People like to say, “Hey, we all worship the same god/God.” “God is at the top of the mountain and we all take different trails to reach God”, they reason. But is that true? No, it is not. The reality is, many people are on the wrong mountain, to use their metaphor.
There are many different ideas as to who god/God is. And they can’t all be right (since they contradict each other in many ways). They could all be wrong, but they can’t all be right. As Christians, we find salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the One and Only way to Heaven. Jesus said, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except though me (John 14:6).” Acts 4:12 states, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Christianity makes it very clear: Jesus is fully God, and the only Way to God.
I like the article by Marilyn Adamson—Connecting with the Divine. She uses five symbols to describe 5 World Religions (5 belief systems). Many of the religions of the world could be categorized by one or more of these symbols and descriptions. I think it gives us a handle when discussing various belief systems.
Hinduism – Lots of gods; many manifestations of god.
Popular Spirituality/New Age – I am god; promotes personal divinity.
Buddhism – Believes no god or gods exist.
Islam- There is one god, but you can’t know him.
Christianity – There is one God, and He wants to have a personal, loving relationship with you.
Know What You Believe
Understanding what others believe is one thing. But it is more important to know what YOU believe. The three major monotheistic religions, for example, are very different from each other. Notice the chart below:
| MONOTHEISM: | CHRISTIANTY | ISLAM | JUDAISM |
| FOUNDER: | Jesus | Mohammad | Abraham |
| NATURE OF GOD: | One God, Trinity | One God, Allah | One God, Jehovah |
| BOOK: | Bible | Koran | Old Testament basically |
| JESUS: | God, Savior, Virgin Birth | Prophet, not God | Ordinary Jew, not Messiah |
| MISSION OF JESUS: | Die for and save man from sin | Prophet, came to proclaim | Not Messiah |
| JESUS’ DEATH: | Substitute/Atone | Not crucified | Executed for claim to be divine |
| JESUS’ RESURRECTION: | Yes He did | No He did not | No He did not |
| SALVATION: | Grace through faith | Good works | Good works |
Understanding who you are, who God is, and how we make peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ is paramount to finding hope, purpose, and eternal life. God bless you as you continue to grow in your understanding of God’s Word and your personal relationship with Jesus.