 For Gordon, God as creator serves as the linchpin for the other two key doctrines, sin and salvation. In lacking a conception of creator, Buddhism “recognizes no supreme and intelligent Ruler and Judge of the universe.” This leads to “only a very inadequate idea of sin,” one that trivializes it and in fact promotes “immorality.” A further consequence is that salvation in Buddhism is “salvation from the misery of the present world rather than salvation from sin.” Pure Land Buddhism, in other words, denigrates the significance of present life and looks only to the promise of deliverance in the future.