To those who don't want to read this long passage (I can't blame you... sorry for being long-winded!), here's a summary to begin with. I have examined many sources, from [u]Telling Right From Wrong, What Is Moral, What Is Immoral, And What Is Neither One Nor The Other[/u] to the [u]Tao Teh Ching[/u], and I have chosen [u]The Holy Bible[/u] to be my absolute standard of truth.
To answer your question, ketsueki, yes, I am a Christian. That website I pointed out was
only to share a view on Allah; otherwise I don't find the tracts there very representative the things I believe.
My beliefs (which stem from my interpretation of the Bible, not what I've been spoon-fed) are quite different from many other Christians, but my belief system is that of Christianity -- I believe that...
1) God is perfect
2) God's standard is perfection (i.e. - sin pisses God off)
4) God's punishment for sin is death (death can be interpreted as both physical death, or seperation from God -- depends on context -- look at the original words used when reading certain passages).
5) We, as humans, cannot be perfect.
6) Since we cannot be perfect, we need a sacrifice (someone to take the punishment for us)
7) God used to accept the best sheep, cows, etc. as temporary penance for sin, but people started to think that they could commit any sin they wanted and just kill an animal for forgiveness, so God said, "No more", and then there was no longer this type of penance for sin - you have to be perfect.
8) God knows that no one (human) can achieve perfection, so he gave everyone a way out -- Jesus. Jesus led the perfect life that no one can live, and was killed an innocent man. (side note - I believe Jesus was God on earth... the phrase "Son of God" tends to be misused a lot, making him seem different, but they are two in the same in my eyes)
9) We must accept Jesus' death as our sacrifice, the atonement for our sin. (i.e. - realize you can't be perfect, pray Jesus enter your heart, and strive to be like him [that's not a requirement of salvation, that's a byproduct of Jesus entering your heart])
Basically, the main reasons that I choose Christianity over other religions are these... I believe in one supreme God. Consider there being many -- if I were one of many Gods in charge of the universe, I would want to be more important/have more power than the other guys... war would break out and rip the universe apart. Or can you imagine multiple God sitting down constructing the universe? Could they come to agreement on how they wanted things to be? More (most, actually) importantly, I believe in "faith based salvation". This is knowing that you can't be good enough to enter the gates of heaven and need help -- this is opposite of "works based salvation" which assumes some sort of good/bad scale on which your works are placed -- what about the guy with 50/50? Finally, I like the idea of a God that cares about me. Christianity is about having a personal relationship with God -- most other religions seem distant from their God, as if he's a far-away entity that you couldn't actually just talk to. I can openly and honestly tell God what's on my heart, and know that he cares... Take this for example -- sometimes I tell him that this guy really pissed me off today and I wanted to smash his face into a brick wall, but he understands and gives me the strength to not do that, because it's the wrong thing to do.
"You must stab him in the heart with the Bone Saber of Zumacalis... well, you could stab him in the head or the lungs, too... and the saber, it probably doesn't have to be bone, just anything sharp lying around the house... you could poke him with a pillow and kill him."
- Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Universal Re-Monster
