Christians and Muslims believe they worship the One True God

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Christians claim the worship the one True God and so do Muslims. Who then are the true believers? Does God really care about our religion?

Somehow, I think that religion is just man made and has only caused division in our world. Human beings tend to react in a particular way when they have been touched by supernatural beings and this is what has given rise to the many religions we have in our world today. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism and others were all inspired by supernatural beings. Which religion is indeed the right one?

There are many Muslims in our world today and so also are Christians. For now, it is said that there are more Christians in the world than Muslims although lately, it's reported that Muslims are also growing in population at a much faster rate than Christians.

I don't want to start talking about the demographics or popularity of either of thee religions but rather on what they really believe and hold onto.

If you are living in Nigeria for instance, you would have made friends or come in contact with someone in an opposite religion as you are. If you are a Christian, you must have met and proclaimed your faith to a Muslims one time or the other and if you are a Muslim, you might have also done the same to a Christian.

I'm a Christian and at times I laugh when I hear a Muslim telling me that I'm lost when I'm infact covered with the blood of Jesus. I reply to the Muslim by also telling him that unless he is baptized with water and the Spirit, he cannot enter God's heaven. Some Muslims I've met have mocked my religion and have expressed their firm believe that Christians are lost. They believe that Christians are simply opposing the will of Allah which is that all men must follow the Mohammed way of worship which includes things like praying 5 times a day, ritual washing your body, reading the Koran and so on.

For Christians, the way to salvation lies in first of all believing that Jesus is the Savior who God has sent, getting baptized in his name and then doing good work based on true love.

For Muslims, one has to read the Koran and follow the practices written therein. Some Muslims argue that Christians don't pray and even when they do, they don't pray in the right manner or style.

For Christians, the rule is to pray all the time as Jesus commands them to and it's not always vocal or public prayer. For Muslims, the belief is that 5 times daily prayer is a must.

The argument between a Nigerian Christian and Muslim can last a long time and in the end, it mostly ends without either side winning the argument. A devoted Christian will never believe or convert to Islam and neither will a strong Muslim convert to Islam just based on arguments you've made with them. Although there are rare cases of conversions from one religion to another, it normally ends up in the convert being isolated from his immediate family and friends.

I often ask; "Were both religions not really imported to Africa?". Christianity came from Europe and Islam came from the Middle East. Both religions were alien to Nigerian thousands of years ago and we had our own religious system even though it involved the use of images and animal sacrifices. What really caused our world to be so divided into 2 major religions as it is today unlike the way it was about five thousands years ago? During those stone ages, there was nothing like Islam or even Christianity but in our own days, it has become so inherent that people are willing to kill for it.

As a Christian who believes that Christianity is the sure way to heaven, I don't believe that God would condemn all Muslims but would at least save some. Also, I know that it's not all Christians would be saved but it would not be because they were Christians but because they were not faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

As a Christian, it's normal for me to believe in a heaven that is filled with Christian brothers and sisters who were formerly church members on earth and now enjoying the beatific vision. I also at times ponder at the possibility of a heaven also inhabited by people who were Muslims on earth.

Somehow, I see the future heaven as being big enough to accommodate both Christians and Muslims just as it was on earth but I don't believe that that type of heaven would be for terrorists or murderers who claim to kill people in the name of God. It would be a heaven filled with people of good will irrespective of whatever religion they were involved in on earth. I somehow believe that God would not judge people based on their religion but based on their works while on earth.

Posted by Felix Okoli on Saturday November 1, 2014 at 10:54:22: