Please describe your god's loyalty reward scheme.

[vorlon13]

I blame Apostle Paul

[WinterHold]

It's official then that even a Muslim who associated other deities with God (AKA commit Shirk) is the among the damned. I personally believe that the majority of Muslims through the ages, commit Shirk. Currently; the Shiite faith and the Sunni faith has Shirk written all over them.

OK this is useful to know. It would be a shame to become a Muslim and then waste your salvation by dabbling with other religions. Quite to what extent does it mean to be associated with other dieties though? Wandering into a church wouldn't do it would it, but I suppose believing in them or making use of their services perhaps? Would you say that if a Muslim partakes in the Catholic Soul Cleansing Service on a regular basis then they'll go to Hell even though they aren't Catholic?

The main rule is to set the priority of God atop of all other priorities. So anything; even prophets of the faith and angels are below God.
That makes the concept of Jesus in Christianity -for example- a severe form of "Shirk", any belief even the slightest in something like that is association. God is described to be very independent, like stating in this verse:

Sura 18, The Quran:
( 26 )   Say, "Allah is most knowing of how long they remained. He has [knowledge of] the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth. How Seeing is He and how Hearing! They have not besides Him any protector, and He shares not His legislation with anyone."

I don't know much about the soul cleansing ritual; but I can totally say that any action that stresses on the concept of that God has partners, or in other words lesser instances of the same God (like the Son; Jesus for example) is association. If a catholic is singing on God's name only (not mentioning that Jesus is the lord or anything), I will sing with them, because that act is not stressing on the concept of "Shirk".

The source book (The Quran) has a list of good/bad actions scattered around 600 pages; thus the bad should be avoided and the good should be practiced. Our whole life, actions and deeds are recorded:

I take it that the good and bad deeds have been collated into a simple list or do you have to read the whole 600 pages? Could you just download the pdf, print it out and stick it in your fridge? So is it that you only get judged by deeds they relate to the list or do you get judged on other things as well? If the former then it looks very useful having everything specifically laid out. It would be like having to adapt your lifestyle to a new diet. It's far easier to avoid milk products than say any food that smacks of western decadence say.

Personally I began reading it extensively on .PDF .
Muslims take their good deeds and bad deeds from 2 institutions instead of the Quran directly: The Sunni institution and its scholars, or The Shiite institution and its scholars.

I rebelled against both institutions and decided to stick to the Quran, reading it by my own and conclude the good and bad deeds myself.
Most Muslims I know leave everything to the religious institution; so religion becomes stronger than stone; resisting the opinion of the institution makes you a target for heavy criticism.

It's a general rule that God is merciful and ignorance is an excuse: if the mistake done is followed by repenting and trying to fix the act.

Sura 4, The Quran:
( 17 )   The repentance accepted by Allah is only for those who do wrong in ignorance [or carelessness] and then repent soon after. It is those to whom Allah will turn in forgiveness, and Allah is ever Knowing and Wise.
( 18 )   But repentance is not [accepted] of those who [continue to] do evil deeds up until, when death comes to one of them, he says, "Indeed, I have repented now," or of those who die while they are disbelievers. For them We have prepared a painful punishment.

Ignorance is always an excuse.
Just like cutting on full-fat dairy stuff and salt; it sucks first, but we adapt.

Everything is being written in a record. Privacy has no meaning in front of your own creator. Just like mothers and their toddlers.
We will be judged for everything, even the tiniest thought we ever had.
Everything.

Does your god record actions and deeds before you convert? Is he recording everyone's life in case regardless of their religion or lack of one? Presumably come the time of judgement your god just skips to the main highlights? It sort of feels like being spied on by the NSA when you're not even American.

According to this verse; everything is recorded:

Sura 18, The Quran:
( 49 )   And the record [of deeds] will be placed [open], and you will see the criminals fearful of that within it, and they will say, "Oh, woe to us! What is this book that leaves nothing small or great except that it has enumerated it?" And they will find what they did present [before them]. And your Lord does injustice to no one.

Killing for example is wrong; even if somebody isn't Muslim. It will be written in the record; just like all small and big other actions.

To avoid hell; one must be chosen by God:

Is this the same god that the other monotheists believe in, or is their god a different god but with the same name? Or does their god not exist? If so how do you tell gods apart if they go by the same name? I mean, we can all believe that the same historical character existed for example but argue about what actually happened.

It's the traits. The image is what differs. For example; some theists assign a shape to their God. But that's a trait not obvious in Islam. I can't say God has a shape. Some scatter the traits among different entities; I can't say this is true because that is "Shirk" according to Islam.

All of us will fail as it seems. But only the wretched worse will remain kneeling; while the good rest is taken by the mercy of God.

So your god will be taking pity on some if they tried really hard but didn't quite make the grade because the test was really hard? What matters more when being judged, trying or achieving?

Trying. According to the Quran; that destiny is already written on humanity:

Sura 32, The Quran:
( 13 )   And if We had willed, We could have given every soul its guidance, but the word from Me will come into effect [that] "I will surely fill Hell with jinn and people all together.
( 14 )   So taste [punishment] because you forgot the meeting of this, your Day; indeed, We have [accordingly] forgotten you. And taste the punishment of eternity for what you used to do."

If I want to follow the verses by the word; all of us will follow Satan to a degree. Those who become of his clan though; are the ones staying hell.
The Quran is listing what deeds make people among the clan of Satan, and what deeds make people of the clan of God

[John V]

Why would god make it so difficult for all Christians to be on the same page, especially regarding the issue of salvation?  I mean, doesn't he know eternal souls are at stake here?

Yes, he does, and he knows people's hearts and will save whom he will save. It's not about knowing some precise ritual.

[Harry Nevis]

...there is nothing new to be learned about christianity, except the lengths believers will go to to convince themselves they are "right".

This guy's even more smug and condescending than me! Look, I know what I know but I am also painfully aware of how much I don't. You really have to wonder about someone who thinks there is nothing new to be learned. I feel like I could study Scripture my whole life and will still only have scratched the surface.

Don't misrepresent me.  I have nothing to learn about christianity.  Unless you've been sitting on proof all of this time, waiting for the right moment to whip it out.

[Homeless Nutter]

[...] I feel like I could study Scripture my whole life and will still only have scratched the surface.

Careful, if you keep scratching that surface, you're going to get an infection...

You know - a thick person can study any old load of nonsense and feel the way you do about your "Goatherder's Guide To The Galaxy". It's called "reading comprehension".

[Catholic_Lady]

Why would god make it so difficult for all Christians to be on the same page, especially regarding the issue of salvation?  I mean, doesn't he know eternal souls are at stake here?

Yes, he does, and he knows people's hearts and will save whom he will save. It's not about knowing some precise ritual.

Yeah I would agree with this.

[RoadRunner79]

Why would god make it so difficult for all Christians to be on the same page, especially regarding the issue of salvation?  I mean, doesn't he know eternal souls are at stake here?

Yes, he does, and he knows people's hearts and will save whom he will save. It's not about knowing some precise ritual.

That sounds about like the answer I was thinking of.  Because it isn't a about knowing the right things to say, or following precisely the right rules.

[Mystic]

On a different perspective, "if you dispute about a thing, refer it to God and the Messenger, if you
believe in God and the Last day...." and "hold on to the rope of God together and do not dispute..." and "whatever you differ in a thing the judgment is for God..." and "who better as a judge than God for a people who are sure" and "do not mix falsehood with the truth while you know" and "do you say about God what you do not know?" and "do not invent about God lies forbidding what he is allowed and allowing what he has forbidden".

The fact we Muslims have failed to unite on God's handhold and rope shows we are self-deceiving ourselves about our faith in God and his Messengers and we are immersed in idol worship of our scholars who have failed us in so many respects to deliver the message as is clear in Quran and Sunnah.

[The Grand Nudger]

Hmn, I seem to recall there being something in catechism about precise rituals and their ability to initiate man into the mystery of divine life.  

It's almost as if the catholics are becoming protestants, of late. It's a shame to see such an ancient franchise reduced to irrelevance in the minds of it's own adherents.

[Cod]

But you see that even though we were children on different continents, we did the same thing.
That shows me that soil exists not only for the growing of fruitage, but for the bondage of soil eating people who meet randomly years later.

You must agree that what I'm saying to you makes sense.

Kind of. Nonetheless though, not everyone eats soil. But we do all poop and fart, and the entirety that is humanity can connect in that sense. And no one is excluded that way. It's all part of a much larger picture.

So we agreed on that point.
Do you believe that God is omniscient? I'm asking this for a very specific reason. I believe your eyes will be opened.