Why Must There Be One TRUE Religion? Why Is It Christianity?

[Elias]

Why do I believe that God exists and Christianity to be the only true religion?Why do I not accept the popular idea that one religion or philosophical worldview is just as good as another?These are important questions that deserve rational answers.John chapter 18 describes a conversation between Christ and Pilate prior to Christ's crucifixion. At the end of this encounter Pilate asks Jesus the most important question any human being can ask, only he did not wait for the answer."Pilate said to Him, 'What is truth?' And when he had said this, he went out..." (John 18:38).To the first question of this paper we answer and say that there must be one true religion (faith) because the truth is, by definition, exclusive and absolute.http://www.suscopts.org/literature/literat..._from=&ucat=14&

 

[slipstream]

I am no expect, only started in my journey but of all the years i have listen to religious arguments, what clear to me is what-ever Religion you follow or believe in, that religion thinks it the right one and all the others are wrong.

 

[tim_from_pa]

A similar question has been brought up as to how do we know we are in the right religion? (truth).For me, its quite simple really. No matter what religion one turns to, it's a religion of works to please the deity. Christianity is the only one that has grace. It explains man's fallen condition, sin and dying quite nicely. Unless one is an ostrich, sin is a very real problem, and all the self-help books, chanting and whatnot will not change anything. Since we have this inborn problem, it makes the most logical sense that we need outside help so-to-speak, which is God Himself. Actually, true Christianity does not make the claim of correcting our fallen nature, either. It explains it. The real hope is being born again with the resurrection where everything will be redone. Now that I said all this, I want to say something about Christianity. Some doctrines I had to abandon, others I embraced because much of Christianity has Christ's name applied to it, but do not follow Him. In that sense, I go into church full well knowing that a member or even the pastor himself might be just as lost and clueless as Christians accuse other religions of being, such as Hinduism.So why do I go to a Christian church if they may be just as lost as a Hindu? Why not just go to any one of another religion? The reason I go to a Christian church is because even if they are lost, they at least profess to believe in the Bible, and would be easier to get back on track, and indeed, there may be others like me to fellowship with. But if push came to shove, if the churches go the route they are going now, I'd have no problem with home worship, and indeed, seriously considered it already.So, if somebody asked me how I know if Christianity is "right", I say that it may not be, but the Bible is. Christians are just supposed to be going by the Bible.

 

[Dunamite]

If there is one God, then there has to be one version that is true based on God's version reality. Because we are imperfect we deviate from the truth. We are the weak link in the chain. Any version that is translated through us must be flawed to an extent.All religions are tainted by humans, even Christianity. Take the idea of church. God intended one thing and look at what we have. God had the idea of one body of believers. We have taken that idea and created the idea of buildings and institutions being the church. We have name branded and fragmented something that was made to be vibrant and whole.Christianity is two things. It is what God meant it to be and what it is in reality. Similar things can be said for other religions. Islam and Judaism have their schisms as well. Hinduism and Buddhism have divisions. There is disunity everywhere.Truth can only be found by going back to basics. Each person must decide for him or herself. When we accept pre-packaged religion we get a pale substitute. We need to strip away added on things to uncover the kernel of truth.Each person needs to know who they are, why they exist, what is their purpose and what will happen to them after they die since death is a certainty? All religions attempt to explain these things. Some are better than others at doing this. In the most egregious cases they simply cop out and ignore the question.Christianity tells us the answers to these questions. For many people it is the complete package. There are no cop outs. Unfortunately the world looks at Christianity not at what God intended but at what it has become. They are looking not to God but to weak men and women. You probably know quite a few people who do not live up to what Christ desires for us.Christianity is alone, distinct from all other religions in one respect. It is built on relationship. Judaism and Islam have the same origin as Christianity, but their religion is not founded on relationship, but an externalized God who is remote and separate, inscrutable and unfathomable. Christianity personalizes God and makes him internal. We take on God's nature and he resides in us through the work of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.Another idea which is distinctly Christian is grace. We do not deserve God's favor. In fact the opposite could be said to be true. We have done everything possible to separate ourselves from God and to do it our way. All suffering can be viewed as the result of doing it our way instead of God's way. Yet, despite all of this, God still loved us enough to die on our behalf so that we might know him and partake in what he planned from the beginning, that is to live in a personal relationship with him.God wants to be our partners in this life and to become the head of the family in all future endeavors. This is the essence of the Christian message. God could do it on his own, but he desires due to his love and grace to partner with us. He has therefore adopted all who are willing into a family relationship.God does not force himself on anyone. He is pained when they reject him, but he has given them that freedom and he will not revoke it.Many people have the wrong idea of Christianity. They think that it is exclusive. God desires to leave nobody out. That's why he has made it so easy to come to him. He has done all the work we only need to receive what he has done through belief. It is that simple.Nobody can be made to believe. Freedom of choice has to be respected. God knows that love must be freely given and received. That is why it must be this way. It must be free and unconstrained and it must be accepted in the way it is given, freely and unconstrained. In addition we must be sincere and herein lies the crux of the matter.Most people complicate a simple transaction. They project their own ideas and desires on it. They think that it is too simple so they complicate it. That is because they fail to understand who God is. They are not prepared to take him at his word. Instead they think that they will be saved if only they do this, say that or act a certain way. This is all wrong and are false representations of Christianity.There is nothing that we can do to make God love us more and there is nothing that we can do to make god love us less. God's love simply is, just as he simply is. It is unfettered and limitless just as he is.If you love God with all of your heart and mind and you love all people as he does then you have his heart and spirit in you.Can you be saved if you do not recognize Jesus Christ as Lord? Sadly no. The reason is that it isn't about us and it never was. It is about God and who he is. All that we are and have is due to God. Through knowing who he is we discover our own nature. Jesus has God's divine nature because he is God. He came to place God's case before us. He came knowing that he would be rejected, but that this would be our only hope. When we accept Christ our nature changes. We share in God's nature because we are connected to him. Jesus is that connection and the Holy Spirit is the glue that holds us firm to Christ.There is no club to join. There are no hoops to jump through. There is no test. If there was we would all fail. Instead it is pure and simple. Just believe what Jesus has done. Jesus demonstrates God's love to us. He showed us the way to God is through love and grace. It is just a matter of accepting then everything else becomes clear.Once we are in a right relationship with God we desire to follow him and please him. We will still err, but now we have an advocate, Jesus Christ. Because God lived and walked among us he understands our limitations and weaknesses. He tempers God's righteousness and justice which requires that we be punished for our sins.Jews and Muslims have a different notion of God. He may be the same God, but they do not see him in all his glory. God has many facets to his character. God is awesome and fearful, but he is also soft and gentle. Most of all he is loving and wishes the best for us. This is what they are missing out.Many of the notions that people hold about Hell are rooted in false belief. God will not punish us with eternal torments. He does not need to. If we reject him we will punish ourselves. We will spend eternity separated from his love. Not knowing love is the worst thing that could ever be. We are made to love and to receive love.Jesus felt like that for a moment on the cross. He called out to God and for once God was not there. His despair should speak to us all. To be separated from God is the worst thing. Right now even though we reject God he continues to surround us with his love. What awaits us if we do not turn to him is unspeakable. That is why God wants us to turn to him and has done everything short of making us believe.It is his will that none will reject him. In reality many will. This should pain us all. I pains God.Buddhism has a nihilistic view of things. The object of life is to reach a higher state of being where you become one with eternity and the self becomes obliterated. The only escape from suffering is to cease to exist.This is the opposite of Christianity in may respects. Christianity is outward looking. Buddhism is inward. Christianity is based on being made perfect through God's efforts and not our own. Buddhism is based on individual effort and denial of the self. In the end Christians get a new life that is eternal and a body that is imperishable. The Buddhist ceases to be. No body, no self.Two things are problematic for many people when they consider Christianity, one is human suffering and the other is that God would harm us. Critics ask what kind of God allows us to suffer and what sort of God would kill anyone. They do not understand who God is and his nature and have a false idea of what will happen in the future.Suffering comes not from God, but from living outside of his will. Its source is not God, but us. God could force us to be obedient, but he does not do it because it will not work. Suffering would not exist, but love would not exist in such an environment. God hurts when we suffer in the same way a parent does when his offspring falls and cuts himself. If we are to be given freedom, it comes at a cost.I have already dealt with the second objection. God will not harm us. He will merely cut off those who reject him. The idea of eternal torment in everlasting Hell is a human invention.There must be one true religion if there is one God. There are elements of truth in other religions. This may be beguiling to some and I am sure it has drawn away many people from God's truth. People seldom find God when they go looking because they are looking for the wrong thing. For the most part people see what they want to see. This has led many people who call themselves Christians away from the truth too.There are true Christians and there are counterfeits. The counterfeits have faith in the wrong thing. They likely have faith in the church or rituals, but do not personally know God. They probably think that it is enough to go to church and to be a good person. They are deluding themselves. God did not allow wiggle room. We must all decide. We cannot sit on the fence. To sit on the fence even in a church pew gets us not one step closer to God.It is all about making a personal decision. It is either God's way or our way. Our way has many expressions in both Christianity and other religions. All lead to the same end, separation from God. The only way to God is through God and Jesus Christ is God manifested in a way that we could understand. He was God's chosen instrument to bring salvation to all.Blessings,Dunamite

 

[MickinEngland]

When anybody asks -"Why is Christianity any more important than any other faith?", this is my stock answer -Islam - doesn't have the Son of God in itJudaism - doesn't have the Son of God in itSikhism - doesn't have the Son of God in itBuddhism - doesn't have the Son of God in itHinduism - doesn't have the Son of God in itSpiritism - doesn't have the Son of God in itBahai - doesn't have the Son of God in itJainism - doesn't have the Son of God in itShinto - doesn't have the Son of God in itTaoism - doesn't have the Son of God in itZoroastanism - doesn't have the Son of God in itPaganism - doesn't have the Son of God in itRastafarianism - doesn't have the Son of God in itScientology - doesn't have the Son of God in itChinese traditional - doesn't have the Son of God in itAfrican tribal - doesn't have the Son of God in itCao Dai - doesn't have the Son of God in itTenrikyo - doesn't have the Son of God in itNew Age - doesn't have the Son of God in itUnitarian - doesn't have the Son of God in itNative American - doesn't have the Son of God in itFairy-worshipping cults etc etc - don't have the Son of God in them

 

[Jerusalem Junkie]

Judaism - doesn't have the Son of God in it
Christianities roots stem from this...
Paganism - doesn't have the Son of God in it
Practically all holidays were taken from the Pagans during their persecution by Christians. And Judaism is wrong because? Other than what you mentioned of course which I agree with.......

 

[Jordan]

(Elias;37932)
Why do I believe that God exists and Christianity to be the only true religion?Why do I not accept the popular idea that one religion or philosophical worldview is just as good as another?These are important questions that deserve rational answers.John chapter 18 describes a conversation between Christ and Pilate prior to Christ's crucifixion. At the end of this encounter Pilate asks Jesus the most important question any human being can ask, only he did not wait for the answer."Pilate said to Him, 'What is truth?' And when he had said this, he went out..." (John 18:38).To the first question of this paper we answer and say that there must be one true religion (faith) because the truth is, by definition, exclusive and absolute.http://www.suscopts.org/literature/literat..._from=&ucat=14&
Since when was Truth a religion? People will make a religion about anything. I know a lie can, but can the Truth can be maked up?JagLovest thou in Christ Yahshua, Lord and Saviour of the world.

 

[Wayne Murray]

Christianity is NOT a religion but the reality of relationship with Christ, the living Word.John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me. Christ is the WAY of salvation.Christ is the TRUTH of God's Word.Christ is the LIFE everlasting.There are no other gods, salvation, truth, or eternal life, except ONE.

 

[Elias]

THE CREED We believe in One God, God the Father, Almighty who possesses all, Maker of the Heavens and Earth, the visible and the invisible. We believe in God the Son, Jesus Christ, One Lord, the only begotten Son of the Father, who was with Him before the creation of the world. He is Light from Light, True God from True God, begotten not made, and, in His Divine Essence, one with His Father. All things were made by Him, and without Him nothing whatsoever was made, in Heavens or on Earth. He came down from Heavens for our sake, for the sake of humanity, for our salvation. He was Incarnate in the womb of the Virgin Mary by the Divine Work of the Holy Spirit, and, acquiring the human soul and the human flesh from Her, became the Perfect Man. In the days of Pontius Pilate, He suffered, was crucified, died and was buried for our sake. And He rose from the dead on the third day, ascended in glory into Heaven and sat on His Throne at the right-hand of His Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. There is no end to His Kingdom. We believe in God the Holy Spirit. He is the life-giving Spirit who proceeds from God the Father, spoke through the Prophets, and, by the atonement of Jesus Christ, descended upon the Apostles and filled the world with His Grace. We worship and glorify Him with the Father and the Son. We believe in the One Church of The Holy Covenant that was founded by the Word of God, Jesus Christ, initially in the Hearts of the Patriarchs, and later sustained by His Divine Messages through the Prophets, and finally brought to perfection through the Holy Spirit by His convocation of the Apostles, and where His Body and Blood is offered as Sacrifice for the Holy Communion with God, and where the Sacramental Blessings of the Holy Spirit are bestowed upon and communicated to all believers. We believe in One Baptism for the remission of sins. We believe in the Resurrection from the dead and the Life to come, world without end. Amen.

 

[Dunamite]

(Two;38092)
Christianities roots stem from this...Practically all holidays were taken from the Pagans during their persecution by Christians. And Judaism is wrong because? Other than what you mentioned of course which I agree with.......
There is nothing wrong with Judaism. There was nothing wrong with the Law. However, we are flawed. We were hopelessly caught in a loop and more frequently than not forgot about God and went our own way. The cycle had to be broken and the only one capable of breaking the cycle was God.This is why Jesus came into the world. He came to break the cycle and to show us the way out. God chose the Jews to be his people. He has never abandoned them. However, they have abandoned him. Many times. God used a Jew, Jesus. He used the apostles, also Jews. They all point us back to God.The whole point of Judaism was to give God the glory he deserves. God chose them to be his people so they would glorify his name. They were his standard bearers. However, they forgot who they were called to be.Jesus came to restore God to his rightful place. Only God could lead us back to God. Men like the prophets have tried but have always failed. Jesus could succeed only because he was God.Christianity builds on top of Judaism. It does not take anything away. It adds to it. It does it in a way that glorifies God and makes us right with him. We are in a new relationship with him. We can become the kind of people God desires us to be.As for the reference to paganism, it is historical. We all came from paganism somewhere. Even the Jews have paganism in their history, both before Abraham and after they moved into the Promised land. The Gentiles were pagans. God used pagans to arouse the Jews. He wants them to feel jealous. The fact that he could convert pagan Gentiles and make them into his kind of people was entirely on purpose. He wants to stir the hearts of Jews everywhere. They are the apple of his eye. He wants to stir their hearts and turn them back to him.Christianity can include Jews. God wants them to become his people again. They can only do this in two ways. They can turn to the old ways as outlined in the Torah and follow it to the letter (which is impossible) or they can adopt a new and better way. This is the way that Jesus taught. We are to love God with all of our being and to love others as ourselves. We are to believe that God alone can save us. We cannot save ourselves. This was Jesus' message.Anyone can become a Christian. Christ came to bridge the gap between people and God. There is nothing exclusive about being a Christian. It is the most inclusive religion. It is the easiest to enter into. There is no lifelong memorization or discipline. There are no initiation rites. There is nothing to sign. There is nothing that you must do before or afterwards. You only need faith.Afterwards (if your profession of faith is sincere) you will change. This is not because you have to, but because you want to. This alone is a major step for humanity. The Torah was full of rules and they did not work. What we could not be forced to do by rules we willingly do of our own free will. Wow!This is the power of God. It works because he is working in us. The rules existed to show us our weakness. They showed our utter helplessness as much as they taught us right and wrong.Anyone who says that Christianity is exclusive does not understand Christianity or what it means to be exclusive. Nobody is left out but people who want to be left out. There is no force. There is no coercion. People have to make up their own minds. There is no reason for anyone to be left out.God has plans for everyone. Even people who have never heard of Jesus are accounted for. I do not know what God has in mind for these people, but he does. The only ones that we know God will reject for sure are those who reject him.He has special plans for the Jews, too. He will continue to work among them. Their route has not be easy. Sometimes we need to learn the hard way. They have certainly paid for their disobedience in the past. That won't change until they do. Long before Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews dispersed, Paul lamented for his people. He knew that they would pay a price for their continued disobedience.Nothing much has changed, despite the reformation of the nation of Israel. Jews continue to suffer. Whether they are oppressed or are the oppressors it has changed nothing. The same thing lies at the heart of the matter now as then. They turned away from God and he has turned away from them.He wants them back to be his people once again. They will turn back to him but not before things get much worse. That is what is foretold in prophesy.Some people believe that everyone will be saved in the end. They will just take the long route. Others believe that God will separate us based on his rules. This is a debate in itself.What I do know to be true based on my relationship with God is that while he is sovereign, he is loving and fair. Nobody will be treated unfairly or coldly. God's loves everybody and he will temper his judgment with his love and grace. This is the character that he displayed through Jesus Christ. God's love knows no bounds. His grace makes allowance for our weakness.Blessings,Dunamite

 

[Elias]

THE TESTIMONIAL OF THE ETHIOPIANS ON THE HOLY COVENANT We Ethiopians believe in our Ethiopian hood of the Holy Covenant that embodied and conserved the Seven Divine Covenants the Lord granted to humanity. Our God, in the Era of the Genesis, founded the Ethiopian Entity on the Covenant of the Soul, through the Matrimony of Adam and Eve. Then in the Patriarchal period, He raised it, through Noah's Rainbow, Melchizedek's Offering and Abraham's Circumcision, to the next stage of its eschatological growth. In the transitional Era of the Old Testament, He structured it, through Mose's Ark and David's Throne, to the finishing level that caused to bring about, under the Covenant of the Law, the genealogical union of the Ethiopian Queen Makkedda and the Israelite King Solomon. Finally, in the Era of the Everlasting Life, He brought it to completion with the Sacrificial Body and Blood of His Son Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, who is the pure seed descended from that preordained genealogical union, thus culminating the Ethiopian Entity with the Eternal Crown of the Covenant of the Holy Spirit. We believe that Ethiopia, as such, represents the Kingdom of God on Earth constituting the three Houses of the People, of the Administration and of the Priesthood achieved through such progressive development in Her uninterrupted existence under the protection and guidance of the Holy Covenant. We believe that Jesus Christ who is the Son of God and in the name of whom we are called Christians and who is born of the seed that sprung from Shem, Ham and Japhet, in the Ethiopian image of nationhood, ordination and kingship of His precursor, Melchizedek, is our Eternal Priest and King. We believe that the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, who is the True Mother of the Living and the Eternal Ark of the Covenant, is the personification of Ethiopia, our Queen in Heavens and on Earth and in whose name we are called Ethiopians. We believe that the tri-coloured banner of Green, Yellow and Red, symbolizing the sign of the Rainbow, is our Eternal National Flag entrusted to us by God through Noah. We believe that the Divine Word of “the Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah” is ascribed to Jesus Christ who is the ultimate manifestation of the Holy Covenant, and the Prophetic Word of “Ethiopia Stretches out Her Hands to God” is attributed to the Virgin Mary, and that both Words of the Holy Spirit are our Eternal Divine Seal we received from Our God as a Nation of The Holy Covenant. We believe that our spiritual birth from God, through the Grace of the Holy Baptism of The Covenant, entitled us to be heirs and servants of the Kingdom of God. We believe that, in order for us to maintain such Divine birthright privilege, to confirm our inheritance of God's Kingdom and to continue rendering our pertinent services, it is our constant commitment to absolve our sins through incessant repentance and partake the Holy Communion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that the genuine manifestation and the distinctive identification of our Faith in the Ethiopianhood of The Holy Covenant are best demonstrated by the typical Ethiopian deed that we perform in consideration and reflection of our love for both Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. We believe that it is our God who, in accordance with His Word of The Covenant, inscribed in our hearts, taught us and made us to preserve in our lives this Ethiopianhood, which is the embodiment of the Holy Covenant. Amen.

 

[Wayne Murray]

THE TESTIMONIAL OF THE ETHIOPIANS ON THE HOLY COVENANTQUOTE]LAUGH OUT LOUD !!!