People say that learning a second language helps you to better understand your native tongue. I wouldn't know, but I can see how it might give someone a new perspective on their first language, and make them notice things they once took for granted.
Presumably the same could be said for learning about other belief systems, particularly for people who have never subscribed to more than one.
Comparisons aside, the Christian doctrine of salvation by grace is already pretty striking. The Bible teaches that working at being a good person is, in itself, a futile exercise. Thankfully, I don't have to try to meet God's unattainable standards. All I have to do is accept the fact that God has done the work through his Son, and trust in Him.
It's that simple.
Becoming a Christian is humbling and liberating. But it's surprisingly easy, once you have accepted God's gracious gift, to take it for granted.
When you step back and look at it in the context of other religions, the idea that I don't have to - and can't - contribute anything (to my salvation), is shocking all over again.
Whether it is working at being worthy of a fearsome God, working towards detachment, or working to appease multiple gods, most belief systems are based on work - on what YOU have to DO to achieve X.
And many "non-religious" people spend their entire lives religiously working towards being the best person they can be, or the happiest, or the richest, or the most enlightened - the list goes on.
It's easy to look at Christianity and assume it's just another religion. But the more you look at what the Bible actually says, and the more you compare it with the alternatives, the more you realise this God speaks a very different language indeed.
