What is there to say?
I’ve said too much already— impotent rabble
Just a few words on forgiveness.
Sura Al-Fatiha begins- In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.
Christianity is, in theory, all about Forgiveness and Mercy.
It feels the theme of Mercy is less prominent in Judaism than in the other two. No sources cited, just my impression.
The Holiest day of the Jewish year is Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement, but that’s once a year, and most of us don’t really get how it works anyways…
As if the later revelations are God coming back and saying- guys, I’m sorry, I was too hard on you.
But we never got the message.
kk, Let’s take it another step.
Along with being alone in not emphasizing mercy, we also are alone in lacking a strict vision of the afterlife with a defined heaven and hell.
Burning in Jahannam or in Hell is the eternal punishment for non-believers in the same religions to which God’s infinite mercy is repeatedly stated as a major theme of the religion.
Here’s what I never understood:
God’s love and mercy is infinite. He wants to forgive all sins in this world and has taught us how to.
If I allow God to forgive me for anything and everything, I am saved from eternal damnation and hellfire.
I try to live a good life led by kindness.
I am faithful to the abrahamic God.
I love Jesus, I love Mohammed, I love Moses, I love all his prophets.
All people contain the divine spark. Would We have spread the light of Monotheism to the nations of the world? Absolutely not. Without their light, the divine essence never spreads. For that, I am grateful and see their truth.
Jesus may have been Messiah. Mohammed may have been a prophet. I hold doubt, and hold doubt in my doubt.
At the very least, both understood something about Monotheism that the rest of us didn’t.
Mercy is contingent on the power to punish. Mercy has most value when a punishment is deserved.
Eternal hellfire is quite the punishment to deserve. Islam and Christianity hand it out like hotcakes.
What I will never understand.
Why, of all horrible sins to commit on this earth, the one sin the Islamic and Christian God cannot forgive is infernal stubborn human doubt?
Islam is a bit harsher on sin and Mysterious Ways, so I can accept that I don’t understand.
But are you telling me that JC can forgive all manners of human sin, is forgiveness and love manifest eternal, but he would sit from me, face to face, and with kindness in his voice and the gentle embrace of his infinite eyes, say Alex, my child, you tried your best and lived a good life, you were guided by my spirit and directed by lovingkindness and mercy. But I saw you didn’t accept me as Messiah, and this isn’t up for debate, and now is too late to accept, so you have to burn in hell forever.
He knows the heart of all men. Jesus is eternal forgiveness and understanding, and as eternal forgiveness and understanding, there is space to forgive why I didn’t wholly accept him as Messiah. If you really believe the story, him and I are cut from similar cloth.
I’ve done many worse things in my life. I have committed and infinity of sin (Matthew 5:28), and remained silent during a Genocide committed by my people.
’Everything will be alright in the end. If it’s not alright, it’s not the end. If it’s the end, that’s alright.’
I pray for mercy and forgiveness and the light of God upon all of us.
