Hi there. I'll introduce myself in the proper forum shortly - just wanted to stop off here and ask the question I signed up for.
I've been digging around, and it seems that Islam doesn't allow for the concept of Original Sin - in that children are not responsible for the sins of their fathers. I agree with this - it is unfair to expect the progeny to atone for the sins of the ancestors.
But here's my question: When Adam sinned, he irrevocably divided himself from God. Even though God forgave him, the "damage" (as such) was done. Since then, children have been born without the direct connection to God that Adam had.
I don't know what the Quran says about this, but as far as the Bible is concerned, there is nothing in this universe that can separate us from God's love (and by extension, God Himself, since He is Love).
However, looking at the last few thousand years of history, it seems evident to me that there's one thing God honors above all: Our free will. God doesn't intervene in our decisions, and he doesn't forcibly bend those to His will that haven't offered themselves up for it.
So if nothing can divide us from God, but God can't control our choices, that means we have to choose to follow Him - to overcome the divide that seperates believers from non-believers. We all know this divide exists.
Question: If there is no Original Sin, how is it that people today are born with the burden of not having a direct connection to God? Why is it that a step must be taken in order to move from a fleshly life into a spiritual one, if Adam's actions have no bearing on the present?
In Christianity, that step is baptism. There are two baptisms, actually: a symbolic water baptism, carried out by a priest/elder, in which the participant is fully submerged. This mirrors the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan river, and washes away the shell of the old life.
But then there's another baptism - the baptism of fire. There's no ceremony for this. It's the sequence of choices you make in your new life to overcome all the remaining evils in your old life - breaking habits, changing mindsets, new relationships, careers, and so on.
Once you have survived the baptism of fire, and you are renewed and (mostly) pure, the final stage begins - something a Christian pastor once referred to as the "Way of the Cross". This is the part that takes the rest of your life - living and honoring the Word of God in all that you do.
At this point, you are literally living heaven (God's reign) on earth. God's will is manifest throughout your life (as it is in mine - I write all of this from experience). When you pass away, you go to join Him, and it's really just an extension of the life you're already living.
But NONE of this is possible if you do not re-establish a connection with God, and make the conscious choice to move yourself out of spiritual depravity.
This is what it takes to be Christian.
To be Muslim?
◊ How does someone become a Muslim?
Simply by saying 'there is no god apart from God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.' By this declaration the believer announces his or her faith in all God's messengers, and the scriptures they brought.
http://www.islamicbulletin.com/intro.htm#a5 <-- How accurate is that?
From what I've seen, the Islamic faith isn't so much about a radical self-improvement as it is about following a set of (admittedly well-laid out) rules. I'm probably wrong on this, though, and I invite you to prove it to me.
But not with scriptures - with experiences and logical thought. You'll note I didn't reference a single biblical scripture in this post.
The purpose of life, as far as I'm concerned, is to grow. And to grow radically - in ways you can't imagine. All of it preparation for the afterlife - the afterlife in which you serve God in a way not possible on Earth. (As an aside, this is also
my personal motto).
To a Muslim, what is the purpose of life? What is your Paradise? What reward do you look forward to at the end of your life, and on what is it based? And do you believe that you must constantly look for a total renewal of self, with the understanding that God is constantly shaping both you and your destiny?