"Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are". Genesis 13:14. Our eyes see the same up above; what matters is who is looking up

Religion has always been and always will be a topic of controversy. Due to the fact that so many people are failing to realize that God is one benefactor who loves his creations and is only striving to give us the best. I will explain the way I view religion in this post. I was born and raised as a Muslim; my parents and relatives were brought up the same way. Just like in the Bible, the Quran references the story of Adam and Eve (Hawwa The Story of Adam Pt. 2 of 5 The Creation of Eve) and despite the warning of God to not eat the fruit from the forbidden tree, ["... come not near this tree or you both will be of the wrongdoers." (Quran 2:35)]. Eve listens to Satan (Jinn The Role of Satan) and disappoints God in doing so. Both the Bible and the Quran are very similar; both being Abrahamic religions, we share many similarities. Although the differences are what create issues. 

In history, Islam was the last religion to be accepted into the society. And before that, it was Christianity. Just like the Middle East is considered to be the base of Islam, America is one of the base countries of Christianity. And that is because of Puritanical domination in the colonial times. In Johnathan Edwards's sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Edwards states," The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked: his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else..." (Edwards 50-2). In the 1700s, the thought process of the Puritans was very provincial. They considered no other religion besides Christianity to be a religion worth believing in. This is one mentality that creates variations and problems among religion. I personally think that nobody should be a missionary for their religion. As I have mentioned earlier, God is very benevolent. But the way Edwards projects him seems to give the audience a very negative and virulent image. "Praise the Lord who has given his people peace, as he promised he would. " (1 Kings 8:56). This statement is from the Bible in where God is praised but we perceive things to be different. 

I agree that a sermon like Edward's cannot happen today. But there are people out there who have thoughts that aren't pleasant about other religions. I for one believe that religion is an individual's personal choice. And nobody has the authority to snatch that away from anyone. 

(P.S. sorry if this post was too hard core!! The next one will be better!)