Have you ever noticed the glaring difference in the life and message of the Bible? Sure there are MANY similarities and ideas in other writings. I, and no Christian, should have any reserves about this–truth is truth no matter whose lips in falls out of. But the most important things, the ‘game changers,’ the ‘deal breakers,’ (please insert your little catch-phrase to convey the ‘big ideas’), the things that are going to cause people to fight, these things are wildly different in the Bible than any other religious views. Paramount among these views is others.
Others, the idea that I am supposed to exist and live for God AND OTHER PEOPLE, people other than myself is silly crazy! Islam, you say, has as one of their ‘Five Pillars’ the giving of alms, and that helps people. It does. But the giving of alms or any of the acts of kindness or charity are not about the other person, it is about the person GIVING not the one RECEIVING. If you do not give alms eternity will be an unpleasant place for you (in a Muslim view).
This is religion–not love–at its finest: I do for others as a means for myself. (Lsiten to yourself say that!) But Islam is not by any means alone in this; almost all serious religions–those that really are concerned for the soul–are set-up this way and there are even false sects of people calling themselves ‘christians’ who believe such things. I do this or that and there is some sort of obligation by some greater power to let me into the greater existence. Be good; try real hard; write a lot of books; set yourself on fire; go on a pilgrimage; never say no (because you may be right); never say yes to desires (because you’re bad); don’t look at women; don’t eat certain items; be single your whole life; have a thousand kids if you can; memorize certain texts; empty your mind; be ascetic; go a hedonist; get all you can; sell all you have; pray all the time; pray 5 times a day; pray when you feel like it; be an optimist; be skeptical; retain your naivete; be chipper; be mournful; make light of life; or you better take it seriously; wisdom is found in nothingness; nothing is unwise; live for the now; think for the future. Whew! I feel like throwing up!
There is a song that says, ‘What’s the point of trading a law you could never keep [which will give you everything if you did keep it]/ for one you can that cannot get you anything?’
We try so hard to do something and our reward will be nothing, as the guy from Men’s Warehouse says, ‘I guarantee it.’
If you try your hardest or follow all the rules you’ll get nothing, because you cannot do right and good at all times. Everyone is in this state, we are all screwed for eternity unless God himself intervenes. God owes nothing. Humans–us–have created the idea that somehow God does owe us if we try to make him happy every now and then. Yet every religion in the world tries to blackmail God in their own clever ways. And sadly billions enter eternity having no clue as to what it is God requires of them to go to Heaven and be with him. Our ‘good enough’ is not only miserably (and laughably in comparison) short, but it is offensive to God that we would try and lower his standard.
What is a massive thing that humans cannot do on their own without something of God residing in them? Love others genuinely without the hope or expectation of anything in return. That IS love: doing for the sake of someone else, not you.
You see, the Apostle Paul, in the book of Galatians says that the whole law is fulfilled in one word, love your neighbor [others] as yourself. The point of the ‘others’ mentality is not to win a reward so God will be pleased with us, the point is . . . others. (WHAT?!?!) I know. Crazy. A cat meows; eyes see; water is wet; Christians love (if you haven’t taken the SAT, you’re welcome for that little practice test).
God gets a kick out of this for sure because he has designed it that he gets the props, the accolades when Christians love people BECAUSE the Christian’s love for someone else is a reverberation of God himself; we can’t genuinely love other unless we are loved in that way by God himself (we do only because he has done).
If you’re still skeptical just listen to Jesus as he spoke with his posse: ‘No greater love has anyone than this, that he would lay his life down for his friends.’ Well that’s easy for you to say, Jesus. No, it really wasn’t. He did it. He became a screaming, needy little baby, lived in our hurtful and deadly world as a human. Then he died for not only his friends but his enemies–and not his school-yard enemies; the enemies who physically killed him. He died for others: he loved. He did something benefitting others in the greatest magnitude: he loved.
God is love and TO love is to love God (and others).
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