Good morning. As we continue through our series on misconceptions about Christianity we come to our last one this morning. We have already looked at the fact that Baptism is necessary, that Christianity is not Boring, and that the Bible and Christianity is still very Relevant in today’s society. As we finish this series today we are going to look at he fact that many say that Christianity is only one way of many to be saved.
To start let me just ask you a few questions this morning and I want you just to answer then how you feel.
Is every soft drink the same? Is every French fry the same? Is all music the same?
Is all make-up the same? Is every ice cream the same? Is every donut the same?
Is every restaurant the same?
Is every car, house, college football team, hotel, shampoo, razor, tooth paste, teacher, or hair cut the same? Of course not, so why is that people think that every religion is the same? And why are these things not the same, because they all look different, taste different, feel different, and have different stuff in them. The same is true when it comes to religion as well.
We have all probably heard these next 2 popular, but false statements. First, “It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you believe in something and you are sincere.” There is another one that I like that we hear all of the time, and that is that, “All religions are the same.”
The truth is that all religions are not the same, and today that is what we are going to look at. There are a lot of different religions we could look at this morning, but I have limited our discussion to just 5… Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, and Christianity. The reason that I limit us to these is because they represent over 80% of the world’s population.
Let’s look at a chart.
Here we have the World-Wide % of the population.
Christianity – 2 billion 33%
Islam - 1.3 billion 22%
Hinduism – 900 million 15%
Judaism – 200 million 3%
Buddhism – 360 million 6%
Other - 400 million 7%
Non religious – 850 million 14%
Recently one of the major denominations met in Columbus to debate, of all things, whether or not Jesus Christ is the one true Savior of the world. Is He the universal Savior or might there be several? What about the other world religions and their claims? Some people wonder if perhaps there are not many paths to God? If you asked the average American today what the difference was between the major world religions, they would probably mumble something about all religions being pretty much the same. People assume that all religions have nearly the same moral teachings and ideals.
They might have different names for God, but it is the same God. These religions, many people believe, may travel different roads, but they all lead to God. As long as you believe in something, as long as you believe in God, it really doesn’t matter what form your belief takes or what you call god.
The truth is that these religions are all very different and even contradict each other at crucial points. What this means is that we are left with two options: either none of them are true, or one of them is true and the others are not. Having said that, I want to be fair and treat these religions with respect. However, it is important to understand that there are substantial differences. This morning we will look at the belief systems of the five major world religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Christianity. All religions are not the same, and hopefully you will see that this morning. I am not going to use a lot of scripture, because I want to give you an understanding of each of these religions, that way we can fight the misconception that all religions are the same and that Christianity is just one way of many to being saved.
We will begin by taking a look at Buddhism. A minister once said that, “When I was in England recently, I stayed in the home of a chaplain at one of the public schools there. We were talking about Buddhism, and he said, “I teach the students in my classes that Buddhism is basically an atheistic religion.” That may sound shocking and even contradictory to some, but he is essentially correct. Most Buddhists oppose the concept of an ultimate God.
Buddhism is not about finding God or even finding his will. Buddha himself did not claim to be divine, nor did he claim that his teachings were derived from a divine source. There are about 355 million Buddhists worldwide, and one of them is Dr. Marian Caudron, professor of Eastern religion at Northwestern University. She said in a recent interview, “God is not the focus or ultimate concern of the Buddhist tradition. Instead, the Buddhist tradition focuses on the teachings of the historic Buddha.”
Buddha simply means “Enlightened One.” His original name was Siddhartha Gautama. He lived about 483 B.C. and was born on the border between Nepal and India. He was born a prince and had a great palace and everything he could ever want, but he was troubled about the meaning of life. ‘If I have it all, why am I not happy?’ he asked himself. And so as a young man he left his family, and he went seeking the truth. He tried everything from indulgence and strict asceticism, but as he sat under a Bo Tree he discovered that the problem of life was mans cravings. Cravings lead to dissatisfaction. You want something, and even when you get it you are dissatisfied with it or you want more. Buddhism teaches that enlightenment is the path to bring an end to cravings.
Buddhism’s central teaching is how to arrive at the ideal state where there is no longer any craving, in fact, any kind of desire or feeling. That state is called Nirvana. It is the state of disinterest toward all that is around you. In short, the way to avoid unhappiness and suffering is not to care or feel anything at all. You form no earthly attachments. Contrast this with Jesus’ words in John 10:10. Here in John 10:10 Jesus said, “1”
In John 15:11 He said that he came that his joy might be in us and that our joy might be complete. Instead of withdrawing from life and any emotional attachment to it, Jesus taught that we are to enter into life in the fullest sense. We are not to escape from life, but to take it on with enthusiasm because as difficult as it may be, he is with us. John 16:33 reminds us that, “In this world you will have trouble,” he said. “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” If I lose all attachments I form no attachment of love for others. But Jesus said that we are to love others as we love ourselves in Mark 12:31. So these teachings are different from what we read in our Bible.
There are many people who are practical Buddhists. They withdraw and shield themselves from emotion and protect themselves from emotional attachments to others so that they will not be hurt. But Jesus taught us to even love our enemies, and do good to those who despitefully use us — the very people who have the power to hurt us most. Buddhism teaches that life and the created world are illusions, and to enter Nirvana is to escape the illusion. Salvation for the Buddhist is not salvation from sin, but salvation from suffering.
Second, let’s look at Hinduism. Buddhism’s roots are in Hinduism. Hinduism has no certain event or starting time. It can be traced back to as early as 1500 B.C. Certain branches of Hinduism are atheistic, and certain other branches of it can have thousands of gods. And, in fact, if you follow certain rules and practice meditation, you can become a god yourself. Here is where new age religion finds such a close tie with Hinduism.
Rather than a belief in one transcendent God whose creation is separate from himself, everything is a god; we can all be a god. So, New-Agers are into meditation and getting in touch with their own divinity. Hindu gods like Krishna and Shiva are depicted as violent and erotic. Shiva, usually represented with several arms and legs, his fierce image wears a necklace of skulls, displays sexual imagery, and is surrounded by demons. Hardly the same kind of imagery that we get form Jesus Christ.
According to Hinduism, the world is full of illusions as well. And history is like a circle, that is, we just keep repeating exactly what has taken place before over and over. We are caught in this endless and wearisome cycle. History has no point and it is not headed toward any conclusion. Human lives are a part of this cycle and thus go through endless reincarnations. 30% of Americans believe in reincarnation. Salvation for the Hindu is to be delivered from this cycle. Suffering is seen as a necessary an unavoidable part of the cycle of life. A person’s karma is the accumulation of deeds done in the past. All Suffering is repayment for the evil done in a former life. Therefore what happens to a person in life is deserved, and humanitarian concern and compassion are not a part of traditional Hinduism. Hinduism promoted the caste system, which said that people were predetermined to live in either luxury or poverty according to their karma, and nothing can change it. In fact, it would be detrimental to ease their suffering. This belief system has held India in poverty and bondage for hundreds of years. Again, this is not what we find in our Bibles.
The third religion that I want to look at is Islam. Islam is the religion practiced largely in the Arab world, along with large portions of Africa. It has its roots in Judaism, since they see their patriarch as Abraham, as do the Jews. The Arab world traces its lineage to the firstborn son of Abraham, Ishmael. The Jews trace their lineage to Isaac, the son of Abraham and Sarah who had been promised by God. The war in the Middle East today can be traced back to this Biblical story of who really is the rightful son of Abraham. The word Islam, meaning submission, says much about the attitude of the followers of Islam. They submit unquestioningly to the teachings of the Koran, the Islamic Bible. The Koran contains divine messages said to be given by the angel Gabriel to Mohammed, a self-proclaimed prophet who lived in the seventh century. There is no room for questions or doubt, only submission. An interesting note about Mohammed is that he was completely illiterate. He could neither read nor write. He dictated what Gabriel told him and his followers wrote it down. Also, Mohammed was given special permission by Allah, their god, to have 13 wives. That is far from what we read in our Bible. 13 wives, wow, I would take a guess that one would be more than enough for me to put up with. I mean have.
Muslims generally are among the most serious and devout people on the earth. Many of them have completely memorized the Koran. They pray at least five times a day. They fast for one month every year. But salvation is something which must be earned for them. It is not graciously given by Allah. Islam does have a high standard of morality called the “straight path,” which must be strictly maintained.
Women are regarded as possible temptations which would lead men away from the path, so women must be modest to the point of being veiled and wearing clothing that completely covers them.
One sure way of earning salvation is to die as a martyr for the faith. They believe that just as Mohammed was taken immediately to heaven and given several maidens, so will it be done for those who die for the cause of Islam. Those who attacked the Word Trade Center and engaged in other acts of terrorism were acting in full accord with the tenets of Islam and the teachings of the Koran. The West, the United States in particular, is seen as corrupting the entire world and worthy of death. The U. S. policy of befriending Israel is particularly seen as harmful to the Muslim people and their cause. The principle of Jihad, or “holy war” is taught in the Koran as a viable tool for the cause of Islam. Evangelism is not so much by the word as it is with the sword. The followers of Mohammed have been the most violent people in the history of the world, and continue to be so to this day. Jesus taught that we are to love the sinner. Mohammed taught that the infidel must be killed if he refuses to convert. So, once again we see that they are far from what we read in our Bibles.
The fourth religion I want to address is Judaism. Judaism is, of course, the mother of Christianity. Our God is the same God. Our history is the same history. The Jewish Scriptures are part of our Bible. We have the same moral code and commandments. We see history and the world through the same eyes.
The only difference is that whereas the orthodox Jews anticipate the Messiah’s coming, we believe that he has already come in the person of Jesus Christ. Our New Testament is added to the Scriptures of the Jews and contain the story of Jesus and the significance of his presence in the world. The Jews read the prophets, and we see Jesus as the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament. We see the teachings of Jesus as fleshing out the spirit of the Old Testament law. Some of those in the Jewish faith see Jesus as a legitimate prophet in the Old Testament prophetic tradition.
A guy once wrote about his experience with the Jewish religion. He wrote, “I remember taking a membership class to a Jewish synagogue so that they could learn more about the Jewish faith. One of the students in the class asked the Rabbi what he believed about Jesus. His reply was, “He was a Jewish heretic of the first century.” On the other hand, when I unexpectedly dropped in to the home of another Rabbi who had become a friend of mine, I saw a copy of the New Testament on his coffee table. Among many of the Jewish people there is a fascination with the person of Jesus. We have had groups in our church from the organization called “Jews for Jesus.” These people see themselves as completed Jews who have found new life in Jesus Christ.” So, this group is the closest related to what we believe. They just don’t believe in the whole Jesus thing.
Finally, we have what we believe, Christianity. How are the beliefs of Christians different from the ones we have discussed? We believe in a God who is the author of life and created a good world, but who is separate from his creation.
There are not many gods, there is only one who has revealed himself in love to his creation in the person of Jesus Christ. He gave us the law knowing that we could not keep his law, even though it was the way to life in the fullest sense. Because of our failure, he provided a way of forgiveness. We deserved to die, but Jesus Christ died in our place that we could be forgiven. He also overcame death through his resurrection so that we would know that we do not have to fear death. We remember that he said in John 14:19, “Because I live, you also will live.”
It is interesting that in the Koran there are no miracles performed by Mohammed or anyone else. There is not a single mention of the love of Allah for the world or the people in it. There are many, many laws and strict warnings of the penalty of not keeping the laws. The concept of having a relationship with Allah is not found anywhere in the Koran. But Christians understand that Christianity is not about moral laws or religious practices — it is about a relationship with a living Savior, Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:8-11 the idea presented here, if you would like to turn there with me. Here in Philippians 3:8-11 Paul writes, “2”
It is this relationship with Christ that is the center of our faith. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that the heading for this section in the Message translation of the Bible is titles, To Know Him Personally. We are not trying to appease an angry God; we are learning how to fall in love with our Creator, our Redeemer, and our Friend.
A recent Associated Press article told the story of Muslims in Oslo, Norway. The article reads: “[They] applied for the right to call worshipers to prayers, calling ‘God is great’ over loudspeakers. The neighborhood council granted the request, to the delight of the World Islamic Mission. A spokesman said the decision is a ‘victory of great symbolic importance. It means our religion is respected on the same lines as other religions.’ But to keep things completely equal, the council also approved a request by The Norwegian Heathen Society to summon members to their meetings by calling out ‘There is no God’ over the loudspeakers.”
There are many voices shouting at us from many different directions today. It is important to know something about them in order to be able to discern one shout from another so that we might be discerning in our search for truth. Bill Hybels, after interviewing people from the different religions we have talked about today, said: “You need to know that the law of non-contradiction says that positions that are different from one another cannot be equally true. You’ve got to figure out what you believe and where you’re going to drive that stake in the ground and say, ‘On the evidence, on the search that I’ve done, this is what I believe. This is what I’ll stake my life and my eternity on.’”
That is exactly the point. This is not just a preference of philosophies. It is not an intellectual quest. Your life and your eternity are at stake. You need to make a careful decision.
So, as we look at the different religions we see that there are major differences. They are not all the same as some may say. In fact, they make different claims about salvation, they make different claims about the after life, they make different claims about God and Jesus, and they even have different books that they follow.
Christianity is the only religion that has a God that was willing to die for us. We all know the passage of John 3:16 when it says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
So, do all religions get you to Heaven? The answer is no. We know that the only way to Heaven is through Jesus. John 14:6 says, “I am the way the truth and the life, no one come to the Father except through me.”
Say that verse with me one more time, “I am …”
Every other world religion is "do." But following Christ is done. This is what Jesus calls us to. It’s totally unique. This is why it’s called the good news. If you would turn to Ephesians 2:8-9 we will look at one last scripture. In Ephesians 2:8-9 it says, “3”
God has already done it all, all we have to do is accept Him and follow Him.
Let’s pray
|
