As far as I'm concerned Islam is a violent religion as is the early jewish law being quoted as christianity which required an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth where everyone winds up eyeless and toothless. Jesus gives us a better way- Matt. 5:38 to 5:48
The problem with (
oops sorry fresco) religion that is based on justification by the law is that you must be perfect in order to be justified under that law. There may be some who will say they are perfect, but I think that both religions, Islam and christianity, believe that only God is perfect.
So if the law says that the wages of sin is death- you sin you die, as jcboy pointed out by listing some instances in his post- and we being imperfect can therefore never be justified under the law and are deserving of death then what are we to do? Jesus died for our sinfulness. We can exchange his perfect life and death for our own and have everylasting life in him.
Jhn 8:3-12 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with [his] finger wrote on the ground, [as though he heard them not]. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard [it], being convicted by [their own] conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, [even] unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Here was a woman taken in the very act of adultery, she couldn't deny it. The men who brought her to Jesus did so because they wanted to discredit Jesus. Jesus had been going around saying we should forgive others and love them. So if he really was the man of God he claimed to be then shouldn't he advocate to follow the commandments? The commandments said to stone her to death. To advocate otherwise would make him look like a hypocrite. Yet he'd surely be a hypocrite if after advocating love and forgiveness everywhere he went if he were to say she should be stoned. Well, Jesus knew their hearts and their intent and in one quick sentence he put the shoe on the other foot. "he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."
You can see what happened. They wanted to kill her because she was a sinner. The holy spirit then reminded them (guilty consciences) that they were sinners too. How could they advocate death for her without being guilty themselves and just as deserving? The bible says we are all sinners. We are not perfect. So in a wise decision the men decided they should get out of there. They slipped away until there was only one man left. This man was perfect, this man was capable of picking up the stone, casting it at the woman and being justified. WHAT DID JESUS DO? He forgave her her sin. That's what the bible is all about. The bible is about God's forgiveness and love for us. Jesus also said to go and sin no more. Having forgiveness doesn't give us license to sin. God wants us to follow the commandments, but not without compassion remembering that we too are just as guilty. God wants us to love and forgive others of their sins as he has forgiven us.
Jesus left us with two commandments. The first is:
Mar 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment.
(The Lord says in the bible Jhn 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.)
And the second commandment :
Mar 12:31 And the second [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
