"Salvation is worth working for. It is worth a man's going round the world on his hands and knees, climbing its mountains, crossing its valleys, swimming its rivers, going through all manner of hardship in order to attain it. But we do not get it in that way. It is to him who believes." DWIGHT LYMAN MOODY (1837-1899)

I close my eyes and remember vividly like I were there right now kneeling at the alter. The day I asked Jesus to come into my heart and save me from the fires of hell is imprinted upon my very soul. There is a small church in Laurens SC, called Faith Baptist. My mom and dad took us there often when I was a little boy. I remember this one night in particular because I thought I had lied to the preacher. He gave his sermon as normal, that I do not remember a word of because I was usually half asleep or busy playing quietly in the church pews if I could get away with it. At the end of the service it got really noisy because everyone would start singing praises to God and there would be an invite for people to come forward and ask Jesus to save them from Hell. I had been told about hell and heaven so I understood what they meant by this time. One of my friends that was a little older urged me to go forward and ask Jesus to forgive me. I was afraid but went anyway. I went to the front of the church while everyone was still singing praises to God and songs to invite everyone whom needed to come and ask for forgiveness of their sins. I knelt like everyone else that had did the same at the steps leading to the stage and pulpit area. I just sat there hoping that no one was laughing at me and asked God to forgive me for whatever I might have done wrong. The preacher worked his way over to me and knelt beside me with his arm around my shoulders. He asked, "Are your bags packed and or you ready to go to heaven." I thought about this for a moment and said, "Yes". I had remembered that beneath my bed at home I still had clothes in a suitcase from a recent trip to my grandmother's house. He said some prayers and asked me to repeat with him. After a few moments of prayer he then asked if I had been baptized and I said, "no". Someone came over and asked me my name and some other questions to put on a piece of paper for church records. That was all there was to it. I had heard that when some people did this that they felt a huge change immediately and bright lights flashed. But I only felt relieved that it was almost over and everyone knew I was saved and no one would push me anymore. The only thing I had left to do was to be baptized. That was scheduled for the next week with the person writing down the information.

Later that night I thought about everything I had did quietly after going to bed. I realized that what the preacher meant was had I asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins and not if my bags were packed literally. I had learned from our many visits to the church that once I asked Jesus to forgive me I would have to believe with all of my heart without a doubt that he had forgiven me of my sins. I am sure I had seen some films at the church about Hell. It was a place where people that did not believe without a doubt in Jesus, according to them, would die and burn forever. I had not felt any inspirational change and no bright lights had come to me so I still had doubts. I began right then to pray to God for understanding. I prayed to God that he would lead me rightly. I asked that he forgive me of my doubts and my lack of understanding. I am sure I prayed in earnest for hours lying there in the bed that night. The only thing I was sure about was that my soul would live forever whether Jesus forgave me or not. I was sure that sinners would live forever in a place called Hell where the fires burned forever. I was sure that those that were washed free of sins by God that he would forgive them and permit them to live in a garden paradise forever. I was not sure though that I should pray to Jesus instead of God. Since I had to answer to God for my sins and Jesus Prayed to God. So I continued to pray for God to bless me with understanding. I prayed that if I were supposed to believe without a doubt that Jesus was going to take responsibility for my wrongs that God would help me in my belief. More than anything I did not want to burn in the Hell forever.

I could not get a full understanding that night so I went to sleep without being sure that I was saved from the curse of burning in Hell forever. I continued night after night lying in the dark at night praying for understanding and the ability to believe without a doubt that I was saved. This is where my faith stayed until my teen years. I still prayed to God directly for understanding and thanked God for everything good. When I said my blessing at every meal I would always thank God as my mom and dad had taught me. Sometimes I would just get by myself and pray in earnest to God for hours. I would thank him for everything that he had blessed me with, air I breath, trees, and the very life he had bestowed upon me. I would also ask for forgiveness if it was his desire that I believed that Jesus had died for my sins. I had that nagging little doubt that would not go away. According to the way I was taught, I would never be able to enter heaven if I did not believe that Jesus was the one responsible for my sins. I could not believe that Jesus took that responsibility for me. I was always being taught that if I did something wrong, all I would have to do is ask Jesus to forgive me before I died and his blood would keep me clean and pure. It was too much like the story of Santa Clause that my mom and dad still say is true.

I started reading the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible as much as I could. I read it through several times but still could not find the answers. I learned from my teaching that Jesus was called the Son of God. What did this mean? Did this mean that God had come down to the Earth and made love with a human being and had a son? I knew this was false from the start because God created everything and this was not what God would have done. I prayed about this and came to understand from my prayers, studies, and my teaching in the church that it did not mean a son in the literal since. It was just another way of referring to Gods creation. From the Bible I learned that we were all children of God in the sense that those whom he has forgiven are special to God. I came to understand that children and son had two meanings as many words in English do. I accepted that children and son meant creation in terms of God and not children as from humans. In my heart I felt I understood this clearly. I learned in Genesis that when God created man that he placed man above all other parts of creation. He created Adam and then breathed life into him from his own spirit, which made man special above all other creatures that walked the Earth and lived in Heaven. I believed without a doubt that Jesus was special, as he never was recorded as having sinned and that God had created him without the need for a dad in the womb of the virgin mother Mary.

Mathew 1: 18 - 25, 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

He was born of a woman just as any other man. He had blood flowing through his vanes just as any other man. He was physically a man with all of the physical limitations and temptations. But he was born with special knowledge. He grew up in the world just like any other man physically, but mentally he had the knowledge from the birth that there is only one God and that he alone must be worshiped. He taught this from an early age almost always disagreeing with the learned religious leaders of his time.

The most important thing I learned and have a strong conviction about is that we must love, respect, and worship the one God from our hearts. It does not matter how much good you do if the reason is not correct. I respected the teachings I learned from the King James Version of the Bible, especially the ones about Jesus. I wished to pattern my life after his. He was perfect in all ways and according to the KJV of the Bible he taught that we should pray to God relentlessly. I knew he was a man and subject to the same weakness as any other man. But he was born with a special knowledge that made him infallible and so strong in the face of those weaknesses. He knew that there was only one God of all creation. He knew that God was there for him if he needed help. He knew of the angels and he knew the holy books because God had blessed him with all the knowledge from them. He knew that whatever God decreed that the will of God would be done. He knew he was just a man physical but with a special message to other men to serve God and to do good to their brethren. He was a man filled with the Holy Spirit from birth.

In my studies of Islam I have found a bridge that closes the gap between Islam and Christianity. Muslims believe that Jesus did not die on the cross. They believe that the people that witnessed the death were fooled by someone else. But after studying the Quran I see that in a different light. The quran only says the people were wrong about his death but does delve into the details. Islamic scholars have added their own interpretations which have come to be accepted as fact by all.

I agree Jesus did not die on the cross. Because as Jesus taught during his life that we all are more than this physical body. Our real selves is the spirit that lives within each of us. If this is true then it would have been impossible for mortal men to have killed Jesus. Yes, they may have terminated the shell he abided in for some time. But I do not believe that Jesus died. I believe that he was taken up in spirit for sometime from this Earth to speak with the master and creator of all mankind. Then when it was time Jesus was sent back to the body and was resurrected in the physical form again.

I believe that the philosophers and great gurus would open their minds to true wisdom from God that they could see that Muslims and Christians are the same. I follow the teachings of Jesus but according to the basic Islamic teachings this also makes me a Muslim.

a. Jesus believed there is only One God For All Of Creation
b. Jesus believed in the existence of angel's
c. Jesus believed in the religious scriptures
d. Jesus Believed in the prophets i.e. Moses, Noah… and all men that had brought messages from God before him
e. Jesus believed in the Day of Judgment when all men would have to answer to God for their sins that had not been forgiven. "God is most merciful and often forgiving if you only ask."
f. Jesus believed in the decree of providence, that if God says something to be, it will be that way. He believed that the will of God supersedes all of creation. Gods Will Shall Be Done.

I also believe that any man that teaches these things is a servant of God and is doing Gods will. Muhammad taught these things to his followers.