Theology drives ideology which drives action. What we believe about God shapes our entire lives. I have read The Bible and The Q'uran. These two sacred books are the foundation and canon of two religions, Christianity and Islam. While similarities or rather parallels can be found between the Bible and Koran, they do not identify the same God, nor do they make the same demands of their disciples. The Holy Bible begins with mankind sinning, and falling under a curse. From Genesis Chapter 3 to John Chapter 19, the sons of men are under a curse and the world itself is shattered by this curse. Hope is on horizon in the Old Testament (Tankh), prophets speak of a coming King, a Messiah, and Savior who will "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5). The Messiah did come, His name is Jesus Christ (Iesous, Iesu, Yeshua), and He is not merely a man but God in body (John 1:14, Matthew 1:23, Colossians 2:9, Colossians 1:1-18, Philippians 2:6-11, John 5:18, John 10:30, John 14:6-20, John 17:21, and Revelation 1:17-18) and His plan was not liberation from Rome, physical death by war, and the empires of the world, but a supernatural liberation from sin, eternal death, and elemental spirits of the unseen realm. This culiminates when Jesus Christ dies on the cross, becoming a sacrifice for all mankind who will believe (John 3;16, Romans 10:9, more verses like John 3:18 and more); and through this death and resurrection, God reconciles mankind unto Himself. The only requirement of disciples is to believe it and in Jesus as Savior, and follow Him, "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. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son," (John 3:16,18), “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household," (Acts 16:31), "He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time," (2 Timothy 1:9), "And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved," (Acts 2:21, see next verse for clarity), "Those who confess Jesus is Lord (God, Jehovah) and believe God raised Him from dead shall be saved, For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved, " (Romans 10:9-10), "For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age," (Titus 2:11-12), "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned," (Mark 16:16), "So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him," (Hebrews 9:28), "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us," (Romans 5:7-8), "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile (everyone else)," (Romans 1:16), "For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!" (Romans 5:10), "Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit," (1 Peter 3:18), "9For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God," (Romans 6:9-10), and "so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." (Hebrews 9:28). The Q'uran depicts quite a different view.
The Koran (Q'uran) agrees with The Bible that man is under sin, but Allah unlike the Alpha and Omega (Jesus Christ) does not have a salvic plan for mankind that includes Allah dying for Muslims. Instead, Muslims are required to do good works, and when they appear before Allah after death, their bad works will be measured against their good works, which determines if they will be admitted into heaven or be sent to hell. Since a Muslim can never be sure they have accomplished enough merit to outweigh their bad deeds, a fear of judgement looms over them. The solution provided in the Koran for this fear is to kill for Allah in what is called Jihad Akbar (Holy war), this is considered the lesser Jihad, while the greater Jihad is Jihad Ashgar, and its goal and aim is to purge the soul of a Muslim from sin rather than wield a scrimitar. Jihad Akbar however has one alluring element that overshadows Ashgar in importance, and it is this element that drives radicals like ISIS, Hezebollah, Al-Qada, Muslim Brotherhood, and more to wage war; the prophet Muhammed states that if a Mujahideen (holy warrior) in holy war dies, he is automatically admitted into heaven and justified in Allah's sight, "If you should die or be killed in the cause of Allah (Jihad Akbar), His mercy and forgiveness would surely be better than all they riches they amass. If you should die or be killed, before Him you shall all be gathered," (Sura 3:157-8), "As for those who are slain in the cause of Allah, He will not allow their works to perish. He will vouchsafe them guidance and ennoble their state; He will admit them to the Paradise He has made known to them," (Sura 10:4-15), "Let those fight in the cause of God who sell the life of this world for the hereafter. To him who fights in the cause of God, whether he is slain or victorious, soon we shall give him a great reward," (Surah 4:74), "When the sacred months are over, slay the idolaters wherever you find them. Arrest them, besiege them, and lie in ambush everywhere for them," (Sura 9:5), "Whether unarmed or well-equipped, march on and fight for the cause of Allah, with your wealth and your persons," (Sura 9:41), "Fight unbelievers who are near to you." 9:123 (different translation: Believers! Make war on the infidels who dwell around you. Let them find harshness in you. (another source: ) Ye who believe! Murder those of the disbelievers...."
- Muslims must murder to achieve salvation from Allah. Christians believe Christ who is God and came in a human body (became flesh) was murdered to achieve salvation, another translation: Allah hates sinners, never died for them, and expects Muslims to murder to merit heaven, Jesus in contrast loves sinners, died for them, and expects Christians to believe He was murdered (Acts 7:52) to merit them heaven (Romans 4:25).
The Biblical God saves His people from damnation through His death, and He leaves them with Power. The Scriptures say that Jesus upon ascending had The comforter sent, The Holy Spirit, who would give the Disciples power to do miracles, healings, teaching, and more (1 Corinthians 12:1-12, John 14:26, John 15:26, John 16:13, Acts 2:1-13, 1 Corinthians 2:13, 1 Corinthians 1:24, Colossians 2:2-3). The Apostle Paul says in The Bible that there are many Gifts of the Holy Spirit and among them are "spiritual lounges to talk to God, healing, miracles, discerning of spirits (demons and in people), prophecy, and more" (1 Corinthians 12:1-12). The Koranic (Quranic) God does not save his people from damnation, but requires them to save themselves thru holy war and asceticism, and he leaves them with no power. Allah does not aid Muslims with supernatural powers, but rather calls them to use their own arms (weapons), intellect, wealth, and inventions to spread the cause of Islam. Jihad Akbar, the surest way for a Muslim to save themselves requires politics, money, and manpower; it cannot function without soldiers, financers, weapons, and zeal. In contrast, Christians are empowered by Holy Spirit and do not need soldiers, fiancers, weapons, or zeal to achieve salvation; all they need is believe Jesus Christ accomplished salvation for them on the cross and rose from grave; and the Bible says, "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus," (Ephensians 2:6) and Jesus even promises to those who endure, who keep believing He died for their sins and rose from dead, and is God, "'He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne." (Revelation 3:21). Islam requires earthly powers, politics, and people to make it work. Christianity requires God and Man working together to make it work. The Gospel does not need swords, guns, money, or might to spread itself, but merely the words (testimony) and power of Holy Spirit. Evangelists for Christianity rely on God for the words and miracles to reach the unsaved (John 16:13), its a partnership where God shares the load in spreading the Church. In Islam it is the opposite, Allah does not promise assistance, nor does he interviene with miracles (healings, and etc) or share the load of building the Ummah; Muslims must build it brick by brick on their own.
The Bible and Quran share a similarity, the Law of Approbation. Approbation is the belief that whatever is written later is more relevant, important, and to be followed and practiced instead of what was written earlier. Example in the Bible, the Old Testament is not as important as The New Testament, the Old Covenant is finished (Hebrews 8:13) and the New Covenant is instituted through Jesus Christ and His Blood (Luke 22:20, Matthew 26;28). The Q'uran functions in same way. The prophet Muhammed wrote the Koran (Quran) in two parts, the first half which is very toleratant of Jews and Christians, even includes the Book of Isa (Jesus) which contains The Beatitudes, and asks Muslims to be friends with Christians and Jews, This friendly first half of the Quran was written when Muhammed had first received his revelations, and he was sharing his beliefs and seeking an alliance with Jews and Christians. After Muhammed's theology of one God and no others was rejected in Mecca, and he was removed by force to Medina, Muhammed had a change of heart, he raised an army and began writing the second half of Quran which contains the suras that call for killing all infidels (unbelievers, non-Muslims), and dying in the cause of holy war. There are Muslims who tend to read the first half of Quran, but fail to master the second half, the New Testament of the Koran if you will. In those pages of second half is contained the theology that drives ISIS and Islamic terror. The scholars of Islam who are not practicing Taqiyya, will tell you that the later half of Quran is more important, more relevant, and that the law of approbation makes it what should be practiced over what was written in first half. The Bible does the same, in the Old Testament there was Old Covenant with animal sacrifice and as pure a life as possible, but in New Testament a New Covenant is introduced where animals are spared, and God himself becomes the sacrficice for all sin and that sacrifice covers the person who believes in Jesus Christ. The Old Testament taught "an eye for eye," to repay those who do evil unto you and to hate yoru enemy, The New Testament of the Bible says, "You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth, But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors (worst type person in that day and age) doing that?" (Matthew 5:32-46), and "But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt (mistreat) you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone takes your cloak, do not withhold your tunic as well." (Luke 6:27-29).
The Bible and Quran are almost in reverse, The Quran began in its first half with love, and even loving your enemy, but the second half becomes hate and kill your enemy, while The Bible began in Old Testament with hate and kill your enemy, but in The New Testament demands love, and pray for your enemy. The Law of Approbation however binds people to follow the newest, and second half of the book, in case of Bible is leads to love, in Quran it leads to hate. The Newer revelation is like an addendum, it is new intructions, and new orders; just like in army, if there is old orders that say shoot on sight, but new orders come that say stand down and do not shoot, the soldier must follow the newer orders. The Muslim must according to the new orders in the second half of Quran kill and destroy all unbeleivers and die in Jihad Akbar. The Christian according to new orders of the New Testament must love their enemies, and believe Jesus Christ died once for all their sins and rose from dead.
The theological views of Christianity and Islam are different. Christian theology requires a person to forgive, turn the other cheek, love an enemy, pray for those who are persecutors, to share love, to preach repentence and to believe in Jesus, and to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." (Luke 6:31, The Bible). Islamic theology requires a person to beat the other cheek, hate an enemy, kill those who are perscutors, to share fear, to preach Islam and train people in holy war, and to "Slay them wherever ye find them and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter." (Sura 2:191, The Quran). These different worldviews, religions, and faiths lead to a different world and people. Theology, what someone believes creates a psychology (mental process) that leads to actions. If you believe Jesus Christ saves you, and that you should love others, even your enemy, that has actions and fruit that will create a world of love; but if you believe you can save youself through bloodshed and martyrdom, and that you must hate all enemies your actions and fruit will create a world of war. Many of pundits on television do not understand how religion creates a psychology and ideology that is stronger than any cause, poltics, and even financial gains. If experts refuse to understand how a person views God shapes their understanding and actions, we shall continue to see unproductive solutions for the problems in our world. Reason, Science, and Pyschology are not answers, but byproducts of the Answer, the Alpha and Omega, God who created them all. Thus trying to reason why someone shot up people in San Bernadino, or explore psychology independent of theology will lead nowhere. Unlike what the Darwinists and athiests have said, our world is not full of men and women who are atheist or antitheist, who have abandoned theology, but rather it is full of thiests and there are two theologies, two gods, two religions, and faiths that shaping people's world view, Christianity and Islam. Hinduism is making comeback with Yoga and Bollywood, but in comparsion to 2.9 Billion Christians and 1.9 Billion Muslims, the other religions are considerably diminished.
You must decide which view of God (theology) you want to believe. Will it be a god who requires you to merit salvation through slaughter of others and even yourself? Is death your god? Or will it be the God who requires you to believe His death was enough to save you, and who asks you share this salvation (Gospel) and resurrection with others? Is Life your God? (John 14:6). Will you serve a god that demands you hate all who do not view God as you do and believe as you do, and inevitably kill them? Or will you serve a God that asks you to love these unbelievers, to pray for them, and even say, "Forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34). Do you want to follow a god that hates you in your sin, and provides no freedom from it save for your own sucicide? Or do you want to follow a God that loves you, even when your a sinner, and provides freedom and salvation through His own death on the cross? Which theology, which God you decide to serve will radically alter and change how you view this world, how you treat others, and how you even view yourself. To quote lyrics from a band, "you decide, who will you run to?" (Firefight).
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