How has humanity through various religions tried to deal with the sin issue?
About 80% of religions around the world are represented by Christianity, Islam, Hindus, Buddhist, and the Jewish faith, however, sin is not a commonly known term in some of these religions.
The Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism don’t have a sin discussion. In Hinduism there are many gods that can be worshipped.The gods don’t have the attribute of holiness; hence sin is not an issue. They believe in karma which is the law of cause of effect (what you do will be repaid in good or bad). Hindus believe in reincarnation. They believe that there is a continual progress towards something. You should try to do better and be reincarnated at a higher level than before. There is no concept of heaven or hell just continual progress to become better from one life to another.
The Buddhists focus on self-effort. They must rid themselves of anything that causes aggression or negativity in them. God’s existence is not relevant. Buddha is revered by some to be a good teacher and by other sects to be their savior (the one who was truly enlightened). Both religions don’t know a God who has a personal interest in their lives.
Hindus and Buddhists both use meditation in order to rid their minds of clutter and anything else that is harmful to their path and to come to greater enlightenment. The religions are more philosophical in nature by encouraging/inspiring people to do better by looking within.
The god of Islam is an impersonal god but he has many defined laws/requirements. Those not following the rules can have grave consequences. Islam is a religion, which has a strong political and governmental element to it. In order to truly establish Islam, the government must be a theocracy, so the rules can be enforced not only at home but also in schools, in business places, and through the government. This will allow the people to be held accountable in every sector of society.
The concept of free will does not exist when it comes to choosing your faith. Those who are born a Muslim are expected to stay a Muslim or else they have committed a religious crime! While the desires of God are much more defined in Islam, he is still a distant God and man tries to please him by great self-effort and striving to follow all the rules.
The Eastern Religions were in existence prior to Christian beliefs, so they don’t necessarily refute Christianity or support it except for their own beliefs of who God is or is not. On the other hand, Islam came into the picture 600 years after Christ’s coming. Islam does not hold to the concept of sin. Those born in a Muslim family are of the seed of Ishmael (Abraham’s son) who are believed to be God’s special people. Muslims are responsible to see to it that they are following the requirements of the law to ensure they have a place in paradise. However, the only true guarantee of paradise is if individuals are martyred for their faith especially in a Jihad (holy war)!
Islam believes in Mary who conceived as a virgin and brought forth Jesus. It believes Jesus was a good prophet and a teacher. However, Islam believes that God sent a substitute to die in place of Jesus. This undermines the entire Christian faith which is established on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
The above faiths bring up the following questions for me:
Do you have to follow the rules perfectly to make it to heaven? If you fail to follow the rules perfectly, does God grade by curve? What are the rules to get reincarnated to a higher level? If there is no defined God, who defines the rules for reincarnation?
I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.