please feel free to share your thoughts.