All religions are by no means the same. Religions differ in many ways- ways of worship, beliefs, attitudes towards non-followers of their religion, belief in God, atheism, agnosticism, rituals, etc etc.
Hindus believe that they can offer their prayers to God in any form they like. They look upon God with form or without form; He is infinite, omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient. They believe that if they like, they can worship Him in the form of Mother Earth, Water, Air, Fire, Sun, Moon, Stars, Oceans, Rivers, Mountains, Intelligence, Memory, Learning, Valour, in fact, anything that inspires them to make their life noble, sweet and sublime. Hindus define this to be the substance of “religion”. Anything contrary to this is not religion at all.
Hindus believe that every other religion also should be teaching the same thing. They believe that all religions teaches good, noble and helpful conduct towards all irrespective of caste, creed or colour. That all religions teach respect of others’ ways of worship and prayers. But some religions do not have these beliefs.
Both Islam and Christianity have the following Common Beliefs:
i) God is jealous. Worship of God in the form of an Idol or any other Symbol like Sun, Moon, Stars, Earth, Ocean, Rivers, etc. is equivalent to worshiping somebody other than the One God. This arouses jealousy of the One God who inflicts severe punishment for this type of worship. Hindus who worship God in many forms including Nature, are the worst offenders according to Christianity and Mohammedanism. Hindus are called Heathens, Pagans, Condemned ones, infidels, idolaters, Kafirs, etc., deserving severe punishment, torture and extermination wherever possible.
ii) Christians and Muslims have both entered into Covenants with God, by which each religious community has received an Exclusive, Irrevocable Power of Attorney from God that its way of worship alone is right, that after death they alone will go to Heaven, others will go to Hell. Of course, the way of worship by Christians is different from that of Muslims. However, both communities claim Exclusive Rights. Believers of Islam become Non-Believers for Christianity and vice-versa. (But of course this Heaven for believers is actually a MIRAGE)
iii) This Heaven for Believers is eternal, and the Hell for Non-Believers is also eternal. Once in Heaven, their enjoyments are eternal; once in Hell, others’ sufferings are also eternal.
iv) There will come a Day of Judgement when all the dead ones will rise and stand before God to get the verdict of either Eternal Heaven or Eternal Hell.
In addition to their Common Beliefs, the Christians and Muslims have also their own special Beliefs. Some of those are outlined below:
Special Beliefs of Christianity
i) Birth by routine sex relationship between husband and wife is a sin. As such, we common people are all sinners. Jesus Christ was born to Virgin Mary, without routine sexual relationship; hence his birth is free from sin.
ii) Jesus Christ is SON of God. Jesus is the Only Son of God; God has no other Son, nor shall he have any other son or daughter. Hence, Christ is the only way of communication with God.
iii) Jesus rose to life a few days after his Death on the Cross. This Resurrection is a proof of His Divinity.
iv) Through crucification, Jesus has paid for the redemption of all sins of all his followers (Christians), at all places, for all time to come. Hence, Jesus is the right and sure way for human salvation.
v) Jesus has given all Authority to the Church. What Church commands is the LAW for the human race, both on Earth and in Heaven; no one should question it. Any deviation from the command of the Church is violation of God’s Law and hence punishable, as per by God’s Decree. Church is the only authority in respect of Spiritual and Secular matters of human beings. All other Rules of conduct are the violation of Divine God’s Command.
vi) Jesus is the Way, the only Way, to reach God.
vii) Those who Believe in Jesus as the only Way are assured of eternal paradise of pleasure after death; others are condemned persons on this Earth, who will go to eternal hell of fire after death. As such, the human race has been divided into two classes of “Holy Believers” and “Unholy Others”; Holy Christians, Unholy Non-Christians.
viii) It is the spiritual, religious duty of the Christian Church and of every individual Christian to convert others to Christianity. Through this conversion, they are doing good to every non-Christian in as much as they are taking him out of false religion and false ways of worship to the only true religion (Christianity); they are saving the condemned unholy person and bringing him into the holy group of Christians, under the protection of the Shepherd Christ and his Authorized Agency (Christian Church).
ix) Idol-worship or Symbol-worship including worship of Sun, Moon, Stars, etc. particularly of Non-Christian idols/Symbols, is un-acceptable to Jealous God; Such worship annoys Jealous God and he sends his severe punishment for such worship.
x) The Holy Bible is the Word of God, to be obeyed by all, without question.
Special Beliefs of Islam
i) There is no Power other than Allah. Prophet Mohammed is His Representative/Messenger on the Earth.
ii) Allah gave this Earth to Prophet Mohammed; the latter gave this Earth to Mohammedans. As such, the whole Earth legitimately belongs to Mohammedans. If others are to live on this Earth, they have to live as Mohammedans or as willing sub-ordinates (Dhimmis) to Mohammedans, paying Jizya Tax till they get converted to Mohammedanism.
iii) Allah revealed all His Laws of correct conduct through Prophet Mohammed; his is the correct conduct in all respects-sitting, standing, eating, drinking, dressing, sexing, fighting, taking, giving, etc. He has been the ideal representative of Allah, the best and last of Allah’s Prophets; there can be no Allah’s Prophet after him; anyone claiming to be a Prophet after Mohammed is a hoax; followers of such a hoax prophet deserve extreme punishment and even extermination from this Earth.
iv) The Laws of correct conduct spoken and practised by Prophet Mohammed form the Laws of SHARIAT. This Shariat is the Divine Law of life on this Earth. All other laws of conduct enunciated by any other person or group of persons on this Earth are invalid unless they are perfectly inline with Shariat. Any civil, moral, criminal or economic law, not in line with Shariat, is an unjust, immoral and tyrannical law which has to be removed from the surface of the Earth; to remove this type of injustice and tyranny from this Earth is the bounden religious duty of every Mohammedan. As such, no government other than Mohammedan government, functioning strictly under Shariat Law, is a legitimate government; other governments have to be abolished; there is no other option for a Mohammedan; he cannot live under the rule of any other law, wherever he may be living on this Earth.
v) To establish Mohammedanism and Shariat Law in every part of this Earth, Mohammedans have to follow, individually and collectively, the following three stages of struggle (Jihad):
a) Persuasion and quiet pressurization.
b) TERRORISM: This should create a sort of TERROR in the minds of non-Mohammedans, that sooner or later, they have got to become Mohammedans; the sooner they adopt this as their own religion, the better it is for them; otherwise, nothing is safe for them- their limbs, their life, wife, family, friends, property, land, etc. When such TERROR is created and established in the minds of non-Mohammedans, the latter shall have no psychological will to fight a pitched battle or military war against Mohammedans. Even if a pitched battle or military war is organised by non-Mohammedans, their defeat is assured because they have been terrorised to lose self-confidence; within their minds they feel frightening diffidence, to fight.
c) Pitched Battle/Military War: The psychologically weakened, emaciated and demoralized military force of non-Mohammedans cannot face the Mohammedan force which believes that it is fighting for the cause of Allah, for establishing His religion and His Law of Shariat on this Earth; Allah is Great (Allah-O-Akbar).
vi) This three-stage struggle (Jihad) to establish Mohammedan religion and Law of Shariat on this Earth is a religious obligation for every Mohammedan; to relax on this front is tantamount to dis-obedience of the Command of Allah; the obedient ones will have all the fruits of Jihad: global empire, wealth, and access to all enjoyments. Should a Mohammedan die in this God’s war against non-Mohammedans, he will be greeted by beautiful Hoories at the gates of Heaven; even beautiful handsome boys will be available to the Mohammedan for his enjoyment in the gardens of Heaven; he can sit there reclining against soft cushions, the Hoories will come to him with glasses of wine which does not create intoxication; the Hoories chasten chanting glances at the reclining Mohammedan and he enjoys infinite happiness in the company of handsome Hoories and beautiful boys; the Mohammedan does not grow weak or old at all in that Heaven; eternal enjoyment in that company is the fruit he has legitimately earned through living and dying in the cause of Allah, the cause of His religion of Mohammedanism on the Earth. (Of course this PARADISE is a MIRAGE in reality)
vii) On this Earth, Mohammedans form community and community laws of their own, as per the Law of Shariat; all other laws are unjust and tyrannical and hence invalid for them; they have the divine right to disobey all such laws. For them, political boundaries have no meaning; those boundaries are made by man, not by Allah. The all-powerful Allah has validated only one community – the Mohammedan community; one country-the Earth; one loyalty -loyalty to the Holy Prophet Mohammed; one valid Law-the Law of Shariat. A Mohammedan belongs to only one nationality- Mohammed’s nationality; his allegiance is to only one land-the Holy Mecca. Every piece of land under Mohammedan rule and under the Law of Shariat is a land of justice and peace for him; every other piece of land is a land of tyranny for him where he has to wage a war of Jihad and Sabotage for establishing Mohammedanism. If a Mohammedan is taking his food and hears a call from Mohammedans outside in a street-quarrel, he has to leave his food and rush outside to join his Mohammedan brothers.
viii) When all other rules and rulers are removed from the surface of the Earth and replaced by the Mohammedan ruler under the Law of Shariat, then there will be total peace and justice on this Earth. As such, the Mohammedans are working only for Peace; Mohammedanism is “Peace and Justice”. It is for this that they are fighting; the second name for Mohammedanism is PEACE. Mohammedans want to establish this PEACE on this earth. They cannot rest until this type of PEACE is established.
ix) About one hundred years back, in most literature and in spoken language, the religion propagated by Holy Prophet Mohammed was called Mohammedanism and his followers were called Mohammedans; the words Islam and Muslims were not common. To give greater legitimacy and acceptability to this system, the words “Islam” and” Muslims” were made to become more common in usage; it is not a religion given by Prophet Mohammed; this religion already existed with Allah and it prevailed in Allah’s Heaven; Prophet Mohammed only brought it down from Heaven to this Earth. Religion prevailing in the Heaven of Allah was and is ISLAM and its followers are MUSLIMS.
The weakness of these Christian and Mohammedan Beliefs is very obvious, but who is to question? These Beliefs, without openness to reasoning, have led to cruelty and wars. Hindus also mistreated the so-called lower castes for a few centuries in India, again due to lack of free thinking. But Hindus have accepted the flaws of their behavior and followed modern civil laws, given reservation and many other concessions to those who belong to castes which were mistreated.
In the last two centuries, with the advancement of free thinking in Europe and USA, the illogical doctrine of the Church has also lost its appeal and a lot of the orthodoxy has gone down. Hindus and Christians have both reformed to a large extent. Of course, there are still hundreds of misguided Missionaries in India and in other countries in the world who try very hard to convert others to ‘the only true path of Christianity’. But Islam has totally refused to accept any reforms and as in the words of the writer who wrote this book (who is anonymous, whose name is not known to anyone), “Islam of today resembles the Christianity of the Middle Ages”.
The minute analysis of these beliefs of Islam and Christianity is 100 % true. Most faithful believers will still believe honestly that unbelievers will go to Hell. In college, several years ago, when this writer talked to a Christian girl (who was a Catholic) she candidly spoke out all these beliefs and condemned this writer openly for being an atheist and felt that I deserved eternal punishment in Hell for not believing in God. It is not just one Christian girl. Most of the followers genuinely believe most of these myths. But most Muslims believe, genuinely though erroneously, that Islam is a religion of peace and Muhammad was the BEST AND PERFECT MAN, on earth.
Christianity is a living example of a case where an innocent symbol was destroyed by a bad theology. But it does not mean there are no believing Christians now or in the past who did not overcome the faults of their theology. Many have loved their fellow believers without learning to hate their pagan neighbours. All this shows that man is greater than his creeds and ideologies and that humanity could survive its hate-ideologies. It has been able till now. But will it in future, especially when Muslims believe that this life is just a ‘test’ and the real life is afterlife? Many are quite willing to die (and destroy the earth) in the hope of Jannat (Paradise) which is actually a MIRAGE.
[Most part of the above article, i.e. ‘Beliefs of Islam and Christianity’ is taken from the book of the late G C Asnani (1922-2016) titled ‘Appeal to Hindu Sadhus’]
https://www.islaminindia.org/category/15-beliefs-of-islam-and-christianity
[The author Swami Vidyaranya is not the Swami Vidyaranya of the Hampi Peeth of Karnataka, but a different person. He has studied the theology, the past history, and the recent and current histories of Islam. He is on Twitter here https://twitter.com/SageVidyaranya]
