All religions lead to God?
Jesus.Freak
All religions lead to God?
The questioner is concerned with being broadminded and tolerant. He
implies first, that God is rather arbitrary if He insists on one way to
Himself, and, second, that you are being dogmatic and bigoted in your
beliefs. Today's thinking emphasizes that:
-Uncertainty and agnosticism are more valuable than conviction and
commitment.
-Man can make his own way to God if he is sufficiently sincere and
determined. Every man should
find his own way to God; it is good that one man's way is different
from another's.
INITIAL CHALLENGE
"I am interested that you should say that because it shows you have
been thinking about these things. In what way would you say they all
lead to God?" Wait for his answer which will probably point to the
common emphasis on sincerity and moral conduct. "I myself would like to
think that there are many ways to God. But the facts of the matter
compel me to believe that the Christian way is different from all the
rest."
THE BIBLICAL ATTITUDE
All religions agree that mankind is in a mess. The Bible puts it this
way: Rom. 3: 23, Is. 53: 6. Each religion sets out its own way of
rescuing us from this desperate situation. Let us think of the problem
as that of a man who has fallen down a deep well. The question is how
to get him out.
First comes Mohammed who looks over the top of the well and says; "if
you
will only keep the five rules of Islam then you will be able to escape
from the
well. You must pray five times a day, eat no pork, drink no alcohol,
keep the
feast of Ramadan and make the pilgrimage to Mecca". But a man has only
his
own strength to keep these commandments, so after a few steps up he
falls
back again and cries out for help.
Then comes Buddha who looks over the top of the well and says: "I can
see
You are in a mess; the problem is due to pain and desire. If you follow
the
noble eightfold path you will escape from these ultimately into
Nirvana." But
man is still down the well.
The Christian God comes to the top of the well and looks down and says:
"I
can see that you are in a mess; you will never get out by means of your
own
resources. As I said through one of my prophets: "Can the leopard
change
his spots or the Ethiopian his skin? No more can do good who are
accustomed to do evil." Jeremiah 13: 23.
"I will have to let down a rope and come down into the well myself in
order
to rescue you. I will hold you firmly because you do not even have the
strength to hold on to me yourself."
Only Christianity speaks about God becoming man to rescue man. John 1:
14: "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." Other religions say
that we must work hard to deliver ourselves. They are all effort;
Christianity is all grace. Only Christianity says that the King of the
Universe came into this world, became a man and died horribly to atone
for the guilt of his rebel subjects. Such a thought is not even found
in the area of fiction and romance.
Other religions are man's best effort to reach God, Christianity is
God's supreme effort to reach man.
"Let us turn to the Four Spiritual Laws and look at Law Two, This shows
very clearly the predicament of every man before God. Then Law Three
sets out God's answer." Continue through into Law Four and the personal
application
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