Conversations

Maybe the Calvinist in me is speaking loudly, which colors this next statement: mercy, whether for Christians or Muslims, is by grace alone. It is not mercy if you deserve it. Precisely because one does not deserve reprieve, there can be mercy. Mercy seasons justice; the former has no bearing on the latter. Justice is a property of the sentence, and mercy is a property of the executioner. I see all as sentenced to death, and the faithful elect have their sentence commuted.

"Mandatory" means by mandate, and the next phrase says "may" be deprived. By charitable parsing, this seems to be no different than Christians exhorting each other to not sin as it brings us farther from God. I read this as not out of line with a Christian saying "salvation by faith alone, but good works show and reinforce faith". I truly believe someone could commit a murder and go to heaven if they repent and keep their faith, but how much harder is it to stay with God when one commits an egregious sin?