Human Tradition. On one level, that attitude is helpful. 81 entries are listed here. This distinction is starkly demonstrated by comparing a parable that was taught by Jesus with a similar story that is found in Buddhist literature. But Jesus Christ is God reaching out to us. Theologian R.C. Entry is based only on you accepting Christ's invitation. This article is more than 12 years old. Cornelius’s salvation occurred during Peter’s presentation of the gospel, since Peter himself says, “He will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household” (Acts 11:14). Religion is just a way of satisfying 16 basic human desires, scientist claims. As the literal word of God, the Qur’an makes known the will of God, to which humans must surrender (lending the name Islam, meaning ‘surrender’). In Islam, even though it is misunderstood,2 the doctrine of the Trinity is considered blasphemy! Please refresh the page and try again. Every other religion is based on people doing things through their struggling and through their striving to earn the good favor of God. In order to get into this club, you have to obtain superior wisdom. That planet, Royco said, was earth. In a time when the emperor claimed to be Lord and the moral code was decidedly in opposition to Scripture, the Holy Spirit gave that early church the ability to be faithful and to preach the Word of God without fear or compromise. This myth is appealing because it seems to reflect the pluralistic attitude of the United States. We're all descendants of those aliens. The Bible makes it clear that human effort or works do not benefit us before God (Romans 3:20, 4:5; Galatians 3:16). Jesus authenticated his claim of being God by living a perfect life, by embodying the attributes of God, and by fulfilling dozens of prophecies written hundreds of years before Jesus came to this planet. Get back to basics with the truth of the gospel. The movie "Fiddler on the Roof" memorialized this in … This is the belief that within the one Being that is God, there exists eternally three co-equal and co-eternal persons, namely the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is under no obligation to save any of his fallen creatures. When we receive his sacrifice on our behalf, we become reunited with God forever. Because he loves us, because Jesus and God are for us and not against us, Jesus voluntarily offered himself as our substitute to pay the penalty that we owe because of our wrongdoing. But Jesus says, "I am the truth." Just because you don't have one does not mean that you can't experience the other. 1 Sadly, many Christians have inhaled the relativistic air of our pluralistic culture and fallen for this idea. They're not going to be good enough. Sproul puts it this way, "Moses could mediate on the Law. None of the world’s religions present any good news (gospel) that someone has liberated us from the reign of sin and death. This claim rankles people like nothing else. Jesus also said that our wrongdoing separates us from our God because God is holy and perfect. But Christianity is different. Religion evidently functions as a mechanism for dealing with unpleasant emotions associated with difficult life experiences, such as danger, bereavement, disappointment, disease. A second problem is that religions are also exclusive when it comes to how people make their way up the mountain to God. There are at least three different ways in which image-bearing is understood (Cortez 2010). What if instead we scrub her with soap and water and dip her in bleach? That is acting rationally and in accordance with the evidence. In other words, he was mentally imbalanced. God’s prophets, the most recent of whom was Bahá'u'lláh, spread the values and principles of the religion. The Roman centurion Cornelius is often used as an example of a gentile whose faith in God was accepted without him knowing about Jesus. Islam, major world religion that emphasizes monotheism, the unity of God (‘Allah’ in Arabic), and Muhammad as his final messenger in a series of revelations. Jesus is sent into a lost world that is already guilty of rejecting the God whom they know exists and therefore are already under his judgment and on their way to hell (Romans 2:5, 16). What About Creation, Flood, and Language Division Legends? Royco, I hope, was kidding about being part of the Church of Asylumism. The best way to do this is by teaching followers the religion’s concepts from birth; and then reinforcing those ideas throughout the entirety of their life. But look at the credentials on my wall. Let us pity them, and help them, as far as we can. "Pray for your enemies." That figure shows that, while in many countries religion is not as dominant as it once was, it still has a huge influence on us. Behind this is the idea that all beliefs should be tolerated and that any claim to ultimate truth is arrogant.1. He was sincere, but he was wrong; he believed that he was the Son of God, but he wasn't. He demonstrated his mastery over nature. You've got to somehow attain certain spiritual advancement. In Christianity, salvation comes through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and not through human effort (1 Corinthians 15:1–4; Romans 4:4–8). In other words, all spiritual paths lead up the same mountain because all religions basically teach the brotherhood and the sisterhood of men and women and the universal fatherhood of God. The gospels are the written accounts, by eyewitnesses, of Jesus’ life and deeds. For example, "theism" is any religion that contains god(s), and "polytheism" is a form of theism. Unlike other religious leaders, Jesus also authenticated who he was by performing great miracles in broad daylight, in front of skeptics. It is an entire value system, a way of life. Respectful dialogue between people who represent different faith systems is a great starting point. Each issue highlights new, ready-to-download Bible studies at ChristianBibleStudies.com, and other tools to help you become a dynamic teacher of God's Word. If you're religious, thinking about God can help soothe the anxiety associated with making mistakes. Internet Explorer is no longer supported. A diagram showing the relationship between the definitions of weak/strong and implicit/explicit atheism. So they decided to take them to an uninhabited planet that would serve as an asylum and where they could roam free and act goofy. Look at the TV news! By virtue of his sinlessness and by virtue of his divinity, Jesus is the only one qualified to be our substitute. In other words, even if there are differences between religions, they all have equal claims on the truth. However, it is not intolerant to acknowledge differences in belief. There are drastic and irreconcilable differences between Christianity and all other belief systems. The pediatrician told them jaundice is a potentially devastating disease, but it is also easily cured: all they had to do was to put the baby under a special light that stimulates healthy liver function. Why is this claim so controversial? Let us feel for them, pray for them, speak to the King about them, strive to recommend the gospel to them. But let us never forget that there are people whose state is far more pitiable. They are saying that somebody has got to pay the penalty for the obvious wrongdoings that keep us separated from God. Have we neighbours without Christ? Then tell me this isn't one big loony bin.". Christianity is unique. Your newsletter signup did not work out. 11:27; Luke 10:22). In the Buddhist story, the errant son is required to work off the penalty for his past misdeeds through years and years of servitude. "Rejoice in persecution." The second myth that Jesus dispels is related to the first myth. The Bible tells us that those of us who are followers of Jesus need to be loving and respectful and accepting toward people of all faiths. If there were many roads to God and Christians were claiming, "Ours is the best," I would agree they were being narrow and arrogant. Religion is not only the faith on the existence of a God but also all the paraphernalia that follows those beliefs. Mormonism is also a polytheistic religion, though Mormons restrict their worship to only a few gods. It is important to remember as we share the gospel with those from other religions that they are made in the image of God and, therefore, have dignity and value. It's been called bigoted. Yet it was in that culture that the apostles proclaimed the exclusivity of Christ as the only way of salvation for all people (see Acts 8:5, 13:23–39, 16:30–31, 17:30–31, 20:21): Even when the apostles were told by the authorities to be silent and no longer proclaim Christ, they responded by saying, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19–20). (Pictured) The Lotus Temple, located in New Delhi, India, is a Bahá'í house of worship. While other religious leaders can offer wise sayings and helpful advice and insights, only Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God, is qualified to offer himself as payment for our wrongdoing. So when we turn to him, we're not being narrow-minded. You have your truth, and I have my truth. That's why when Jesus said he was the way and the truth and the life, history does not laugh; history has been revolutionalized by Jesus. 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