Religious Conflict

Islam and Christianity can never stand in full unity, because they both want to expand into the entire world. Moslems want all things to be in submission to Allah (Islam means submission). Likewise, Christians want all people to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord. They want all people to accept that Jesus is King of Kings and God of Gods. They believe that will happen as the good news about what that mean is proclaimed and accepted everywhere.

In the past, both sides have used military force to try and expand their influence, but that is wrong. The Crusades were the worst Christian example. ISIS is probably the worst Moslem example. There have been some really embarrassing example on both sides.
Jesus was absolutely clear that Christianity must not be expanded using violence and force. He wants people to freely choose to serve him, because they love him. (I do not know enough about Islam to confirm that the same applies to it).

People who claim that both religions should live alongside each other in peace are naïve. They don’t understand that spirits of deception and confusion are at work to lead people into false religious beliefs.

The idea that religious people should just get on with each is unrealistic. It is the view of people who don’t take religion seriously, who see it as nothing more than a cultural preference, like Morris Dancing or Victorian Literature. People who make that claim are pulling religion down, by inferring that God is not real. That is an insult to people who believe in God, which is not living in peace.

Truth
Christianity and Islam are in competition with each other. This is an issue of truth. Both cannot be true. There can be diversity of beliefs, but there cannot be diversity of truths. If Christianity is true, Islam is false, and vice versa. If Jesus is divine, then Islam is wrong. (If secular humanism is true, then both are false. If Christians succeed in sharing the gospel and the people of the world acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, Islam will decline and disappear.

Of course, fighting wars for the truth is a mistake. The truth always gets lost in the pain and destruction of battle. This has happened too often in the past.

So, people of different religions should live together in peace, and debate their ideas, without being violent or using force to make people change their beliefs. People who have the truth should be confident that truth will win in the end, without the need to use force or violence to defend it.

The gospel of Jesus is the best news that I have ever heard. It delivers more than any other religion. It is far better than the promises of any political leaders. The Holy Spirit testifies to the truth of the gospel and confirms it with signs and wonders.

The gospel of Jesus can stand on its own. It does not need the power of the state to protect it or enforce it. If the gospel is listing in the market place of ideas, it is likely because it is not being fully lived.

Superior Religion
A common claim is that all religions are equal. This claim ignores the spiritual dimension of life. It assumes that each religion is just another cultural practice that people are free to choose between. This is not true.

Every religion includes a view of the world and way of life. Some match the world better than others. Some support a better life than others.

I believe that Christianity, as proclaimed by Jesus, is a superior religion, because it better reflects the nature of the world (spiritual and material) and is true to the character of God. That makes it superior to other religions. The bonus with the gospel of Jesus is that God has sent his Holy Spirit to work in the lives of those who choose to follow Jesus. No other religion can match that gift.

I realise that adherents of other religions believe that theirs is superior to mine. I have no problem with that. When making choices about life, we all try to choose what is best. When deciding which school to send our children to, we try to identify the best one in the region. When deciding which club to join, we try to identify the best. I would expect people choosing a religion to follow to do the same. Once they have chosen their religion, I am not surprised that they will believe it is the best.