Interestingly the Jews, whose sacred book, the Old Testament of the Bible, contains the fall of Adam and Eve, are still awaiting their promised Messiah to deliver them. The Hindu theology that postulates a cycle of births and re-births or re-incarnations based on the law of karma until one ends papavasana or tendency to sin, and reaches liberation or mukti or moksha or kaivalya is equally inadequate. Interestingly Buddhism, an offshoot of Hinduism, emerging from the teachings of Buddha, has two distinct schools of thought, Hinayana (the lesser vessel) or Theravada and Mahayana (the greater vessel), of which the Hinayana school is atheistic. Buddha taught that one can reach nirvana or liberation at the end of numerous re-births that finally exhaust the bad effects of karma through one’s own determined and disciplined effort. The Islamic theology demands full submission to and total belief in the all merciful Allah (God) and his messenger, Mohammed, through whom God literally revealed Quran. In Islam no savior is required for salvation.
All the theologies of the major religions of humanity have caused immense problems for humanity. They all have presented humanity either in a bad light or in a weak or indifferent fashion. None of these religions pictures humanity in a robust or optimistic manner. Humanity is essentially flawed and needs redemption in Christianity. God created a humanity that is essentially handicapped right from the start, and requires a savior even as human was created. In Hinduism and Buddhism human needs to get out from the innate tendency to sin through complete surrender to the Lord or purification and awareness that wipe out the deposits of karma by near superhuman sadhana (disciplined practice). In Islam by one’s total submission to God (Allah), one receives forgiveness from the infinitely merciful God. One wonders why God would create humans in this condition. Humanity is doomed to failure as it does not have a chance right from the beginning.
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