Perhaps the most serious comparison between the Abramic religions involves what happens when they become the only or the highest reigning religion in the world. To look at that perspective it helps to see them as a system of governance. For as long as a system can remain in harmony with itself, it cannot perish. Any world system perishing is a very serious danger for all of humanity as the conflicts that arise get deadly on a worldwide scale. Thus the system to favor for the world order, is one that is not likely to fall into disharmony with itself and also not likely to require misery of any of the population so as to maintain that harmony.
The system proposed by Judaism is one that separates the good from the bad. It is a system of judgment and is where you got the word “judge”. In the Judaic system, one acquires judgments and condemnations through perceived sins, errors, misbehavior. Each perception of a sin leaves a mark on the individual. Each mark makes it harder to avoid more sin and much easier to be perceived as sinning even if actually not doing so. Thus within such a system, one tends to spiral down and at times merely because someone arranged for a perception of sin whether one occurred or not and thus lives a life of condemnation from which he cannot escape.
Thus there is always a division between the perceived righteous and the perceived sinners. Such a system must keep the sinners oppressed and incapable of disrupting the comparative heavenly harmony of the righteous while the sinners must endure a life in Gehenna, Hell, else the system falls into disharmony and perishes. But this leaves the system in constant contention and judgment within itself and if left alone, without adversary, eventually turns against itself to the point of disruption. It would require perfect perception of sin in order to never fail. Judgment when turned on itself, destroys itself.
Thus Judaism requires an adversary so as to give greater impetus for unity and less dependence on perfection within. As long as there is an enemy to fight and blame for oppression, the system can maintain itself. But that means if left alone, the system must produce an enemy so as to have impetus for unity, thus conflict either from outsiders or sinners is required by the system, else there is nothing to judge and the system falls apart by virtue of too much peace and having no requirement for the system to exist. This would mean an eternal state of conflict either self imposed or due to natural consequence of having no impetus to unify.
Islam as a system, is not so concerned with judgment, but maintains its unity through respect and the fear that brings it. Once again, in order to maintain itself, if left alone, it must give impetus for fear so as to maintain the respect required to maintain the unity of those in comparative, fear free heaven. This too leads to an eternal state of misery for the larger portion of the populous as they must be always in a state of fear and discomfort else respect is lost and the system fails. But fear when turned on itself dissolves itself.
Secularism is similar to both of these.
But Christianity, as a system, has a different method for maintaining its harmony. The focus for unity in Christianity is not judgment nor fear, but of love for the good. As an isolated system, void of an enemy, Christianity must maintain perception of good so as to compel unity. Perception of good means that not only does a danger have to be seen, but a clear path for avoiding or dismissing the danger must also be seen. As long as the path to the good or hope can be easily seen and traversed, the perceived danger need not be great nor even felt. This means that merely the rational proposal of potential danger can be used in the presence of a clear solution so as to give impetus for unity. Fear need not be required by the system and judgment is required to be forgiving in Christianity and thus there is no requirement by the system itself to even have an actual Hell state, but merely the perceived potential.
This system allows for that heavenly state to exist for all concern throughout the system even if the system is left alone without actual adversary. Thus a long term harmony state is viable and self supporting. Love when turned on itself, creates more of itself.
Fear scatters
Hope gathers
Where Christianity has failed as a system is in understanding exactly how to achieve the perception of good by merely the perceived potential of bad. Because the system produces relative harmony for its leaders (as they all do), they are not strongly persuaded to ensure the actual purity and accuracy of the system (not the people) and thus corruption invades in the presence of a beguiling adversary. Christianity has never really been left alone and because it does not emphasize accuracy in achieving the perfection of its aim, it leaves the door open for others to bring corruption into it, taking advantage of its lack of careful precision, yet it cannot close its door.
Thus as an overview, Judaism, Islam, and Secularism all require either fear or judgment or both. This means that an eternal system of loving harmony cannot be achieved by any of those. Christianity does not rely on either. But Christianity, although capable of maintaining an eternal state of loving harmony, does not pursue the precision required to achieve it and thus cannot demonstrate the ensured good that it proposes and depends upon.
Just some thoughts…
