| Dec 4, 2008 @ 11:53 AM |
The One True Religion?
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yashaenka
Posts: 8,267
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My reason for posting this is educational and informational in the hopes that some on here will cease claiming their Religion is the only True Religion.
Quotations:
"True religion is not about possessing the truth. No religion does that. It is rather an invitation into a journey that leads one toward the mystery of God. Idolatry is religion pretending that it has all the answers." Bishop J.S. Spong "Q&A on The Parliament of the World's Religions," weekly mailing, 2007-SEP-05.
just because you don't bow on your knees and worship an idol or an invisible being, does not mean you are not a Satan worshiper. The worship of any other god (s) is the same thing. There are no other gods. They are demons and Satan is in control of them." From the website www.exposingsatanism.org
"Yes, Christianity is the one true religion. That may sound awfully dogmatic and narrow-minded, but the simple truth is that Christianity is the only true religion. Jesus said that He alone was the way to the Father (John 14:6), that He alone revealed the Father (Matt. 11:27; Luke 10:22). Christians do not go around saying Christianity is the only way because they are arrogant, narrow-minded, stupid, and judgmental. They do so because they believe what Jesus said." Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry (CARM).
How many religions are there in the world from which to locate the "true" one?
According to David Barrett and team, there are 19 major world religious groupings in the world which are subdivided into a total of about 10,000 distinct religions. Of the latter, there were 270 religions and para-religions which had over a half million adherents in the year 2000 CE. Within Christianity, they have identified 34,000 separate groups (denominations, sects, individual unaffiliated churches, para-church groups, etc) in the world. "Over half of them are independent churches that are not interested in linking with the big denominations." 1
Even considering a single religion, Christianity, within a single country, there are often thousands of individual "Christian confessions and denominations." For example, Barrett et al. states that there are:
bullet 4,684 groups in the U.S.
bullet 3,364 in South Africa.
bullet 2,079 in Nigeria.
bullet 1,581 in Brazil.
bullet 1,327 in South-central Asia.
Among other English-speaking countries, there are:
bullet 828 groups in the UK.
bullet 469 in Canada.
bullet 267 in Australia
bullet 175 in New Zealand. 2
Differences in the beliefs and practices of various faith groups:
Probably the one area where religions differ the most is over the nature of deity. Various groups teach Agnosticism, Animism, Atheism, Strong Atheism, Deism, Duotheism, Henotheism, Monism, Monotheism, Panentheism, Pantheism, Polytheism, the Trinity, and probably some others that we have missed. More details.
Perhaps the next greatest range of beliefs are about the fate of people after death: whether there is simple annihilation, some form of energy-less existence as taught by the ancient Hebrews, Purgatory as taught by the Roman Catholic Church, Heaven or Paradise as taught by many religions, Hell which is also taught by many faiths, Limbo, reincarnation, transmigration of the soul, nirvana, an alternative world much like Earth, and probably some other places or states that we have missed.
There is also a great range of beliefs and practices among different religions over other theological beliefs, ritual, organization, family structure, personal sexual behavior, and other topics. For example, differences exist on matters such as: abortion access, adult celibacy, animal sacrifices. appearance factors (shaving, jewelry), birth control usage, calendar, clergy celibacy, clergy gender, clergy organization, meeting day, documentation, family power sharing, family types, gender of deities, homosexual rights, meeting place, nature of deities, nature of humanity, new year date, number of deities, origin of the universe, prayer, pre-marital sex, role of women, sacred texts, suicide, surgical modifications to the body, special clothing, symbols, etc. More details
To our knowledge, no two religions teach the same message or expect the same practices from their followers. One would be hard pressed to find two faith groups within the same religion which have identical teachings and practices. If a "true religion" exists, then it would probably have to be one or a few faith groups within one of the 10,000 religions. All of the other religions and faith groups would be in error.
What do faith groups teach about their own status?
Most religious groups teach that their own beliefs and practices are the only true set, and that all other faith groups contain some degree of error. For example, the largest single faith group in the U.S., in Canada, and in the world is the Roman Catholic Church. According to the Times News Service, a year 2000 statement by the Church titled "Dominus Iesus" implies that "Churches such as the Church of England, where the apostolic succession of bishops from the time of St. Peter is disputed by Rome, and churches without bishops, are not considered 'proper' churches." Only the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches are "churches in the proper sense." They suffer from "defects." Dominus Iesus further states that religions other than Christianity are considered to be "
[Edited on 12/4/2008 11:59 AM]
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| Dec 4, 2008 @ 11:56 AM |
The One True Religion? |
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yashaenka
Posts: 8,267
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"gravely deficient." Their rituals can constitute "an obstacle to salvation" for their followers. 3,4
Other faith groups are either more inclusive or more exclusive than the Roman Catholic Church regarding the "truth" status of other faith groups.
horizontal rule
Which, then, is the true religion?
Because religions are so different, only one could be the "true religion." Perhaps none are. Within the "true religion" there may be more than one faith group that are sufficiently accurate in their beliefs and practices that all could qualify as "true." The problem is how to find out which religion and which faith groups have this status.
Some methods of determining the "true" religion are:
bullet Conduct an opinion poll: Unfortunately, beliefs differ around the world:
bullet In Saudi Arabia, the government claims that 100% of the population is Muslim. So there is probably a very high probability that a given citizen picked at random would firmly believe Islam is the true religion and that theirs is the true faith group.
bullet India is about 80% Hindu. There is a very high probability that any given citizen believes that their tradition with Hinduism is the true religion.
bullet The U.S. is about 75% Christian. The population in the American "Bible belt" is significantly higher than that. There is a very high probability that any given citizen in South Carolina, for example, believes that their denomination within Christianity is the true religion.
It is obvious that one's personal beliefs about the true religion is largely a function of the country in which one happens to have been born, the area of that country, and the beliefs of one's parent(s):
bullet If Jerry Falwell had been born in Saudi Arabia of Muslim parents, and obtained his religious education in that country, there is a near certainty that he would be promoting Islam today.
bullet If the late Sheikh Mohamed Mutwali al-Sharawilittle of Egypt, who was called "The Arab world's best known television preacher of the Holy Qur'an," had been born and raised by Southern Baptists in Dallas, TX, that he would almost certainly have promoted Christianity.
One's personal beliefs and the certainty with which one holds them is an unreliable measure of truth, because they are largely determined by one's culture and the faith of one's parents -- both largely accidents of birth. So, an opinion poll might show what peoples beliefs are. But it would not be helpful in locating the "true" faith group.
bullet Pray to God 5 and ask to be enlightened. The founder of the Mormon movement, Joseph Smith, did precisely this. Mormons believe that God and Jesus Christ appeared to him side by side, and told him that none of the then existing Christian denominations were the true religion. He was instructed to create a new denomination to restore Christianity to its first century CE purity before it fell into heresy.
This method appears to be unreliable. When people pray to God for enlightenment, most seem to conclude that their own religion and faith group is the true one. If people could access the will of God on this matter, then a vast majority of the world's population -- the folks who pray -- would realize that their faith group was not the true one. They would gradually migrate to the true religion. There would eventually be only one religion and one tradition within that religion left standing. Otherwise, people would be rejecting the will of God. All the other 11,000 religions and their tens of thousands of denominations or traditions would be phased out.
The OCRT, the group that sponsors this web site, conducted a pilot study to determine whether a person can assess the will of God through prayer. We used a controversial topic: whether God favors same-sex marriage for homosexuals and some bisexuals. The answer that we found was that people appear to be unable to assess the will of God through prayer.
bullet Communication from God: God could initiate a direct communication to humanity. In order to be convincing, it would have to be totally unambiguous, clear and convincing. One example might be for God to rearrange a few thousand stars to spell out in the evening sky the name of the true religion. Unfortunately, at least within the Judeo-Christian traditions, God seems to be progressively withdrawing from humanity. He walked in person with Adam and Eve. Later, he only appeared in rare occasions as at Mount Sinai. Still later, he communicated with humans only through prophets. Most Christians believe that Jesus Christ is God and walked among humans in first century CE Palestine. However, he was seen by only a miniscule percentage of the human race. Now, access to God is through prayer.
Unless God were to take the initiative, it appears that there is no way for humans to determine which religion is "true."
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| Dec 4, 2008 @ 4:16 PM |
The One True Religion?
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FunkyMonkey68
Posts: 450
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Christianity is the one true religion... if you are a christian and believe in the whole jesus/bible story.
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| Dec 4, 2008 @ 4:33 PM |
The One True Religion? |
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Heaveninawildflower
Posts: 18,615
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Yep, and as the OP pointed out, that would be true in the USA, while in Saudi Arabia, with its pretty much 100% muslim population, that would be the one true religion, or India with its 80% hindu population, THAT would be the OTR.
So, do we put it to a vote? The one with the most believers wins?  
Sounds pretty silly to me, but there are actually people who seem to think that the more people believing something (or more accurately, the more people they KNOW who believe something) the more likely it is to be true. Personally I think that truth is truth, even if nobody believes it. As usual, JMHO. I'll keep looking but I know there's no way of proving anything, so meanwhile I'll enjoy life and really not worry about it a whole lot. I can't believe what I can't believe, nor can anyone else. What we CAN do is just try to abide by the golden rule, that seems to be as close to universal as possible.
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| Dec 4, 2008 @ 4:47 PM |
The One True Religion?
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Tarzan
Posts: 499
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Yer know what the Buddha said dont ya????
Bog off I dont want you! Go Find another religion if it suits you!
....basically 
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| Dec 4, 2008 @ 10:30 PM |
The One True Religion? |
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waterfire
Posts: 2,946
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well said Heaven  
I so enjoy not belonging to a religion 
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| Dec 4, 2008 @ 10:55 PM |
The One True Religion?
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Jankia
Posts: 11,909
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Christians do not go around saying Christianity is the only way because they are arrogant, narrow-minded, stupid, and judgmental. They do so because they believe what Jesus said. Jesus wasnt Christian and I dont think he ever even labeled himself a Jew.
There are many religions but the only true religion is the one you choose for yourself under the guidance that God gave you personally.
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| Dec 5, 2008 @ 2:38 AM |
The One True Religion? |
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waterfire
Posts: 2,946
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There are many religions but the only true religion is the one you choose for yourself under the guidance that God gave you personally.
Well said Janka.
this is it peeps, this life we have now is what we can know and as far as I am concerned the only thing that deserves focus.
Call it what you will the name matters little...God, Light, whatever it is what sustains us all and is what we need to focus on....period.
SO what do to with it? As Janka stated, follow what has been given you not what others want you to.
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| Dec 5, 2008 @ 8:08 AM |
The One True Religion?
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eyesofastranger
Posts: 930
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i agree with heaven. the golden rule. in my mind it goes like this. when i say i will do something you can take it to the bank. i wont make a decision without considering others. i will never steal from another. my wife is the only sexy female on earth. i will forgive others and live a better life for it. what i have is what i need and will never harbor jealousy. if i knew what was the absolute truth i wouldn't be reading yash's posts every morning. don't pee in the wind and never cook bacon naked.
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| Dec 5, 2008 @ 8:27 AM |
The One True Religion? |
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Heaveninawildflower
Posts: 18,615
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never cook bacon naked.
Words to live by!!
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| Dec 5, 2008 @ 8:59 AM |
The One True Religion?
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yashaenka
Posts: 8,267
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Eye you do have a way with words.... Thanks for your comments this was received as I intended, not biased but informational.
Now for the next Question why are there so many differing beliefs still in the middle of the information age?
[Edited on 12/5/2008 9:08 AM]
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| Dec 5, 2008 @ 2:45 PM |
The One True Religion? |
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waterfire
Posts: 2,946
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never cook bacon naked
Also never boil water for tea and pour or try to while still half asleep...oh god my poor willy...can you say fetal position 
why are there so many differing beliefs still in the middle of the information age?
good question!
I see people waking up more and more, finding that THEY and what they have/understand is the key ingredient. I see more and more questioning what the world wants to hand out, the dish of ages which will never abate that hunger.
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| Dec 5, 2008 @ 5:15 PM |
The One True Religion?
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Heaveninawildflower
Posts: 18,615
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can you say fetal position
Ouch, just reading that hurt!
why are there so many differing beliefs still in the middle of the information age?
I think for many of us, the more we learn, the more questions we have, especially in light of the fact that it's impossible to prove anything - not the bible, not the torah, not the koran and not even any of our own privately developed beliefs.
I'm with Eyes - what i have is what i need
Right now I actually have a lot more than I need, and I try to share it...as others have with me when I needed help. My favorite description of heaven vs. hell was the one with two dining rooms filled with people whose hands were chained together, from each person to the next. One room held people all trying to reach the food on the table, but the chains prevented them from reaching because they were all pulling at once. The next room held the exact same grouping, with food on the table, but they were happily feeding each other, since the chains didn't prevent them from reaching the food if they each took turns.
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| Dec 5, 2008 @ 7:07 PM |
The One True Religion? |
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onoudn
Posts: 6,354
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yash why don't you ever provide a link to your quotes....btw nice thread considering you've been doing the reverse type of thinking on the religious threads...
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| Dec 6, 2008 @ 2:48 AM |
The One True Religion?
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eyesofastranger
Posts: 930
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i have found what the cristian would call the love of god. i started a simple thread a few days ago called "religion is no longer needed" all the usual's chimed in. then a young girl "or an older man with a fetish" commented after i said an intelligent man needs to understand his world.
[QUOTE]
the world is full of men who are not intelligent who do not understand the world & have not had the opportunities of education .... for those people what would you suggest ?
religion i would suggest. it has taken me until now to get that feeling and oneness with our creator. if i was not a bright guy i would have never achieved the love of god as the religious describe it.
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| Dec 6, 2008 @ 8:15 AM |
The One True Religion? |
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yashaenka
Posts: 8,267
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To find a oneness within has no requirement within to look outside of self to find self other than what you can observe in nature.
A oneness can never be found in words alone from any religion or living belief system for the opinions found within them are outside of you and just another's opinion. Every time you start down any pathway while seeking outside of yourself you always come full circle back to self.
This problem manifest itself in the masses or why would their be so many differing religions and living belief systems? The answer to why they exist is that there is a market for them as the masses assume others have answers for the question they have that remain unanswered.
To that I say the fault is all yours by not asking the right questions of yourself and it might help to find yourself first.
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| Dec 6, 2008 @ 8:24 AM |
The One True Religion?
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eyesofastranger
Posts: 930
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agreed yash
but the religious have found a false oneness in belonging to a community and you can't get them to change and do it the hard way.
so many religions have found this short cut and the result of finding the fulfillment even if false is hard for someone to dismiss.
the joes built a thy kingdom come hall in my community. i have to admit as i watched it i envied their community. all the woman made sandwiches and all the men built the thing. if you can't pull it up and become something on your own this is a simple way about it.
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| Dec 6, 2008 @ 8:33 AM |
The One True Religion? |
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yashaenka
Posts: 8,267
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Yes if one is on the outside looking in; a social by those one think as religious leads one to assume they are all devout. But when many leave they comment about a lot of things that have nothing to do with religion, it is really mired in gossip. Things are seldom what they appear on the surface, not even people.
Human kind wear many faces in public but those faces are rarely their true faces.
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| Dec 6, 2008 @ 8:58 AM |
The One True Religion?
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eyesofastranger
Posts: 930
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this is not nice to say so this is my opinion alone. it was the phoniness of it all that led me away at a very young age.
i am the most important person living today and about 6 billion equals. uncrazy called it the great me. soooooooo when i believe something damn it!
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| Dec 6, 2008 @ 9:03 AM |
The One True Religion? |
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yashaenka
Posts: 8,267
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You are what You are and Are not. You are the only one who knows that....
Every person is an island unto themselves. Yes the word Hypocrite comes to mind they make their own religion false.
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