Aren’t All Religions the Same?

When I was 16, my friend Barry ran into me at school and said, “I got it running.” My eyes got big as I asked, “Can I come over after school and drive it?” Barry had been working for months to rebuild an old Ford that he bought at a junk yard.

Now, you have to understand that Barry and I had already been driving legally for more than a year. Barry had a truck that he drove whenever he needed transportation. I had what I called the Blue Bomb, my old Plymouth Fury 3 with a 353 in it. The excitement of driving had already worn off, but the thought of driving a car that had once been left to die in an old junk yard, that was something else.

After school I went over and he was already tinkering with the Ford. He motioned for me to get in the passenger side and he started it up. He put it into gear, released the clutch, and BOOM! We both fell backwards with our feet straight up in the air. Barry had the engine running, but he had forgotten to bolt the bucket seat to the floorboard.

Fortunately, the old Ford did not go very far before it gently bumped into a tree and stopped. Barry had not accelerated very much, so it didn’t really do any damage to the tree or us or the car. After we laughed for what seemed like hours, we bolted the seat down and then drove that Ford for all of about 200 yards before it crapped out.

I never did get a chance to drive Barry’s old Ford. I’m not sure if he ever got it running again or not. The computer age had started and Barry’s interest suddenly shifted to building computers and gadgets. Last I heard he was working for some tech company.

One thing that most guys will tell you is that not all cars are the same. I have been able to drive some really sweet rides over the years. I drove a Lamborghini about 100 yards to park in the grass and got out longing for a chance to really take it for a spin. I drive a BMW bug and was glad to pry myself out of the seat. I have driven buses and decided I would let my CDL license expire after driving 55 mph between rows of cement barricades down I-95 in a Pennsylvania work zone.

Obviously we know that not all cars are alike. Just as we know that not all cheesecakes are alike and not all hairstylists are alike and not all hotels are alike. So why is it that many people think that all religions are alike?

All religions cannot be equal or true at the same time because they have conflicting views that are often at extreme opposition to each other. They all may be wrong, but they cannot all be right because the views of one will exclude the views of another. Most religions in the world do not accept the Bible as God’s Word. They have their own religious writings. Because Christianity believes that only the Bible is the Word of God, this one view would prevent all religions from coexisting as equal or similar views.

Anyone who wants to do his will can test this teaching and know whether it’s from God or whether I’m making it up. A person making things up tries to make himself look good. But someone trying to honor the one who sent him sticks to the facts and doesn’t tamper with reality. It was Moses, wasn’t it, who gave you God’s Law? But none of you are living it. (John 7:17-19, The Message)

Wealth and Prosperity

Jesus is saying that if we really want to know if something is from God we only have to look at the messenger. The leaders of the name it-claim it, wealth and prosperity religions want you to see how blessed they are because of their faith. They dress to impress, they own expensive toys, and they tell you that it is all about you and your willingness to have faith like them. If you listen to their sermons they rarely simply stick to the facts. They don’t tell you to turn to Jesus, but rather show you how to use Jesus for your own health and wealth.

The problem with this religious view is that God never promised that His people would be wealthy or in perfect health. All of the disciples of Jesus suffered extreme persecution, worked hard just to make enough to survive, and most died at the hands of the government. If the wealth and prosperity religions are true, then the very men that Jesus called His friends failed in their faith.

If you want to do God’s will you would not teach others how to be flush with cash, but how to live a life of total dependence on God. Some followers of Jesus will be wealthy, but nothing in God’s Word guarantees that for anyone regardless of their level of faith.

Eastern Religions

Eastern religions do not have a god that is personal. Many believe that God is Buddha or the emperor or everything and anything. Even Jesus could be God in their view, but that does not prevent a tree from also being God. The Bible says that God is independent from His creation. The Hindi teach that good karma will save you through a cycle of reincarnation, but God has said that salvation is through faith, not by works. Reincarnation teaches that we have an infinite number of chances to get our life right. God said that we have one life to live and that we must make a choice to follow Him or spend an eternity in hell.

Islam

Islam rejects Jesus as God’s Son. They believe that Jesus was simply a prophet of God, like Elijah, and that Mohammed was the last and greatest prophet of God. They believe Christians worship more than one God because they do not accept Jesus as God.

They believe that they are the chosen people of God and that the Jews changed the Old Testament of the Bible to make it look as if it applied to them and not the Arabs. They also believe that Christians have changed the New Testament to make it seem as if Jesus was more than a prophet. Historical proof shows the exact opposite. The Koran was written in AD 632. The oldest known manuscripts of the Old Testament are from about 650 BC and the New Testament would be the Dead Sea Scrolls dating from around AD 70.

Cults

There are many pseudo-Christian religions that have a semblance of Christianity, but are in fact cults. Followers of Jesus believe that the following things will give evidence to a religion falling in the category of a cult: 1.) they do not accept that Jesus is God, 2.) they elevate other figures to a god-like status, 3.) they have additional religious scripture other than what is in the Bible, 4.) they change or remove certain Biblical texts because they do not fit with their views, and 5.) they teach that salvation comes by a method other than grace by faith in Jesus Christ.

What about the anti-religion views?

Agnostics

An agnostic is generally someone who does not believe they have enough evidence to prove that God exists. True agnostics have not made up their mind about God. They are doubters. Some agnostics are more aggressive about searching for God and the truth. They might also be called seekers.

Agnosticism in its true form should not be anti-religious, however, most agnostics do not make much of an effort to know if there is a God and really don’t want to be bothered with information about God one way or another. The very fact that agnostics cannot be certain that a God exists makes it logical that they should at least consider the claims of Christianity. Agnosticism is not grounds for rejecting Christianity, but rather it’s grounds for examining Christianity.

Atheists

Atheists believe there is no God, yet they cannot hold this position dogmatically. To make such a claim they would have to know the universe in its entirety and possess all knowledge. If anyone had these credentials they would in fact be God. Unless the atheist is all-knowing, he or she cannot make a dogmatic statement on God’s existence. In actuality, atheists should only claim that they are uncertain about the existence of God, and this belief is agnosticism.

Humanists

The humanist believes that there is no need for God because humans can solve our own problems. The humanist creed “Man is the measure of all things” offers no solution to those looking for a way out.

The main problem with humanism is a lack of concrete laws of morality. If one person decides her views are correct and another person decides that his views are correct, who makes the decision as to which view is in fact valid. They have no sure truth to follow; it is all a matter of opinion.

Humanism becomes a majority rules standard or follows the rules of a select few leaders supported by enough voices to impose their views. It does not offer hope, but despair. It does not solve problems, but creates them. At the end of humanism the major questions are left unanswered.

Obviously, all religions are not the same. So how can we know for certain that Christianity is truth? Because Jesus said in John 14:6 (ESV), “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Anyone can claim to be the way and the truth, but Jesus proved it in that He rose from the dead. We have Biblical and historical evidence that Jesus did rise from the dead. No other god can claim that. Buddha is dead, Mohammed is dead, Joseph Smith is dead, Sun Myung Moon is dead. Only Jesus rose from the dead, so only He has a right to claim that He is the only way for salvation.