What Makes Christianity Unique?
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It is interesting that Christianity is unique when it comes to THE most important question: what happens after you die?
All other religions require works of some sort. Christianity alone (not Catholicism, but true Christianity) says, there is nothing you can do. Only God can save you.
Islam: says that, if your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds, you'll go to paradise, and only Allah knows what your status is. There is a shortcut to paradise by being a martyr.
Hinduism: you must do well in whatever your position is in this life. If you do well, you will come back (reincarnated) at a higher level.
Catholics: to go to heaven a Catholic must be e baptized in the Trinitarian formula, they must observe the Catholic sacraments, and they cannot die with any unconfessed mortal sins. If they fail in any of these areas, they can work out their sin debt in purgatory.
Mormons: believe that everyone goes to heaven, except for those Mormons who leave the Mormon church. There are multiple levels of heaven and to get to the higher levels requires a lot of work, in particular obedience to the church in whatever they ask you to do. If you are a man who does all that is required, you can become a god of your own planet.
Christianity: there is nothing you can do to get into heaven. You have broken God's laws (see the The Good Person Test), and have earned the just penalty. Everyone on earth is in the situation. So God came to earth as a man, died on the cross in your place, paying the penalty you've earned for breaking God's laws. God, Jesus Christ, did it all. If you trust this is true and accept this gift, it is yours. But you can't even do that on your own, so God gives you the faith to believe (Ephesians 2:8-9). God does it all. Trust Him.
Christianity does not require you to do anything... nothing. However, when you become a Christian your desires change and you will want to get baptized. You will want to be with other Christians (attend church). You will want to help others. But you do this things not as a result of an external compulsion imposed by your religion, but as the result of an internal desire. That's the difference between Christianity and all other religions. God does it all, and our response is one of love.
What Makes Christianity Unique? (GQ)
Questions about Christianity (GQ)
Before you get the good news, you need to know the bad news. It's about you. God says:
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. - Romans 3:23
Sin means disobeying God, aka breaking God's law. God is perfect and perfection is required to enter heaven. It's a standard none of us can achieve. We all fall short. For example, compare yourself with just one of the Ten Commandments. Have you ever told a lie?
All liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. - Revelation 21:8. Or what about:
Have you ever taken something that does not belong to you, no matter how small? Have you ever looked at another person with lust? In Matthew 5 Jesus said:
Everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.' Have you done that?
You have broken God's laws. You have sinned. There must be justice, and that means eternity in hell, the lake of fire, the second death. Unless...
Unless there was someone willing to pay that penalty on your behalf. Someone who will take on themselves the consequences you deserve. And there is. There is one person who can and will do that. That person is Jesus Christ. If you trust this is true (believe), and repent (turn away from disobeying God), Jesus' death is applied to your account and you are freed from the penalty of sin to be with God forever.