Fatalistic Faith
This has been a very busy couple of weeks. Each morning for the last two weeks I have been leading a study called "When Worldviews Collide" by Ergun Caner. This study has provided insight into the three of fastest growing world religions (Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam) and compared each of them to Christianity. In some ways this study was a real encouragement but in other ways it was depressing. It was depressing to see how many people in our world live with a sense of desperation and hopelessness.
Each of the world religions mentioned above have no sense of Grace. In each of these religions a person's hope is pinned to their ability to do more good than bad. For the Buddhist and the Hindu (who are basically cousins) if they do well they can be reincarnated to a higher position in life. And if they continue to do well through a series of various life's they can hopefully reach nirvana.
In Islam there is no reincarnation or second chance. A person who is Islamic lives or dies by the scales. If they do more good than bad they make it to paradise. And if they do more bad than good then they are punished. The only way a Muslim can be assured of paradise is if they die as a martyr for the cause of allah. When you understand this it helps you to understand the sheer desperation of terrorists.
When I look at those three religions I get a sense of despair. Each of them depend solely on the goodness, the works or individuals. These systems are so fatalistic. There is no way that any of us can live "good enough" to earn the right to go to heaven. In Hinduism and Buddhism I would be stuck in the cycle of reincarnation and probably never rise above being an ant! And in Islam I would probably become so discouraged that I might find myself flirting with the concept of martrydom just so I could be sure that I make it to paradise.
This morning I have been thinking of the hymn that says "grace, grace, God's grace. Grace that will pardon and cleanse within." You know it is only in Christianity that we learn of a gracious God who gave of himself so that we could live. Today I want to celebrate that grace and help someone else to learn of that gift!
Each of the world religions mentioned above have no sense of Grace. In each of these religions a person's hope is pinned to their ability to do more good than bad. For the Buddhist and the Hindu (who are basically cousins) if they do well they can be reincarnated to a higher position in life. And if they continue to do well through a series of various life's they can hopefully reach nirvana.
In Islam there is no reincarnation or second chance. A person who is Islamic lives or dies by the scales. If they do more good than bad they make it to paradise. And if they do more bad than good then they are punished. The only way a Muslim can be assured of paradise is if they die as a martyr for the cause of allah. When you understand this it helps you to understand the sheer desperation of terrorists.
When I look at those three religions I get a sense of despair. Each of them depend solely on the goodness, the works or individuals. These systems are so fatalistic. There is no way that any of us can live "good enough" to earn the right to go to heaven. In Hinduism and Buddhism I would be stuck in the cycle of reincarnation and probably never rise above being an ant! And in Islam I would probably become so discouraged that I might find myself flirting with the concept of martrydom just so I could be sure that I make it to paradise.
This morning I have been thinking of the hymn that says "grace, grace, God's grace. Grace that will pardon and cleanse within." You know it is only in Christianity that we learn of a gracious God who gave of himself so that we could live. Today I want to celebrate that grace and help someone else to learn of that gift!