Why is Every Other Religion Wrong?

[humblehumility]

Ok so let's say I've accepted the argument "'God' exists and created us". The next step is determining 'which God is it that created us?' People from all cultures over thousands of years have written down their description of the God they worship. Things from mainly monotheistic (edited) religions you should note (but some shared with polytheistic religions):

1. people from all religions deeply experience their God. Christians feel the Holy Spirit and Christ. Muslims feel Allah. Hindus feel Vishnu. Buddhists feel their inner spirit.
2. people from all religions see God create objective experiences for them (that is to say, all gods answer prayers of all religious people).
3. people from all religions rely on an ancient text or hearsay as their religious testimony/guideline
4. people from all religions have at least 1 idol in which they worship or administer supreme respect for
5. people in all monotheistic religions claim that their testimony is supreme over all others
6. people in all religions have hundreds, thousands, millions, or billions of followers

That being said: what separates Christianity from every other religion that's ever been invented by man?

Be careful with your words, and make sure that it can withstand the same level of evidence from any other religion out there.

 

[CryptoLutheran]

Ok so let's say I've accepted the argument "'God' exists and created us". The next step is determining 'which God is it that created us?' People from all cultures over thousands of years have written down their description of the God they worship. Things from other religions you should note (Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, etc):

1. people from all religions deeply experience their God. Christians feel the Holy Spirit and Christ. Muslims feel Allah. Hindus feel Vishnu. Buddhists feel their inner spirit.
2. people from all religions see God create objective experiences for them (that is to say, all gods answer prayers of all religious people).
3. people from all religions rely on an ancient text as their religious testimony/guideline
4. people from all religions have at least 1 idol in which they worship or administer supreme respect for
5. people in all monotheistic religions claim that their testimony is supreme over all others
6. people in all religions have hundreds, thousands, millions, or billions of followers

That being said: what separates Christianity from every other religion that's ever been invented by man?

Be careful with your words, and make sure that it can withstand the same level of evidence from any other religion out there. If you can't come up with a response, I think that is reasonable enough to ask you to question your faith until you come up with an answer.

What separates Christianity from other religions is Jesus Christ; the same way that what separates Buddhism from other religions is the Buddha.

That doesn't objectively make Christianity true, but it is an obvious point of demarcation.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[humblehumility]

What separates Christianity from other religions is Jesus Christ; the same way that what separates Buddhism from other religions is the Buddha.

While that clearly "separates" it, it does not place it "separate and above" all religions, which monotheism (Christianity) is supposed to be.

That doesn't objectively make Christianity true

It certainly doesn't, but it offers a nice piece of evidence for the idea that all religions are false.

but it is an obvious point

Well, yeah. That's why there's no point in really stating it, it's obvious that it doesn't answer the question.

 

[Hakan101]

Christianity is separate from all other religions in that Jesus claimed to be God himself. All other religions involve bringing you closer to false gods or a spiritual enlightenment. With Christianity, God came to us. See if you can recognize the significance in that.

With all other religions you either have morally righteous prophets or you have those who claimed to be God. Those moral prophets never claimed to be God, and those who claimed to be God were never morally righteous. Only Jesus was both morally righteous *and* claimed to be God. This means if Jesus was telling the truth, all other religions are inferior.

Evidence for Christianity in my opinion rests solely on the resurrection of Jesus. If it was true then Christianity is true, which means all other religions are false. If it is not true then Christianity is false. Investigate the evidence of the resurrection.

What I appreciate is that God does not coerce you into belief in him with the evidence. There is not so much evidence that people can feel like they are forced into believing in God when they don't want to. Rather, only if you want to seek him will you come to believe. Choice is a great gift.

 

[LWB]

I think that which separates the various religions are their small minded adherents.

 

[drich0150]

Why is Every Other Religion Wrong?

Because God said so. Now May I ask why would any other religion be "right?"

 

[humblehumility]

Christianity is separate from all other religions in that Jesus claimed to be God himself.

Are you seriously suggesting that Jesus is the only person to proclaim himself as God?

10 Christ-like Figures Who Pre-Date Jesus

List of people who have been considered deities - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

All other religions involve bringing you closer to false gods or a spiritual enlightenment.

Just as other religions say Christianity is worshipping a false god.

With Christianity, God came to us. See if you can recognize the significance in that.

Sure, but God(s) came to us through humans all throughout history.

With all other religions you either have morally righteous prophets or you have those who claimed to be God.

Um can you go back and read your first statement. I'll quote you, "Jesus claimed to be God".

Those moral prophets never claimed to be God, and those who claimed to be God were never morally righteous.

1) Yes they did
2) Subjective opinion. People of other religions would say their god is morally righteous and yours is not, that's why subjective opinion doesn't mean squat

Only Jesus was both morally righteous *and* claimed to be God. This means if Jesus was telling the truth, all other religions are inferior.

There are plenty of other religions that have "morally righteous" human gods that claimed themselves as God, and were worshipped. Nothing new here.

Evidence for Christianity in my opinion rests solely on the resurrection of Jesus. If it was true then Christianity is true, which means all other religions are false. If it is not true then Christianity is false. Investigate the evidence of the resurrection.

I have plenty of times. The only evidence is hearsay, which is the only evidence for any other God on Earth.

 

[Ishraqiyun]

I think that which separates the various religions are their small minded adherents.

Good point.

 

[humblehumility]

I think that which separates the various religions are their small minded adherents.

Ok but I asked what separates Christianity specifically, you didn't even attempt to answer the question.

 

[humblehumility]

Now May I ask why would any other religion be "right?"

Because God(s) said so.

That argument didn't get you very far now did it.

 

[Ishraqiyun]

Different paths for different people. Look into the life of Ramakrishna for example. He practiced the whole gamut of Hindu traditions, Islam, and Christianity and found that each of them were legitimate paths to God.

 

[humblehumility]

Different paths for different people. Look into the life of Ramakrishna for example. He practiced the whole gamut of Hindu traditions, Islam, and Christianity and found that each of them were legitimate paths to God.

...and that's not what the Bible says.

 

[Ishraqiyun]

...and that's not what the Bible says.

The Bible doesn't mention Hinduism or Islam to begin with. There was no real contact with Hinduism and the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad wasn't around to write about one way or the other.

 

[humblehumility]

The Bible doesn't mention Hinduism or Islam to begin with. There was no real contact with Hinduism and the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad wasn't around to write about one way or the other.

Right, but that doesn't matter. The Bible says the only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ, and nobody else. It follows that belief or the "following" of any other God(s) is nothing more than worshipping a false idol. Therefore, one cannot follow Vishnu and be led to the Christian God.

 

[Ishraqiyun]

The Bible says the only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ, and nobody else.

And Jesus Christ is the Divine Logos and not just a person who lived 2000 years ago. People of other religions also gain accesses to the Father through the Logos they simply use a different vocabulary to explain things. Father, Vishnu, Buddha Nature, Great Spirit, Tao and Brahman are all different expressions for the Absolute Reality. The differences in vocabulary and expression cater to the needs, states , and stations of various peoples, times, and cultures. Some people relate to the Logos better in different ways.

It follows that belief or the "following" of any other God(s) is nothing more than worshipping a false idol.

They are all manifestations of the same Reality.

Therefore, one cannot follow Vishnu and be led to the Christian God.

Vishnu and God the Father are one.

Like the Vedas say " Truth is one, the wise speak of it with many names (or in many ways) ."

 

[AlexBP]

Ok so let's say I've accepted the argument "'God' exists and created us". The next step is determining 'which God is it that created us?' People from all cultures over thousands of years have written down their description of the God they worship. Things from other religions you should note (Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, Scientology, Native American culture, hundreds of others, etc):

1. people from all religions deeply experience their God. Christians feel the Holy Spirit and Christ. Muslims feel Allah. Hindus feel Vishnu. Buddhists feel their inner spirit.
2. people from all religions see God create objective experiences for them (that is to say, all gods answer prayers of all religious people).
3. people from all religions rely on an ancient text or hearsay as their religious testimony/guideline
4. people from all religions have at least 1 idol in which they worship or administer supreme respect for
5. people in all monotheistic religions claim that their testimony is supreme over all others
6. people in all religions have hundreds, thousands, millions, or billions of followers

That being said: what separates Christianity from every other religion that's ever been invented by man?

Be careful with your words, and make sure that it can withstand the same level of evidence from any other religion out there. If you can't come up with a response, I think that is reasonable enough to ask you to question your faith until you come up with an answer.

I don't think that your characterization of other religions in correct. If you agree that "'God' exists and created us [humans]", then you've already ruled out the beliefs of the great majority of religions. Some, such as Taoism and Confucianism, do not incorporate belief in any sort of god or supreme being. Others, including all of Native American folklores that I've studied, do not credit any supreme being with deliberately creating humanity. In some cases they have a being involved with humanity's beginnings. For instance, the tribes of the Pacific Northwest have a myth in which Raven (one of the well-known 'trickster characters') pries open a giant nutshell and finds the first human beings inside. In most cases, though, there's little or nothing about beginnings at all. The folklore simply assumes that the universe, humanity, and all else was simply there.

On the particular issues you raise in points 1 and 2, I again don't think your characterization of other religions is correct. In Islam, for instance, there is no Holy Spirit or any equivalent thereof. Muslims--at least the mainstream ones--do not believe that God gives anyone today personal revelations via visions, locutions, and the like, nor that God currently performs miraculous healings. Islam rests on the claim that God gave His final revelation to humanity through the Prophet Mohammed in the Koran. Most Muslims would probably not take very kindly to anyone who received a new revelation. The Jews, of course, believe that the Spirit of God spoke through the prophets, and Christians traditionally concur. However, the Jewish prophets stopped appearing after Malachi, then had one last hurrah with John the Baptist in the early first century. To some, this would suggest that right around the first century something major changed in the way that God communicated with believers. But Christianity affirms quite clearly that the Holy Spirit is with us and acting through those means that are not present in at least the majority of other religions.

The most fundamental thing that Jesus did which no other religious figure has ever done is to affirm that He was the most important person in the entire world and that human history would be tremendously affected by His life, and then make it come true. A few other figures have made such claims, but none have made them come true. In addition, Jesus made other claims, such as that His words would persist eternally, that His church would grow continually, and that His followers would make disciples in all nations. These claims have come true.

I would add that the very approach you're taking seems to rule out other religions and point towards Christianity. You're asking for a rational justification of a particular belief system. Obviously since the days of Aquinas and Augustine and even before that, Christians have sought to establish a rational basis for our beliefs, but how many other religions can you name that have done the same?

 

[humblehumility]

I don't think that your characterization of other religions in correct.

I didn't mean every religion adheres to every single one of those points. Some do, and some don't. Whether or not Muslims don't feel a "Holy Spirit", they still feel the spirit of God in their lives and because of their experiences are guided to spread their religion.

The most fundamental thing that Jesus did which no other religious figure has ever done is to affirm that He was the most important person in the entire world and that human history would be tremendously affected by His life, and then make it come true.

No other God (or God King) has declared they were the most important person alive and worshipped by thousands (or millions) of people? Human history for 2,000 years has been affected by the teachings of Jesus, that is a small gap in time. Hinduism for example has been around much longer than Christianity, and has tremendously affected hundreds of millions of people.

In addition, Jesus made other claims, such as that His words would persist eternally, that His church would grow continually, and that His followers would make disciples in all nations. These claims have come true.

I think you're jumping the gun a bit here. Christianity (especially in the US) is on the decline (meaning it is not growing). Given statistics and time, eventually it will become a minority religion and soon after that, become mythology like the hundreds of religions before it. It's only been 2,000 years and religions can be very persistent. With enough time though, they all die off.

It's hard to get definitive numbers because history 50,000+ years ago is a bit fuzzy, but we have evidence for ritualistic burial dating past then. We don't exactly know how many thousands of years the sun was worshipped as a God or by how many millions of people, but you can logically conclude that these people did worship the sun for quite some time (at least as long as Christ has been worshipped). As you know not many people worship the sun anymore.

Other religions haven't claimed their words would last forever, or that they would be spread throughout the world? They haven't lived up to their claim? Last time I checked, Christianity wasn't the only major world religion to ever exist, spread, and grow.

Obviously since the days of Aquinas and Augustine and even before that, Christians have sought to establish a rational basis for our beliefs, but how many other religions can you name that have done the same?

Are you saying the billions of followers of other religions don't seek to rationalize their faith?

To name one: Islam.

Your argument for Christianity seems to be a cumulative one, yet no one point hasn't been replicated in another religion before. Moreso, all of the characteristics of Christ you mentioned have been replicated before Christ existed.

How many major religions have we had since the industrial/technological revolution? Scientology is the only one that comes to mind. Yet in times of the Bronze Age and before, religions were abundant and sprouting up in all parts of the world. Do you think it's a coincidence mankind hasn't been able to invent a religion and gain followers in the last oh, 1,000 years? Quite clearly it is because most people would require actual proof if someone were to claim to be God. Since nobody has supernatural powers, nobody can claim this and actually back it up.

 

[solarwave]

Ok so let's say I've accepted the argument "'God' exists and created us". The next step is determining 'which God is it that created us?' People from all cultures over thousands of years have written down their description of the God they worship. Things from other religions you should note (Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, Scientology, Native American culture, hundreds of others, etc):

This may or may not help answer your question, but I remember reading once that a Christian man from the West moved to India to study Hinduism and while we was there he wanted to become a Hindu and so asked the Hindu priest (sorry I don't know the correct name) what he should do. The reply was that when he goes back to his own country he should be the best Christian he could be to be the best Hindu he could be.

My point is that perhaps a more open approach to understanding the divine is needed. To have faith in the form of discussion, learning, questioning and drawing close to love with all those who do the same, not just those in your category. More than that is needed to answer your question, but I just wanted to give a different perspective.

 

[drich0150]

Because God(s) said so.

That argument didn't get you very far now did it.

It's getting me into Heaven.

 

[humblehumility]

It's getting me into Heaven.

Yikes. At least ignorance is bliss.