American Christian new member: my views

I'm Christian, but grew up with two very good Sunni friends from junior high to today. I believe myself to better understand Islam than most Americans and most non-Muslims. So any views you may disagree with in those regards are based on interacting with them and their families as well as a few debates with my friends, sometimes heated ones.
I accept Jesus as my savior, but that is really the only thing in the Bible I accept on faith alone. If science or archaeology suggest a biblical error then facts should not be ignored. I believe in evolution, the Big Bang, and that Earth is billions of years old. I see the story of Noah's Ark I see as exaggeration of a regional flood event through years of storytelling until it became mythology. All myths have a truth at their core, and too many cultures share similar flood stories to think its a completely false tale, but there are too many holes to think it's highly accurate. My belief in science does not interfere with my faith. I see evolution as God's beautifully complex method of creation and proliferation of species. I think even God cannot simply will something into existence. Through the natural laws He created the Earth was formed and in time so were we.
Religion should not play ANY role in society's laws. I know that Muslims see this as almost blasphemy due to the importance of Sharia but religion is too polarizing to use in lawmaking. Atheists have morals too, and secular morality is more universal in my mind. I can't be comfortable with not allowing gay people marriage because a 1000+ year old book said an orientation that science suggests is natural and at least somewhat genetic is a sin. Many animals of higher intelligence display homosexual behavior. It should be okay for humans.
I support all people in the right to worship how they please as long as it doesn't harm others. Even though I may take issue with human rights due to some Quran passages at least some, in the Middle East it's their land and their rules. I will protest any attempt to bring Sharia on the citizens of other countries who don't want it. If you move to a country then you follow the laws in place. If you want to rewrite the country's constitution because of your religion then don't go. Some Muslims attempt to make Sharia part of the laws of a country they immigrate to in order to more easily follow the Quran. I understand the desire there, but the Quran also emphasizes not imposing Islam and its laws on anyone who isn't open to it.
I believe that God, Allah, and Yahweh are the same deity. We all worship the same god with differing methods. Violence between these three is particularly sad to me because I think we're all so similar. I'm not saying that the Middle East should change drastically. That's not my place to say. And trying to impose democracy on people who resist it is just as bad as a muslim trying to force Sharia. The culture of the West and much of the Middle East is too different to pretend that either would work in the other region.

Sorry if it's long. Again no offense meant. I have great respect for non violent members of these three faiths, as well as atheists and other world religions. These are my personal opinions and I am not saying that everyone should think as I do.

Any thoughts, questions or anything else are welcome

The topic of who actually can get into heaven is a heavily debated topic among many Christians. Some believe that Jesus died to save anyone and everyone regardless of their beliefs or sins. Others are very strict with their belief on who is saved, such as those who think only believers in Christ as their savior AND live a life of avoiding modern luxuries like electricity may enter Heaven.
The Bible tells me that only those who accept Jesus can enter. But I believe that if the God of Christianity exists, then his referenced benevolence/love for all people suggests forgiveness is given to all who live a good life (don't rape, murder, etc) regardless of religion.
The religion one belongs to is often determined by what faith they were brought up in. So how can it be fair to punish a person who would've believed in Christ's divinity and been saved if only born to Christian parents? I'd hope that an omniscient and wise being such as God would see this, and not want billions of good people who were born into the wrong faith to suffer for something beyond their control.
So to clarify all that in case it's confusing I'm saying that I choose to believe that all good people are saved. Christian, muslim, Jew, atheist, and anything else.
But admittedly this is partially due to my having friends in several faiths or no faith. You never want to think that either you as a Christian or your muslim friend is wrong is bound for Hell no matter what.

To answer another question you posed, I feel that a misdemeanor/felony charge, arrest, fine, and probable probation and permanent mark on one's criminal record is a better solution than hacking a limb off.
That is not really the part of Sharia that bothers me, however. I'm referring more to restrictions for women and other human rights. But as long as you do not impose it on anyone who doesn't want it then I have no issues with it at all.

Your hypothetical about what the thief cost the man he robbed made me think:
What if this thief is only stealing in order to get money that he needs to feed his starving family? Is that still against Sharia and to cost the man a hand? What then of his already suffering family? This would doom them

Edited by dennyg - 10 February 2015 at 9:46pm

First of all as a muslim I believe that its only Allah who will decide who is going to heaven or not, but Allah clearly said that Allah if wants can forgive any sin but not the sin of shirk, Allah in ch 103 v 1-4 of Quran says with token of time man is in state of loss except those who have faith, good deeds,resorting people to truth, resorting people to patience and perseverance.this verse reminds us whether we are on right path or not.regarding shariah about restrictions on women, first of all its a misconception that islam oppress women, in fact islam gives unimaginable respect to women because there is a chapter ch 4 named as Surah An Nisa which means women, so I aak you is there any a holy book in which a chapter is present named after women.this shows how woman a precious creation of Allah, islam promotes education for everyone irrespective of sex.in fact the first ever verse revealed to whole mankind was ch 96 v 1-5-recite in the name of Allah who created you, recite in the name of Allah who taught you that you didn't know, recite in the name of Allah who is the doer of big things.Allah in ch 4 v 19 of Quran says it is unlawful for you to inherit women under compulsion, live in kindness with them.regarding thief thing well Allah had commanded us on all well to do muslims to give zakah I.e charity to poor muslims,because of irregularity in this deed acts like robbing has occured.