I mean, it is polytheistic
The first thing we declare is that “We believe in One God”
And mercy requires justice, and justice implies judgment. God is Merciful and Just, of course! Jesus preached that one had to repent and correct their behaviour to be accepted by God, you can’t just be an unrepentant sinner, a troublemaker, a violent rapey murderous racist or even just a heartless rich man (camels and needles!), and expect God to condone it! How do you judge, my guy?
God doesn’t forgive unrepentant sinners. God only forgives those who truly and earnestly repent. God doesn’t forgive based off of works either- because then where is the line? And God can only forgive because our sins have been paid. If our sins haven’t been paid off, then God would be unjust.
honestly, anyone could just read and internalise the Sermon on the Mount and be in good terms with the Creator as it transforms you, but you can’t say that about the whole Bible
Works don’t save you. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
The sermon on the mount teaches that you’re damned if you ever looked at a woman you aren’t married to with lust or if you even hate somebody.
If you scrolled down on your article, you’d clearly see it is exclusively a Roman Catholic doctrine.
ContriteErudite@lemmy.world 5 days ago
You are making a mistake that many sincere believers have made throughout history. You assume your faith is the singular, correct one, and that outsiders only need to open their hearts to see the “one true path.” What often goes unnoticed is that there has never been one true religion. You believe yours is correct because that is what faith requires. But history shows us that as soon as a faith gathers enough followers, disagreements arise. Some argue that leaders have misinterpreted the sacred texts, or that local customs conflict with established rituals. Whatever the reason, division follows. A religion grows, it fractures, sects emerge, and each insists it is the sole guardian of truth. Repeat this pattern over generations, and what began as unity splinters into dozens of sects, often hostile to one another.
Religion does what many of its adherents claim it does not: it changes. It bends, adapts, and evolves in response to pressure and environment. It becomes something new.
So let me ask you, as one who seeks to understand: if I were to study your holy book and choose Islam, which path should I walk? Should I follow Sunni, risking alienating Shia? If I found myself drawn to the Wahhabi or the Druze? Would these choices lead to peace and enlightenment or would they create yet another division? And if I sought to share my newfound belief with those raised differently, would they welcome my unity, or view me as another intruder cloaking sameness as love and peace?
This is why I, and many others, argue for pluralism. There can never be a single “true way,” for as long as people are individuals, there will always be differences in interpretation, values, and belief. History shows that tribalism, insularity, and suspicion of the unfamiliar are constants of human nature. The only way forward is not to cling to unity under nation or creed, but to accept each other as we are. Only by setting aside the conceit of a universal faith can we begin to overcome the divisions that have defined us.
ArgumentativeMonotheist@lemmy.world 5 days ago
Thanks for the very lovely and informative post. I agree with what you’re saying and, as a Qur’anist/non-sectarian Muslim, I don’t have much of a ‘community’ myself, sadly, and I’m often demonized by other Muslims online more than folks on Lemmy, lol. 🤷
I take what’s good and disregard what makes no sense, but I have found the Qur’an to be extremely useful and hard to disagree with. Even what you’re saying could arguably be found in the Qur’an : “righteousness is not facing the East or the West” (the belief is not superficial rituals that differ amongst tribes); believers are those who “have humility, abstain from vain talk, guard their chastity except around their mates, but whoever seeks beyond this are the transgressors” (it’s an attitude thing, not just words on paper and rites). I quote previous Scripture and will even yap about Daoism and Western philosophy because wisdom comes from many places (although, as a Muslim, I take the Qur’an as axiomatic, of course). As long as you strive to control yourself and try to live righteously and generously, I honestly don’t care what you call yourself, you are my brother/sister, and judgment beyond that belongs to the Creator. 🙏👍