One's Future in Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam - International ...

One’s Future inHinduism, Buddhism and IslamJust because the Christian message is true does not imply that everyone should take the time tograsp its truth. Only if the nature of the message is so important that one’s future fulfillment andhappiness depend on knowing it should the effort be made to properly respond to it. That thebiblical message is indeed that important is made clear by contrasting it with theprospects for happiness that one would have as an adherent of each of thethree great non-Christian world religions.by Daniel P. FullerTwo remarkable aspects of God’s purposefor his creation are foundin Isaiah 64:4: “Since ancient times noone has heard, no ear has perceived,no eye has seen any God besides you,who acts on behalf of those who waitfor him.” The first aspect is his promisethat for those who trust him, he willwork to do them good. The encouragementthis gives is made even greaterby a further promise in Jeremiah 32:41:“Iwill rejoice in doing them good...withall my heart and soul.” The AlmightyGod, the Creator of the universe, thuswants nothing so much as to work forpeople’s benefit; doing so brings himcomplete and unsurpassed joy. The morewe consider this truth, the more webecome assured of enjoying an eternity ofhappy tomorrows.The second remarkable teaching inIsaiah 64:4 is that God works for thebenefit of those who wait for him. It mustbe emphasized that enjoying theblessing of having God working for ourbenefit is conditioned upon ceasing totrust in our own wisdom and efforts toattain a happy future, but waitinginstead for him to bring it to pass.The uniqueness of God’s promiseto work beneficially for those who waitfor him can be verified in large measureby comparing Christianity with thethree other great religions in theworld: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam.This comparison will show that onlyin one of Buddhism’s two branches isthere anything faintly resembling theidea of Isaiah 64:4, though closer examinationwill show that it too falls farshort of providing lasting happiness. First,however, we look at Hinduism, probablythe oldest of these three religions.HinduismSome 630 million people (13.1 percentof the world’s population), mostof them in India, espouse this ancientreligion. Since its religious leadersare pictured as content and serene, onemight infer that Hinduism providesthe sort of peace and joy that peoplewould have whose God is actingbenevolently on their behalf. But a considerationof its tenets makes clearthat, to the contrary, this serenity comesfrom learning to suppress the desirefor happiness by disciplines designed toenable one both to become detachedfrom this present world and to be indifferentto one’s welfare in the future.This detachment is illustrated in the“Song of God,” a famous passage inthe Bhagavad Gita that has been called theGospel of Hinduism. 1 The songbegins by telling how Arjuna, a memberof the noble warrior caste (Kshatriya),was poised with his four brothers to dobattle with an army made up of closerelatives. Previously Arjuna had beenrobbed of his land and exiled for thirteenyears by his cousin Duryodhana.Upon his return he sought to reclaimhis land, but not even his uncle could prevailupon Duryodhana to restore it. SoArjuna prepared to do battle with his relatives,and the story opens as the twoarmies confront each other.But Arjuna was troubled as hefaced these men whom he would soon betrying to kill. Therefore he askedKrishna, his charioteer, who was actuallythe ninth incarnation of the godVishnu, to delay the battle by haltingbetween the two forces. As Arjunalooked at these “fathers, grandfathers,uncles, cousins, sons, grandsons,teachers, friends, fathers-in-law and benefactors”arrayed against him, he confessedto Vishnu, “My limbs fail me...mybody trembles and my hair stands onend. [My bow] slips from my hand, andmy skin burns. I cannot keep quiet,for my mind is in tumult....” What goodcan come from the slaughter of mypeople on this battlefield?” (8). “If, on thecontrary, [my cousins]...should slayme, unarmed and unresisting, surely thatwould be better for my welfare!(10).To these questions Krishna replied,The wise grieve neither for the deadnor for the living. There was never atime when I was not, nor thou, northese princes [in the opposing army]were not; there will never he a timewhen we shall cease to be... Thoseexternal relations which bring coldand heat, pain and happiness, theycome and go; they are not permanent.Endure them bravely, 0 Prince! Thehero whose soul is unmoved by circumstance,who accepts pleasure andpain with equanimity, only he is fitfor immortality... The Spirit [the ultimatereality, Brahman], which pervadesall that we see, is imperishable.Nothing can destroy the Spirit. Thematerial bodies which this Eternal,Indestructible, immeasurable Spiritinhabits are all finite. Therefore fight,0 Valiant Man! (16).He who thinks that the Spirit kills,and he who thinks of it as killed, areboth ignorant. The Spirit kills not, noris it killed... Even if thou thinkest of itas constantly being born, constantlydying, even then, 0 Mighty Man, thouINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FRONTIER MISSIONS, VOL 14:1 JAN.-MARCH 1997

16One’s Future in Hinduism, Buddhism and Islamstill hast not cause to grieve. Fordeath is as sure for that which is born,as birth is for that which is dead.Therefore grieve not for what is inevitable.(17)[Brahman] the end and beginning ofbeings [is] unknown. We see only theintervening formations... Thoughmany are told about [Brahman],scarcely is there one who knows It.[Therefore] thou must look at thyduty. Nothing can be more welcometo a soldier than a righteous war...Refuse to fight in this righteous cause,and thou wilt be a traitor... incurringonly sin... To the noble, dishonor isworse than death... If killed, thoushalt attain Heaven; if victorious,enjoy the kingdom of earth... Lookupon pleasure and pain, victory anddefeat, with an equal eye. Make readyfor combat, and thou shalt commit nosin. (18)Several facets of Hindu thinkingare apparent in this exchange betweenArjuna and Krishna. First, there isBrahman, an impersonal reality at theheart of everything in the universe.Here all the apparent opposites of the visibleworld for example, “cold andheat, pain and happiness, victory anddefeat” meld together as one. Second,between phenomenal individuals and thenoumenal, impersonal Brahman are“intervening formations.” These arecaused by what Hinduism calls maya,something of an illusion, so that peoplefind it easy to regard as real the oppositesin the phenomenal world aroundthem.The Hindu concept of righteousnessalso becomes evident. It is one’s relationshipto dharma (the “law,” “custom,”or“order”) that spells out theduties the members of each caste areobliged to perform. Thus in the BhagavadGita we see Krishna’s argument toArjuna that sin is not killing reveredrelatives and friends but failing to behaveas one who is a member of the warriorcaste.Another facet of Hindu thinkingis yoga, the discipline necessary for goingbeyond the illusory phenomenalworld and becoming conscious of the noumenalworld of Brahman.“But thouhast only the right to work, but none tothe fruit thereof. Let not then the fruitof thy action be thy motive; nor yet bethou enamoured of in action. Performall thy actions with mind concentrated onthe Divine [Brahman], renouncingattachment and looking upon success andfailure with an equal eye. Spirituality[yoga] implies equanimity” (21).Arjuna, however, regarded thisteaching as hard to follow and thusobjected to Krishna. “I do not seehow I can attain this state of equanimitywhich Thou hast revealed, owing tothe restlessness of my mind. My Lord!Verily, the mind is fickle and turbulent,obstinate and strong, yea. extremelydifficult as the wind to control.”Krishna agreed that the mind is “exceedinglydifficult to restrain, but... withpractice and renunciation it can be done.”(65).Verily this Divine Illusion of Phenomenonmanifesting itself in theQualities is difficult to surmount.Only they who devote themselves toMe and to Me alone can accomplishit... Who meditates on Me withoutceasing, devoting himself only to Me,he is the best... After many lives, atlast the wise man realizes Me as I am.A man so enlightened that he seesGod [Brahman] everywhere is verydifficult to find... I am not visible toall, for I am enveloped by the illusionof Phenomenon. This deluded worlddoes not know Me as the Unborn andthe Imperishable [i.e. Brahman]. (72)[But] to him who thinks constantly ofMe, and of nothing else, to such anever faithful devotee, 0 Arjuna, am Iever accessible. Coming thus to Me,these great souls go no more to themisery and death of earthly life, forthey have gained perfection. Theworlds, with the whole realm of creation,come and go; but, O Arjuna,whoso comes to Me, for him there isno rebirth. (80)In truth, therefore, there is the EternalUnmanifest, which is beyond andabove the Unmanifest Spirit of Creation...The wise say that the Unmanifestand Indestructible [Brahman] isthe highest goal of all; when onceThat is reached, there is no return.That is My Blessed Home. (82)Karma and “rebirth” are alsoimportant facets of Hindu thinking.Karma is the degree of merit in achievingdetachment from the phenomenalworld that one has achieved in previouslifetimes and to date in the presentlife. Krishna spoke of it to Arjuna as follows:No evil fate awaits him who treadsthe path of righteousness. Havingreached the world where the righteousdwell, and having remained there formany years, he who has slipped awayfrom the path of spirituality will beborn again in the family of the pure,benevolent and prosperous... Then theexperience acquired in his former lifewill revive, and with its help he willstrive for perfection more eagerlythan before. Unconsciously he willreturn to the practices of his old life;so that he who tries to realize spiritualconsciousness is certainly superior toone who only talks of it. Then, aftermany lives, the student of spirituality,who earnestly strives, and whose sinsare absolved, attains perfection andreaches the Supreme. (66)The task of reaching the “Supreme”or the “Blessed Home” of Brahmanthus is formidable. Only a “veryfew”devote all efforts to becomingspiritual. These must meditate withoutceasing on the noumenal aspect ofKrishna, or on one of the other aspects ofBrahman such as the gods Shiva orBrahmin. They must also renounce allthought of the rewards they will gainfrom their labor to sustain life. No doubtthe “restless mind” can be stilled for afew hours by rigorous exercises in meditatingon the illusory nature of thephenomenal world pressing in on allsides. But such awesome forces asone’s complete immersion in this phenomenalworld and the mind’sinstinctive inclination to choose activitiesthat will bring gain from one’s workwill soon again concentrate one’sthoughts upon the illusory phenomenalworld. Thus one’s karma rating willdecline. And the painful knowledgethat one tends to live life exactly as it waslived in previous incarnations wouldtend to extinguish any hope of success inconstantly meditating on the noumenalBrahman.INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FRONTIER MISSIONS

Daniel P. Fuller17In contrast to Hinduism, all that isrequired of those who desire blessingsfrom the omnipotent and omniscient Godof the Bible is to wait for him in thesense of banking all their confidence for ahappy future on the many promiseshe has made. So the future happiness onemay have as set forth in the Bible isvastly more attainable than that offered tothe Hindu. And since all humanitycraves happiness, Hindusincluded, are therefore welladvised to expend the time andeffort necessary to learnGod’s whole purpose in historyas set forth in the Bible.BuddhismBuddhism emergedfrom a Hindu context in the personof Siddharta Gautama,born around 560 B.C. in a townin Nepal, near the northern border ofIndia. Currently 556 million people (11.5percent of the world’s population)adhere generally to one of two basicforms of Buddhism. The originalteachings of Gautama are most recognizablein southern Asia (Sri Lanka,Burma, Thailand, Kampuchea, and Laos),although even here it has undergonevariations. In Sri Lanka, for example, it iscombined with astrology and manyelements of primitive animism–ideas thatBuddha himself would have spurned.Fear of unknown forces is a verypowerful controlling factor in thelives of many Buddhists and Hindusin Sri Lanka. They go regularly toastrologers, shrines, medicine men,exorcists, or such people, who claimto have power to control or directsupernatural forces. When the peopleare faced with sickness or some suchtrouble, they ask, “Is this because of acharm or an evil spirit?” If so, theywant to counteract the evilforces,using whatever means availableto them. 2A different sort of Buddhism is foundin Tibet, parts of the Soviet Union,Mongolia, China, Taiwan, Vietnam,Korea, and Japan. In distinction tothat of much of southern Asia, this northernform calls itself Mahayana(“Upper Vehicle”) Buddhism. Since thistitle implies that the Buddhism inparts of southern Asia is inferior, its followersin the South prefer to call theirreligion Theravada Buddhism, or “TheBuddhism of the Elders.” A considerationof this earlier form is necessary inorder to understand Mahayana Buddhism.Since all humanity craveshappiness, Hindus included,are therefore well advised toexpend the time and effortnecessary to learn God’s wholepurpose in history as setforth in the Bible.The Buddhism of the EldersSiddharta Gautama, or Buddha (“theenlightened one”), a name Gautamareceived from his followers, was born intoa wealthy family living in a palace asisolated as possible from the misery, poverty,and death in the world outside .3But one day at age twenty-nine, marriedand the father of a small child, Siddhartadisobeyed his father’s order neverto leave the palace grounds and wentout to see how the rest of the world lived.So profoundly shocked was he at thespectacle of death, poverty, and humansuffering outside his palace that a fewnights later he left his sleeping wife andchild and departed, never to return.Donning the saffron robes of a wanderingbeggar, shaving his head, andgenerally following Hindu teaching, hetried to block out the phenomenalworld of suffering and reach Brahmanthrough meditating and subjectinghimself to ascetic extremes. But thoughhe persisted in this regimen for sixyears, he found no relief from the problemof suffering.Therefore he abandoned such efforts,and while sitting under a tree, latercalled the Bodhi (“knowledge”) Tree, hedecided upon a new approach. Theprevious six years, he was convinced, hadbrought no enlightenment because hehad sought it with the very same selfishdesire that causes so much sufferingin the world. Therefore he abandoned hisefforts to get through to Brahman byrigorous efforts to concentrate on one ofits manifestations such as Krishna,choosing instead to follow a morerelaxed “middle way” of living.Seven weeks later fullenlightenment finally came.Going then to a public place in thenearby city of Benares, India,he began to teach this new way toattain peace in a world of suffering.As he taught, he radiatedsuch calm and self-possessionthat ascetics who had known himduring the first six yearsbecame convinced that he truly hadreceived a remarkable enlightenment.And so for the remaining forty-five yearsof his life, he tirelessly traveledthroughout northern India preaching hismessage and radiating his serenity.An increasingly large number of menfrom different castes began to followhis precepts, and in time women too wereallowed, to become initiated into anorder.Siddharta summarized hisenlightenment in “Four Noble Truths”:(1) suffering is universal; (2) thecause of suffering is attachment to thingsor a craving for them; (3) the cure forsuffering is the elimination of craving andattachment by (4) following the “middleway.” This middle way obviouslymeant avoiding one extreme of givinginto carnal lusts. But it also meant avoidingthe opposite extreme of cravingknowledge of Brahman in the Hindu wayof asceticism. To elucidate this middleway Siddharta advocated the EightfoldPath.The first step of the Eightfold Path isright belief. Part of this right belief isto waste no time and energy trying toVOL 14:1 JAN.-MARCH 1997

18One’s Future in Hinduism, Buddhism and Islamanswer metaphysical questions as towhether the world is created, is temporalor eternal, finite or infinite, orwhether the life principle of a personis identical with the body or distinct fromit. Suffering still exists no matterwhat answers are given to such theoreticalquestions. Effort should therefore bedevoted instead to fostering worthy attitudesand practical ethical behavior.One must avoid modes of behavior thatcause suffering such as killing, stealing,immorality, lying, tale-bearing, harshlanguage, covetousness, and ill will.The second step, right mindedness,requires carrying on one’s activitiesfrom a proper motive. While this step naturallyincludes rejecting the motivesthat lead to forbidden behavior, it alsoemphasizes the need to carry on one’sactivities with a wisdom that will alleviatesuffering in oneself and others.The third and fourth steps, rightspeech and right action, repeat muchof step 1. The fifth step of right livingconcerns choosing a life vocation thatbrings benefit rather than hurt to society.Right effort, the sixth step, spells outthe four virtues one needs to foster: avoidanceof evil, overcoming of lust andbad habits, development of helpful wordsand actions, and maintenance of thesort of behavior that will help eradicatesuffering.The seventh step of right attentivenessalso singles out four objects—the body, the emotions, the mind, andworldly phenomena—from which somuch suffering can come until one learns,for example, not to love the beautifulor strong parts of the body, because theywill wither and die as readily as thebody’s uglier and weaker parts.Right concentration then bringsthe Eightfold Path to a climax. Thosemaking progress into this eighth stepshould begin to experience the joy oftrances that are a foretaste of nirvana,where one never again has to be reborninto the world of suffering.True to his distaste for metaphysicalspeculation, Buddha was vague indescribing nirvana, which means literallythe“blowing out” of existence. Thisconcept would seem to imply annihilation,a conclusion that Buddha neveraffirmed. All that mattered to himconcerning this subject was that it markedthe end of painful becoming and thebeginning of the peace of an eternal,changeless state of being. Those destinedfor nirvana after their last lifetimewould await death with calm detachmentand contentment.In distinction to the Hinduismfrom which it sprang, Buddhism could becharacterized as a humanistic, even asan atheistic, religion. It did, however,carry over into its teaching two somewhatrevised features of Hinduism: karmaand rebirth. Buddha reiterated theconcept of karma, whereby one’s meritfrom a preceding life would determinethe status attained in a future one.But his understanding of karmaallowed people to be much more optimisticabout their future than they couldbe in Hinduism. “In [Buddha’s]view aman of any caste or class could experienceso complete a change of heart ordisposition as to escape the full consequencesof sins committed in previousexistences... [The Law of Karma]could not lay hold upon a man... who hadachieved arahatship, “the state of himthat is worthy,” 4 the last step of the EightfoldPath. This arahatship, or spirituality,canceled out the past karma thatheretofore had determined the qualityof one’s next life. So in Buddha’s teachinga spiritual person, or arahat,would live eternally in nirvana and neverbecome a part of the painful world offlux again.Buddhism also distinguisheditself from Hinduism in that Buddha andhis followers were to foster a benevolentattitude toward others. So, for example,the sixth step of the EightfoldPath decreed that one should choose avocation that contributed to the wellbeing of society. Buddhists were also tomaintain a loving rather than an unconcernedor vengeful attitude towardothers, which was essential to have peaceof soul. This emphasis on love figuredlargely in the rise of “Upper Vehicle”Buddhism, which became prominentaround A.D.100 after going throughseveral modifications.Mahayana (“Upper Vehicle”) BuddhismThe first modification came fromthe strong influence of King Asoka, whobecame ruler of all India in the thirdcentury B.C. To secure such powerrequired his dealing cruelly with thepeople who lived alongside the Bay ofBengal, though the Buddhist teachinghe had already received condemned himfor such violence. Asoka decided tomake Buddhism the official religion ofIndia but expounded it as a system ofpiety whereby people could be good Buddhistssimply by carrying on normallives, without having to become monks ornuns.Another step toward Mahayana Buddhismwas the virtual deification ofBuddha. Although Buddha himself hadasserted that there were many gods inthe universe, he discouraged prayer ordevotion to any of them, since they,like human beings, were finite and subjectto the pain that comes from the fluxof life. Buddha himself never encouragedpeople to direct prayers to him afterhe died and entered nirvana. But in orderto spread his teachings, his followershad come to build sanctuaries called“wats,” where ordinary people couldassemble to be instructed by monks. Mostof these wats had an image of Buddhaseated above the altar.Although the well-trained monksregarded prayers as nothing more thanrepetitions that earned merit, the commonpeople began to direct their prayerstoward Buddha himself. They sawhim as one who would help them in theirneed because he had fostered a benevolentattitude toward others and nowenjoyed the transcendence of being inthe changeless nirvana. It was then but aINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FRONTIER MISSIONS

Daniel P. Fuller19short step to think of Buddha as havingpreexisted before coming down toearth to tell people how to gain alleviationfrom suffering. To this notion wasadded the idea that he was a divine omniscientbeing who had repeatedly volunteeredto be incarnated on earth to blesspeople with his teachings.It was then anothershort step to the beliefthat Buddha had lived sinlesslyduring these incarnationsand therefore hadearned enough merit todwell in Tusita, the mostdesirable heaven.The third step in Buddhism’smodificationcame with the belief thatmany such buddhas hadcome to earth before SiddhartaGautama and thatothers would come after him. Thus theidea took shape that the universe wasfull of compassionate beings who wantedto aid suffering humanity. Now peoplesought salvation not just by the FourNoble Truths and the Eightfold Pathbut by looking to these buddhas as divinebeings with vast stores of merit thatthey were eager to share with the faithfulso they too could enjoy the blessingsof heaven. This exceedingly hopeful messagecarried by Mahayana Buddhismcaused it to spread much more rapidlythan the original form. By the secondcentury A.D. it was found throughout thelands generally north of the Himalayas-Tibet,China (including Vietnam),Mongolia, Korea, and Japan.Mahayana Buddhism taught that ordinarypeople who were well on theirway toward the final step on the EightfoldPath were bodhisattvas (“Buddhas inthe making”). But when they died, insteadof entering nirvana, they wouldchoose another rebirth, so that they mighthelp thousands more learn the way tonirvana. The greatest of these bodhisattvashad chosen rebirth rather than nirvanathousands of times, and as a resultOrdinary people simply couldnot be satisfied with itsindifference to transcendentalmatters. Their needs impelthem to reach out for anomniscient, omnipotent, andloving God to answer theirprayers and deliver themfrom the difficulties of this life.had acquired so much merit that they dispensedit from a heavenly place tothose who worshiped them and directedprayers to them. Noss observes that“this merit is so great that they could readilyachieve the full status of Buddhasand pass into nirvana; but they are compassionatebeings who out of love andpity for suffering humanity postpone theirentrance into nirvana and transfertheir merit, as need arises, to those whocall upon them in prayer and givedevotional thought to them.” 5The following statement from aPrajnaparamita Sutra (“teachings concerningtranscendental wisdom”) writtensoon after the first century A.D., explainsthe motivation of such a being.Doers of what is hard are the Boddhisattvas,the great beings who have setout to win supreme enlightenment.They do not wish to attain their ownprivate nirvana. On the contrary, theyhave surveyed the highly painfulworld of being, and yet, desirous towin supreme enlightenment, they donot tremble at birth-and-death [offuture lives on earth]. They have setout for the benefit of the world, for theease of the world, out of pity for theworld. They have resolved: “We willbecome a shelter for the world, a refugefor the world, the world’s place ofrest, the final relief of the world,islands of the world, lights of theworld, leaders of the world, theworld’s means of salvation. 6One such bodhisattva is Amitabha,a great god revered in China,Korea, and Japan. According to Noss,The hopeful devotee turns to Amitabha,and has merit transferred tohim from the great being’s store. AMahayana treatise widely read inChina and Japan, “A Description ofthe Land of Bliss” says distinctly thatfaith in Amitabha, quite apart frommeritorious works and deeds, is alonesufficient unto salvation. It declares:Beings are not born in that Buddhacountry as a reward and resultof good works performed inthis present life. No, all men orwomen who hear and bear inmind for one, two, three, four,five, six, or seven nights thename of Amitayus [an emanationfrom Amitabha], whenthey come to die, Amitayuswill stand before them in thehour of death, [and] they willdepart this life with quietminds, and after death they willbe born in Paradise. 7Is Mahayana Buddhismthen, like Christianity, a religion ofhope for the future?An Evaluation of BuddhismUnquestionably the original Buddhism,the “Teaching of the Elders,”ismore encouraging than Hinduism inthat it affirms that one can break out ofthe destiny one’s karma, gainedthrough countless previous rebirths,would otherwise decree for one.Through a far-reaching repentance, onecould be born instead into a much betterform of existence in the next life. It isalso more encouraging in that itclearly teaches that with the attainment ofnirvana, one will never again bereborn into this world of flux and suffering.But the very changes that tookplace in the years following Buddha’sdeath indicate that this earlier formtoo left much to be desired.Ordinary people simply could notbe satisfied with its indifference to transcendentalmatters. Their needs impelthem to reach out for an omniscient,omnipotent, and loving God toanswer their prayers and deliver themfrom the difficulties of this life. Peoplealso want definite teachings about theafterlife, and so later Buddhism cameto talk about specific heavens whoseinhabitants have not lost their identityVOL 14:1 JAN.-MARCH 1997

20One’s Future in Hinduism, Buddhism and Islamas individuals. Also necessary is a religionin which men and women can participatefully without becoming monks ornuns but can carry on the ordinaryvocations essential for society’s wellbeing.The subsequent changes both in theoriginal “Teaching of the Elders” andin the development of Mahayana Buddhismdemonstrate how Buddhismadded those features for which peopleyearn. As a result the teaching regardingthe foremost bodhisattvas of MahayanaBuddhism comes close to competingwith the Bible’s teaching that Godwill rejoice with his whole heart andsoul to work for the welfare of the peoplewho wait for him. That the greatBodhisattva, Amitabha, will bring to paradisea person who does nothing morethan meditate on his name for one daybefore death, sounds as if divineblessing could be received by grace. It isopen to abuse, however, by those whowish to live sinfully during this life butnevertheless spend eternity in paradise—providedthey could accurately predictwhen they would die. I certainlydo not suggest that all who revere Amitabhaare like that, for the teachers ofMahayana Buddhism urge people to befull of good works and to aspire tobecome bodhisattvas themselves.Nevertheless the problem arisingfrom the possible abuse of Amitabha’sgrace does exist, which could neverarise with the God of the Bible, whoworks for those who simply wait forhim. Waiting for God means bankingone’s hope for an eternity of happytomorrows exclusively upon what Godhas promised to do; it means havinghim as one’s hope for the future. Accordingto Psalm 33:20, “We wait in hopefor the Lord; he is our help and ourshield.” A pronounced change of conductthen occurs in those having such confidencein what the loving andsupreme Creator-God of the universe willdo for them, for such a hope is theroot cause of all virtuous living. PeopleINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FRONTIER MISSIONSwho confidently wait for God to bringthem the desired fulfillment for theirlives will not abuse others and use themas means whereby they might gainsome happiness for the future. Insteadthey seek to serve others, becausethey know that God will provide for everyneed. All would feel at ease livingalongside a person with such a hope inGod.So the Bible teaches that the conditionpeople must fulfill in order tohave the loving God work for them is notto wait for him just for one day but tomake waiting on him their purpose fromthe time they first trust him untildeath. To be sure, the Christian believesin the validity of death bed conversions,for Jesus told the thief on the crosswho believed in him that he woulddwell with him that very day in paradise(Luke 23:43). But the Bible gives noencouragement whatsoever to think thatone could live sinfully for most of lifeand then be assured of paradise by thinkingabout God for a day or so beforedeath.An important advantage Christianityhas over Mahayana Buddhism isthat people need never feel ashamedto go to heaven. In Mahayana Buddhism aperson could never refuse rebirthwithout feeling guilty that in so doing heor she was being selfish by denyingothers help so they too could find paradise.But there is no reincarnationtaught in the Bible: “[A person] is destinedto die once” (Heb. 9:27). ThereforeChristians need never choosebetween enjoying heaven and actinglovingly toward others.We also noted the tendency inBuddhism toward a personal transcendence.Thus Buddha himself becamepersonalized, even though much of hisindividuality may have been lost inthe indefinite nirvana. Herein lies Christianity’sgreatest advantage overMahayana Buddhism: it explicitly teachespeople to worship a living Lord nowand to look forward to the enjoyment of aclose family relationship with him foreternity.During his life on earth Jesus wassubjected to much suffering, personallyexperiencing all the hurts life canbring. So we Christians “do not havea High Priest who is unable to sympathizewith our weaknesses, but we haveone who has been tempted in every way,just as we are, yet without sin” (Heb.4:15). Indeed, in Mahayana Buddhismthere are highly personal beings whohave experienced the full range of sufferingduring their innumerable reincarnations.Amitabha, for example, dwells ina land one step removed from nirvana.He remains there because he stillwants to use his vast store of merit,constantly increased by his unselfishnessin postponing nirvana for himself, tobring millions and millions of people tohis place next door to nirvana–theultimate hope in Buddhism.So the impersonal and individual-suppressingnirvana is still held to bethe final goal of salvation, eventhough the history of Buddhism givesample evidence that its adherentsyearn not for cessation of individualitybut rather for contact with a highlypersonal, transcendent being. Hence thisbasic tension, lying at the very heartof Buddhism, remains unresolved.In Christianity, however, thistension is resolved. According to Revelation21:1-5, the Christian will finallybe in the closest fellowship with God,who “will wipe every tear from theireyes.” There will be no more death ormourning or crying or pain, for theold order of things has passed away.Discussion Questions1. Contrast the bases for the experienceof peace as set forth in Christianityand Hinduism. Which would youprefer, and why?2. Though Hinduism sees good andbad as merged together in Brahman,the impersonal, ultimate reality underlyingall things, nonetheless it does

Daniel P. Fuller21teach that there is sin. In what does this sinconsist?3. Why would Krishna’s exhortationquoted above, to behaveas a true warrior and not toworry about killing relativesand friends, be a counselof despair?4. What tends to be discouragingabout theHindu teaching of karma?5. “Why would it bewrong for a Hindu to aspireto the highest (Brahmin)caste?6. How might aHindu argue against Buddha’steaching that thedesire to become one withBrahman was fostering a desire forattachment rather than detachment?7. “What is more hopeful about“the Buddhism of the Elders” than Hinduism?8. Contrast the Buddhist nirvana withthe biblical heaven? What wouldcause you to choose one rather than theother?9. What is the strongest objection toBuddhism, which led to the developmentof “Upper Vehicle Buddhism”?10. How does Christianity avoidthe objection that one is selfish to want togo to heaven?11. Under what circumstances can aChristian’s desire to go to heaven bean extreme form of selfishness?12. What great problem confrontsboth forms of Buddhism and causes UpperVehicle Buddhism to teach somethingthat at first glance seems to be a gospel ofgrace?13. Why must it take as long as 1.25billion years for one to become abodhisattva, an “enlightenment being”?Why cannot one who renounces nirvanafor the good of others start preachingBuddhism in the near future as soon asreaching maturity in his or her next reincarnation?14. The teaching of MahayanaBuddhism about the god AmitabhaIn perusing the paradisepassages in the Koran, onenotes that the ultimate blessingsfor the Muslim do not gobeyond a superabundance ofthe most pleasurable thingsto be enjoyed in this life. Thereis no indication whatsoeverthat heaven’s joys culminate infellowship with God.sounds like salvation by grace, whichwould seem to prove Isaiah 64:4 false.But why does Isaiah 64:4 remaintrue?15. Why do the bodhisattvas,despite all the merit for others they haveaccumulated, finally become valuelessin Upper Vehicle Buddhism?The World of IslamIslam, or “submission to the will ofGod,” is the most recent of theworld’s great religions and claims 970million followers, or 18.4 percent ofthe world’s population. This monotheisticreligion directs all worship to Allahas the creator and almighty God andregards Muhammad, whose teachingsare set forth in the Koran, as the finalprophet, superseding all previousprophets such as Abraham, Moses, andJesus.Muhammad was born around A.D.570 in the region of Mecca in Arabia.With no acting father and a mother whodied when he was six, he was caredfor by his grandfather for a short time andthen by his uncle. Becoming a shepherdboy, he lived in poverty as a nomadnear Mecca. Some verses in theKoran may echo this time: “Did [Allah]not find thee an orphan and shelter thee?Did he not find thee erring, and guidethee? Did he not find thee needy, and sufficethee?”(93:6-8). 8Later Muhammad accompaniedcaravans organized by his uncle;these took him as far north as Syriaand as far south as Yemen. Inthis work he gained a reputation forbeing dependable and honest,and around 595 these qualitiescaught the attention of thewealthy widow Khadija, whoentrusted her business affairs tohim and later married him, thoughfifteen years his senior. Withher wealth supporting him, he nowhad more leisure time.By the seventh century bothJudaism and Christianity hadextended their influences into Arabia, andthe frequent references to the OldTestament and to Jesus in the Koran indicatethat Muhammad had beenexposed to them both as a dweller inMecca and during his travels as a caravaner.Their teaching of the one Godwho was not to be represented by anyimage or picture may have aroused withinhim a loathing for the idolatry of thepagan Bedouins. In any event, around 610Muhammad formed the habit of withdrawingat night to a cave at the foot of amountain north of Mecca, where hemeditated and prayed. About a year lateron the night of 26-27 Ramadan, hereceived his first revelation when theangel Gabriel appeared to him andsaid, “Recite: In the Name of thy Lordwho created, created Man of a bloodclot.Recite: And thy Lord is the MostGenerous, who taught by the Pen,taught Man that he knew not” (96:2-5).Mecca had long been the destinationof the pagan polytheistic Bedouinsbecause of the sacred black meteoriteresting in the corner of the Kaabah—acube-shaped sanctuary for their gods.Since the economy of the town dependedheavily on the money brought bythese pilgrims, at first Muhammad wasVOL 14:1 JAN.-MARCH 1997

22One’s Future in Hinduism, Buddhism and Islamreluctant to repeat the messages he hadreceived from this monotheistic God.Such teaching would clash with the polytheismof the Bedouin pilgrims andwould probably deter them from visitingMecca and enriching its economy. Butas Muhammad continued to receive revelations,his assurance that they weregenuine increased. The resulting convictionthat he had therefore become aprophet of the one and only God may beindicated by the following: “I swear...by the night swarming, by the dawn sighing,[that] truly this is the word of anoble Messenger having power, with theLord of the Throne secure, obeyed,moreover trusty” (81:1521). 9With his calling assured, aroundthe year 613 Muhammad began to declarethat there was one supreme God andthat he was that God’s final prophet. Heseems also to have denounced theBedouin practice of burying alive babygirls thought to be superfluous (81:9).As expected, his preaching infuriated thepeople of Mecca. But his wife, Khadija,encouraged him to keep on preachingAllah as the only supreme God, a Godof mercy and justice who would judge allpeople for their behavior. Earlier thisGod had been proclaimed by Abraham,Moses, and Jesus, but now he,Muhammad, had superseded them. “It isHe [Allah] who has sent His Messenger[Muhammad] with the guidance andthe religion of truth, that he may upliftit above every religion. God suffices as awitness” (48:25).Opposition at Mecca to Muhammadand his followers (now called Muslims,or “those who have submitted toAllah”) became so pronounced that in619 he and many of his converts fled twohundred miles north to the city nowcalled Medina. After his arrival he wasinvited to umpire disputes betweentribes, and his success paved the way formore refugee Muslims to join him.Their number was then swelled by additionalconverts at Medina.A number of battles ensued betweenthe Muslims of Medina and the pagans ofMecca, but finally Muhammadreached an agreement with the Meccansthat allowed him and his followers toreturn as Muslim pilgrims. Thus Meccabecame the Muslim sanctuary, andMuhammad now undertook to subjugateall of Arabia to Islam. For him therewas no division between church and state.Jews and Christians could practicetheir faith as second-class citizens as longas they remained loyal to the state,but pagans were to be conquered. As“idolaters,” they were to be given afew months to turn to Islam. If they failedto do so, however, the word wasclear: “Slay the idolaters wherever youfind them... But if they repent, andperform the [Muslim] prayer, and pay thealms, then let them go their way; Godis All-forgiving, All-compassionate”(9:5). Another directive reads, “Obelievers, fight the unbelievers who arenear to you, and let them find in youa harshness” (9:125). With such statementsit is no wonder that Islam wassoon called the religion of the sword.The Teachings of IslamThis use of the sword was one reasonwhy, after only a century, Islamreigned from Spain to India. It almostengulfed France as well, being turnedback only after its forces suffered a decisivedefeat in 732 at the hands ofCharles Martel. Another reason for itsamazingly rapid advance was thesimplicity of its teaching, so that today itis the world’s largest religion next toChristianity. Only five things are requiredto be a Muslim: (1) confess the unityof God and the apostleship of Muhammad;(2) pray five times a day facingtoward Mecca; (3) give the prescribedalms; (4) observe a fast during themonth of Ramadan, when no food iseaten from dawn until evening; 10 and(5) if at all possible, make one pilgrimageto Mecca before death.There are also high ethical commandsin the Koran. For example, in2:272 one hears an echo of the Christianteaching to conceal one’s good deeds:“If you publish your freewill offerings, itis excellent; but if you conceal them,and give them to the poor, that is betterfor you, and will acquit you of yourevil deeds.” This passage is significantnot only as a likely instance of Christianinfluence on Islam but also as evidencethat in Islam, salvation isattained as one performs more good deedsthan bad ones: evil deeds are canceledout, or acquitted, by the performanceof good deeds. But there is nohope of salvation for those denying thetenets of Islam.The metaphor of the pan-balances ofa scale appears several times in theKoran to emphasize that entrance intoparadise depends on a preponderanceof good works over evil ones.For when the Trumpet is blown...then he whose scales are heavy—theyare the prosperors, and he whosescales are light—they have lost theirsouls in Gehenna [hell] dwelling forever,the Fire smiting their faces.(23:104-5)We shall set up the just balances forthe Resurrection Day, so that not onesoul shall be wronged anything; evenif it be the weight of one grain ofmustard-seed [to determine whetherthe good outweighs the bad or viceversa]. We shall produce it, and sufficientare We for reckoners. (21:48)If the pan-balance shows that one’sgood works outweigh the bad, then atthe Judgment Day that one will be admittedto paradise with blessings farexceeding the tit-for-tat good works performedon earth: “Whosoever does anevil deed shall be recompensed only withthe like of it, but whosoever does arighteous deed, be it male or femalebelieving—those shall enter Paradise,therein provided without reckoning [in atit-for-tat way]” (40:44). 11 For thosewho earn this paradise pleasures abound:O which of your Lord’s bounties willyou and you deny? [i.e., it will behard to choose which of the abundanceof Paradise’s bounties are to beenjoyed.] Therein [are] two fountainsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FRONTIER MISSIONS

Daniel P. Fuller23of running water,...therein of everyfruit two kinds. ...[Therein you shallbe] reclining upon couches lined withbrocade, the fruit of the gardens nighto gather [whenever one wishesthem],... therein [are] maidens restrainingtheir glances, untouched beforethem by any man.... [They are] lovelyas rubies, beautiful as coral... Shall therecompense of goodness be other than[such] goodness? (55:49-60, italics added)[The God fearing] shallhave whatsoever they willwith their Lord; that is therecompense of the gooddoers,that God may acquitthem of the worst of whatthey did, and recompensethem with the wages of thefairest of what they weredoing. (39:35-36, italicsadded)The Value of IslamThere is no denying that theblessings of the Islamic paradiseare enticing. But attentionshould be directed towardtwo drawbacks in these blessingsas Koranic teaching presentsthem.Inability to Satisfy the HeartIn perusing the paradise passages inthe Koran, one notes that the ultimateblessings for the Muslim do not go beyonda superabundance of the most pleasurablethings to be enjoyed in this life. Thereis no indication whatsoever thatheaven’s joys culminate in fellowship withGod.In comparing Islam with Christianity,we may find it helpful to reflect onone of the Pensees (or “thoughts”) ofBlaise Pascal (1623-62), the famousFrench mathematician and philosopher. 12All men seek happiness, withoutexception; they all aim at this goal,however different the means they useto attain it... The will never makes thesmallest move but with this as its goal.[The quest for happiness] is the motiveof the actions of all men, even of thosewho contemplate suicide.And yet, for centuries past, never hasanyone, lacking faith, reached themark at which all continually aim. Allmen murmur: princes, subjects,nobles, commoners; old and young;learned, ignorant; sound and sick; ofevery clime, of every time, of everyage, of every state...What is it then that this eager desire,and this incapacity, cry aloud to usbut that man once possessed true happiness,of which nothing now remainssave the mark and empty outline [latrace toute vuide], which he vainlyThe uniqueness of the God ofthe Bible becomes mostevident, for he “is not served byhuman hands as if he neededanything” (Acts 17:25). To thecontrary, the God of theBible works on behalf of, or forthe benefit of, those whotrust and hope in him. And he isso complete in himself thatin thus working he finds hisgreatest joy.tries to fill in with his circumstances,seeking from things [ahead in thefuture] the help which he fails to findin things present, [but] all of themincapable of giving [contentment andjoy], because the infinite abyss [goufreinfini] can only be filled by oneinfinite and steadfast object, i.e., byGod Himself? (Thought 250)Pascal argued that a philosophycontrived by human reflection couldnever succeed in filling this “infiniteabyss”because philosophy can talk onlyabout things either in this world orimaginatively by analogy to these things.But since human experience provesthat nothing in this world succeeds insilencing humankind’s universalcomplaint, it follows that to fill the abyss,attention must be directed to the greatreligions, with their claims to know oftranscendent things that human imaginationcannot concoct. As Pascal said inThought 249, “Let us examine all thereligions of the world, and see whetherthere is any other than Christianitywhich satisfies our need.” 13On the subject of the ultimate blessingsthe Christian is to enjoy, theBible’s teaching contrasts sharply withthe Koran’s message for the Muslimfaithful. During this life, fellowship withGod for the Christian is the onlything that satisfies: “Whom have I inheaven but you? And earth has nothingI desire besides you. Myflesh and my heart may fail,but God is the strength of myheart and my portion forever”(Ps. 73:25-26). The samegreat hope is held out for thehereafter: “And I, in righteousnessI will see your face;when I awake, I will be satisfiedwith seeing your likeness”(Ps. 17:15). As does the Koran,the Bible refers to heaven asa place free from the miseries ofthis world; only the heavenof the Bible, however, includesenjoyment of intimate fellowshipwith God: “No longerwill there be any curse. Thethrone of God and of the Lamb [Christ]will be in the city, and his servantswill serve him. They will see his face, andhis name will be on their foreheads”(Rev. 22:3-4).Pascal’s reasoning seems soundthat the inner desire of humankind cannever be met by earthly pleasures butonly by fellowship with God. How, then,could one living in a Muslim heavenfind contentment for eternity doing nothingmore than lounging in gardensthrough which cool streams flow, beingserved refreshing drinks by beautifuland diffident maidens? But to have fellowshipwith a God who is like JesusChrist would constitute a joy that couldnever become commonplace. 14Why does the Koran lay no emphasison the ultimate blessing of having fellowshipwith God? One plausible explanationis that the blessings of a Muslimheaven are regarded as wages paid byGod. Islam honors the individual as aworkperson who has had the skills,VOL 14:1 JAN.-MARCH 1997

24One’s Future in Hinduism, Buddhism and Islamstrength, and character necessary to meetsome need of Allah the employer. Soit would be incongruous in this system toconsider fellowship with such a deficientGod as a reward for one’s praiseworthiness in meeting his needs.Precisely at this point the uniquenessof the God of the Bible becomes mostevident, for he “is not served by humanhands as if he needed anything” (Acts17:25). To the contrary, the God of theBible works on behalf of, or for thebenefit of, those who trust and hope inhim. And he is so complete in himselfthat in thus working he finds his greatestjoy. As Old Testament theologianWalther Eichrodt observed, Israel’s religionwas the direct opposite of thosepracticed by the surrounding peoples. Intheir religions god was the client forwhom the people must work in order toget from him certain blessingsregarded as wages— something earned.But for Israel it was just the reverse:Israel was to regard itself as the client forwhom God was working, as long asthe people trustingly obeyed his directivesfor their welfare.The situation in Islam is exactlyreverse of Christianity. In the Christianfaith God is the praiseworthy workerwho meets the needs of believing people,then having fellowship with such agood God becomes most desirable.We thus can conclude that Islam, in comparisonwith Christianity, promises aheaven that falls far short of being whatthe human heart craves for most.No Assurance in IslamThis second drawback is madeclear by the Koran, which teaches that it isonly the pan-balances at the futurejudgment that will determine those Muslimswho will be saved. In the meantimeone can only hope that his or hergood works will outweigh the evil.But no one can be sure, and this fear offailure tends to keep one somewhatnervous about the future and to that extentunconcerned about the needs of others.Thus the very lack of assurancereduces a person’s potential for beingloving. Also the less benevolent one is toothers, the fewer good works will bein the pan-balance to counteract the evilones. This situation in Islam, andeven in some branches of Christianity(i.e., Roman Catholicism) can easilycreate a vicious circle, where the lack ofassurance of being God’s child keepsuncertainty reigning in the heart, which inturn lessens one’s chances for doinggood works. And the more people realizethat this fear is keeping them fromlooking for opportunities to be benevolent,the more they lack assurancethat God will be pleased with them.Here then, is a striking contrastbetween Islam and the religion of theBible. Hebrews 6:11-12 says, “Wewant each of you to prove the same diligenceas before in maintaining fullassurance of hope unto the end of yourlives, in order that... you may be imitatorsof those who through faith andpatience inherit the promises”(author’s own translation). The Biblemakes full confidence that God is forus and not against us which is the foundationon which to build a life of goodworks. In contrast, Islam teaches that onemust try to amass as many goodworks as possible without any such assurance,since only at the final judgmentcan it be known whether one is tospend eternity in paradise or in hell.These two major drawbacks in Islamunderscore the superior value of thereligion taught in the Bible, as do the difficultiesinherent in Hinduism andBuddhism. We therefore conclude, thatthe Bible sets forth a message wellworth our while expending the time andenergy to understand. Only by appropriatingits message will the God-shapedvacuum of the heart be satisfied,completely and forever. 15Review Questions on Islam1. In what sense is Allah merciful,even though paradise is reserved onlyfor those whose good deeds outweigh thebad?2. What is the most significant omissionin the Muslim description of paradise(heaven) in contrast to the Christiandescription of heaven?3. Who is the client in Islam, God orthe Muslim? Who is the client in biblicalreligion, God or the believer?4. When should one gain fullassurance of sins forgiven in Christianity?When is it gained in Islam?5. Explain why the Christian doctrineof assurance helps one to be morebenevolent than does the Muslim doctrine.Notes1. The Bhagavad Gita, trans. ShriPurohit Swami (London: Faber &Faber, 1978). This song is part ofthe Mahabharata, a 100,000-verse epiccomposed 400 B.C.-A.D. 400.According to John B. Noss, scholarsestimate that the Bhagavad Gitawas composed around A.D. 100(Man’s Religions, 3d ed. [NewYork: Macmillan, 1963], 266).2. Ajith Fernando, The Christian’sAttitude Toward World Religions(Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House,1987), 43. The author is a native of SriLanka.3. The information regarding Buddhismfor this summary comes fromNoss, Man’s Religions, 167-252, andfrom A Buddhist Bible, ed. DwightGoddard (New York: E. F. Dutton,1952).4. Noss, Man’s Religions, 180.5. Ibid., 217.6. Edward Conze, Buddhism: Its Essenceand Development (NewYork: Harper & Row, 1959), 128.7. Noss, Man’s Religions, 221, citingSir Charles Eliot, Hinduism and Buddhism,3 vols. (London: EdwardArnold, 1921), 2:30. The quotation isfrom the Lesser Sukhavati-vyuha.8. The 114 suras, or chapters, in theKoran (“Reading”) are arrangednot chronologically but generally bylength (e.g., the second is 15 percentof the whole Koran; the last oneconsists of only seven lines). Quo-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FRONTIER MISSIONS

Daniel P. Fuller25tations from the Koran are taken fromThe Koran Interpreted, trans.Arthur J. Arberry (New York: Macmillan,1955), a translation regardedas of the highest quality.9. Muhammad never regarded himselfas an inspired revelatory spokesperson,but only as one who repeated whatthe angel Gabriel, the “noble Messenger,”told him.10. Because Muslims have a lunar calendar,over the course of severalyears Ramadan occurs at every seasonof the year.11. The “believing” here is limited to theaffirmation of Muslim beliefs andthe denial of others; for example,“They are unbelievers who say,‘God is the Messiah, Mary’s Son”’(5:19). Unlike the Bible, the Koransays nothing about the power offaith,understood as hope and confidencein God’s promises, to produceworks pleasing to God and helpfulto others.12. Blaise Pascal was a genius who, inhis twenties, developed analyticalgeometry and the principles ofprobability. At the age of thirty-two,he pursued more actively his longtimeinterest in religion and entered thereform-inclined, monastic Jansenistcommunity of Port Royal, France.At the risk of his life, he wrote ascore of pseudonymous letters exposingthe devious practices the Jesuitswere successfully using to silenceall dissent against the papacy.Overtaken by cancer in his late thirties,he began his lifelong ambition ofwriting a book on the evidence for thetruth of the Christian religion. Hisdeteriorating health, however, allowedhim only to jot down about onethousand “thoughts,” which where tobe basic themes and arguments forthis book. Though death intervened atage thirty-nine, his “thoughts”have been regarded ever since as theologicalthinking at its best. Thesource for quotations here, both Englishand French, is Pascal’s Pensees,trans. H. F. Stewart (New York:Pantheon Books, 1950).13. In this chapter and the preceding one Ihave attempted to carry out, on asmall scale, such an examination ofthe world’s four major religions-Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, andChristianity. Now we have seenthat, unlike the other three great religions,Christianity satisfies thecraving of the heart and enhances thewelfare of society, thus makingits truth of the greatest relevance.14. Only a century after Islam’sfounding, a mystical movement arosein a group called the Sufis, whosought to gain a sense of fellowshipwith Allah. Such a developmentindicates the insatiable desire of thehuman heart to have close communionwith what is ultimately transcendentin one’s religion.15. After comparing the Bible’s messagewith the teachings of other religionsit becomes evident that its teachingabout a God who works forpeople is unique. Tragically, however,this message is absent from manyChristian traditions that have not kepton testing their teachings againstbiblical theology so that they might“always be reforming themselves”(semper reformandum). Asrecently as 1990 it dawned on methat the Bible’s unique message providesthe quickest proof of theBible’s truth.Step #1: The human ego iscompletely averse to the idea of a Godwho works for people, becausethat idea gives the ego no room forpride. So in other religions, aswell as tradition-bound Christianity,we hear much talk about our obligationto work for God. In Islam, forexample, one works for Allah andearns “recompense”and “wages” fromhim (Koran 39:35-36; 55:49-60).But in Acts 17:25 Paul said to theproud Athenians “God is notserved by human hands as though heneeded anything.”Step #2: How did the Bible,penned by humans, ever come upwith this message so offensive to thehuman ego? The answer beginswith an axiom, a self-evident proposition,verifiable by the absurdity ofits denial. The axiom is that everyeffect must have a commensuratecause. The Bible is an effect. But weneed to see that what caused it, orwhat brought it into being, cannot liewithin the realm of humandynamics because human nature hatesthis message. But since everyeffect must have a cause, we have toleave the “first floor” of humandynamics and go upstairs to the “secondstory” of God’s enablementto find the cause for the Bible’s existence.The apostle Peter in 2 Peter1:21 talks of how writers of Scripture“spoke as they were moved by theHoly Spirit.” This explains the uniquemessage of the Bible. It existshere on the “second story” becausethe Holy Spirit countered the egosof the Bible’s revelatory spokespersonsand moved them to write amessage totally abhorrent to thehuman ego.Step #3: Therefore, the Bible’smessage is true, because its existencecan be explained only as a workof Almighty God. In that Godmoved people to pen such a messageagrees with Paul’s statement thathe and the Bible’s other revelatoryspokespersons did not use “wordswhich man’s wisdom teaches, butwhich the Holy Spirit teaches.”(See 1 Cor. 2:13)Dr. Daniel Fuller is senior professor ofbiblical interpretation and formerdean of the faculty at FullerTheological Seminary in Pasadena,California.[Editor’s note: This article is areprint of chapters 5 and 6 from Dr.Fuller’s book The Unity of theBible, a Zondervan publication. It ismust reading for anyone seriousabout developing a Christianworldview. Permission granted forreprint.]VOL 14:1 JAN.-MARCH 1997