Do All Religions Lead to the Same God?

Well, it is in fact true, that all religions are false. Only God is True. Jesus never wanted you to suffer or worship him. You mustn't worship any man. Christianity is false.

TRUE

true true well said..............

When someone takes the time to love you and lead you to a personal relationship with Christ, The discussion ends. Your journey begins. Faith only operates by love. You can not find God by not trying. If we seek God with our whole heart, soul and mind we will not be disappointed. It was a long journey for me. Sixteen years of searching and now forty seven years of peace in my heart. John 3:16

THE FACT IS ...Truth = In the Year 33 Christ Himself established only ONE Church = HIS Church = The Original Christian Church = THE CATHOLIC Church! everything else is simple religious entertainment social groups

If we think back to the ancient times before any of us were born, it's well known that religion was used for world order. The books that are used to teach religion such as the bible were used as a form of law, to get people to confine to society. Religion used to be sterotyped from different parts of the world, Indian's - Hindu, Asians - Buddhist, Arabians - Islam/Muslim, Europeans - Catholics/Christians, Spanish/Latin - Christians. I believe there is one God, and that different parts of the world had different stories based on who God was, what he specifically stood for and how we all should behave. I do believe in God, but I also believe books such as the bible were written by sexiest men who wanted control of their part of the world - it's so easy to say "if you do this, you will get stoned to death" which is an example of many referring to consequences of sin throughout the bible. But "Our God is a merciful God and if we repent for our sins we will be forgiven", but sure as hell that those who committed those sins even if they were sorry and repented were still stoned to death. An example of this is: Leviticus 20:10. I am a Christian and I do not believe and follow everything I read in the bible. I have found my own relationship with God. The God who is God of all, Christianity is just the religion that found me. Now I am not saying the bible doesn't make ANY valid points, or teach some good moral etcs; but I definitely believe it that our God is more merciful and less judgemental and more forgiving then the people who wrote the bible perceive him to be. And no I do not believe Islamic and Muslim people are bad or have bad teachings, religious extremists are throughout every religion the Islamic/Muslim people have just been targeted. And it's awful because the more hate you put out towards them the more hate you will get, the more extremists you will create because if they feel like the whole world is against them for having this faith they will obviously band with the extremists who will not turn them away. We will have world war 3 because of all this hate.

The fact remains that nobody can 'know God' or Who He is apart from Revelation given by God. The Faith of God is in Christ , who is Himself. God is not a God of confusion. Any 'god of confusion' is no god at all. Only 3 of them are One, Islam, Judaism and "Christianity'...Buddhists can be atheists and be utterly godless. The fact is, that either one is claiming Jesus is a liar or they simply don't know Him. Ignorance does not make a contradiction True A rash assumption is that people 'believe in the God of the bible just because it says so". but that is a false Statement. Jesus himself stated, 'No one comes to the Son unless the Father Draws Him" and "No One Knows the Father BUT The Son"...and "No one Knows the Son but the Father " and "No one Knows the Father unless the Son Reveals Him to Him". Thus, Unless the Father through the Son draws one to Him through The Son , and only the Son Knows the Father, then that leaves the reason for why there are so many people preaching to and praying to non-existent gods and if not even 'demons' as was clarified. The TRUE Light had come into the world only when The LORD who is GOD came into the world. The God of 1000 BC at least stated, 'There is no other, I know not one"..and There is Salvation in no other " as said by The Spirit of God. If Christ is not True there is no salvation for a single soul on the entire planet unless one considers 'reincarnation' a healthy alternative in which there is no hope whatever. We also no that mankind are utterly unable to know God in any way unless it has been given, and the Christ Jesus was with him from before the creation of the earth. He's either the greatest most demanding liar that every lived who also so happens to PROMISE Eternal Life as was stated would be the case all the way back in Genesis or He's not. He also stated, just now, the world cannot hate you because it Hated Me First. The world in general, hates the one True God...man might not 'think so' but it's a fact. What they love is their own 'concept of God' which makes them their own god. We have only 3 religions in the world that have one God and Islam claims Jesus wasn't crucified calling God a liar, as that goes all the way back to Genesis 3. "You believe in 'God' you do well, even the demons believe and they shudder"..Even the demons Knew Jesus Identity...they came out of the man, stating his identity, and went into pigs. At least pigs have enough sense to drown themselves when they are infested with evil, but man kind loves it. There is another way of looking at too . Who is the 'god of this world:? Satan. If all 'world religions' point to the same god, that god is satan, the prince of the power of the air, the Father of Lies. He was a liar FROM The Beginning and the Father of IT. He is the Father of 'The Lie'. On the other hand, if they all point to the same God then everyone is Condemned and is in Sin and Darkness (which it is), for He Said, and He said only what He Hears from The Father: "He who does not believe in the Son is already condemned for they do not believe in His One and Only Son, through Whom the World was Created. If a person is "Prepared" to face Eternity calling the Son a liar, then so be it. He came into the world and the world knew Him not, nor could they comprehend Him, for He is The Light of God and The Truth of God. If he wasn't then why did Mohammed contradict him 500 years later? How can any pass up a Salvation as Great as This? Why would anyone WANT TO? Hardness of heart. It has been clearly spelled out and is visible in the way of the world. The final straw is that in Truth, 'Christianity' for those who are 'truly In Christ', is not a 'world religion'. It's a PERSON.

Believer— I agree with much you wrote about religions and their books. However, to put the Bible in the same company is to fail to understand its supernatural origin as the revealed Word of God, and the fact it was written by holy men who were chosen by God to make an accurate record of what he wants us to know of himself, creation, sin, Jesus, and what is to come. Christianity differs from all other religions in that it offers a personal relationship with God the others don't. What's more, all religions, save biblical Christianity, were created by men who desired to work their way into God's good graces. You profess to be a Christian (which basically means you are a follower of Jesus and are born again spiritually), but I have to wonder how you arrived at being a Christian without believing the Bible? Jesus himself is the Word of God (John 1:1, 14) and therefore the entire Bible was given by his inspiration. He often quoted the Old Testament, adding credence to its validity. To renounce any of the Bible is to renounce Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior, and God.

LGD-- I agree. But the original question was whether Islam, based on its teachings and actions, is a religion of peace. I think it's clear that it is not.

You are right, those that practice this things are the "intolerant" ones…….. an experpt from got questions({dot)]org "What were the Christian crusades?" To summarize briefly, the crusades were attempts in the 11th through 13th centuries A.D. to reclaim land in the Middle East that had been conquered by Muslims. The crusades were brutal and evil. Many people were forced to "convert" to Christianity. If they refused, they were put to death. The idea of conquering a land through war and violence in the name of Christ is completely unbiblical. Many of the actions that took place in the crusades were completely antithetical to everything the Christian faith stands for. How can we respond when, as a result of the crusades, the Christian faith is attacked by atheists, agnostics, skeptics, and those of other religions? We can respond in the following ways: 1) Do you want to be held accountable for the actions of people who lived 900+ years ago? 2) Do you want to be held accountable for the actions of everyone who claims to represent your faith? Trying to blame all of Christianity for the crusades is analogous to blaming all Muslims for Islamic terrorism.

my last comment went into the moderation que? when the previous ones didn't? (minus my first)

Tom- You are right, those that practice this things are the "intolerant" ones…….. an experpt from got questions(dot)org "What were the Christian crusades?" To summarize briefly, the crusades were attempts in the 11th through 13th centuries A.D. to reclaim land in the Middle East that had been conquered by Muslims. The crusades were brutal and evil. Many people were forced to "convert" to Christianity. If they refused, they were put to death. The idea of conquering a land through war and violence in the name of Christ is completely unbiblical. Many of the actions that took place in the crusades were completely antithetical to everything the Christian faith stands for. How can we respond when, as a result of the crusades, the Christian faith is attacked by atheists, agnostics, skeptics, and those of other religions? We can respond in the following ways: 1) Do you want to be held accountable for the actions of people who lived 900+ years ago? 2) Do you want to be held accountable for the actions of everyone who claims to represent your faith? Trying to blame all of Christianity for the crusades is analogous to blaming all Muslims for Islamic terrorism.

LGD-- Correction: That's 1300 years, not 1700 years.

LGD-- Thank you for stating the source, as I should have done so myself. However, an attempt to refute the more than 100 verses that teach the destructive and deadly doctrines of Islam is not even necessary. Nearly 1700 years of history clearly reveal that Islam has from the beginning been a religion of conquest and brute force to either bow to the god known as Allah or to be tortured and/or put to death. Those same teachings are what are being acted out by the "faithful" today all around the world. I suggest that those who practice these things are the "intolerant" ones, not those who point out the obvious.

Hi Tom First it would be nice if you cite your source especially if you copy and paste and not paraphrase to avoid plagiarism Thereligionofpeace{dot)com. "What does Islam Teach about…Violence" Also it helps the reader establish the credibility of the author and what agenda the author might have. I did search most of those a few of those verses looking for explanations from the apologetics of one's faith. I am not Muslim and honestly haven't studied it so I will give one example and one counter from an outside few to christianity to see if I can make a clear point. 2:190 Fight in the way of God those who fight you but do not transgress. Indeed. God does not like transgressors. 2:191 And kill them wherever you find them and expel them from wherever they have expelled you, and fitnah [Persecution] is worse than killing. And do not fight them at al-Masjid al- Haram until they fight you there. But if they fight you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers. 2:192 And if they cease, then indeed, God is Forgiving and Merciful. 2:193 Fight them until there is no [more] fitnah [Persecution] and [until] worship is for God. But if they cease, then there is to be no aggression except against the oppressors. 2:194 [Fighting in] the sacred month is for [aggression committed in] the sacred month, and for [all] violations is legal retribution. So whoever has assaulted you, then assault him in the same way that he has assaulted you. And fear God and know that God is with those who fear Him. 2:195 And spend in the way of God and do not throw [yourselves] with your [own] hands into destruction [by refraining]. And do good; indeed, God loves the doers of good. " It's important whenever one reads a Quranic verse, to read it in its context. As you have read, critics only quote the part which suites them, they isolate previous verses and the ones after. When the passage is examined in context, it is clear that nowhere does it sanction the killing of innocent people. From verse 2:190 to 2:195, when read, Allah makes it evident to fight those only who fight them, fighting in self-defence. Another thing some love to do with the verse is, change the Arabic word's meaning. Example, the Arabic word 'Fitna' used in 2:191 and 2:193, they deceptively have translated the word as 'disbelief'. So, when it's read in that perspective, the passage is implying to fight to those who are disbelievers, just because of their religion. This again when we examine it, it will turn out to be a lie. The Arabic word 'Fitnah' means 'persecution', 'corruption', 'sedition'. But when the word 'Fitnah' is used in verse 2:191 and 2:193 it means 'persecution'." discover-the-truth[dot}com "Quran 2:191- 'And kill them wherever you find them…' Explained" Kaleef K. Karim Now what you did to Muslim doctrine could possibly what occurs to Christians from people that don't understand and conclude based off of misinformation or taking something out of context Matthew 10 "34 Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn " 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law Luke 19:27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. See? To stay on topic.. My main premise was the misunderstanding that this article has of the point of the story "blind men and the elephant" . But one has to be willing to view with an opened mind to see the truth.. and understand that one doesn't have to falter away from what they subscribe to , to have tolerance and respect for others. there is of course basic guidelines that one should use to measure , and trust that the ethics and morals that was ingrained in us that what we believe and the path we choose to accept doesn't harm others. LGD

LGD– Thanks for your views, but I find it interesting that the only thing that Harsha wrote that is actually true is the thing you find hateful and intolerant. While I'm confident that the majority of Muslims are peaceful at heart, the book they profess to believe in teaches something far from peace and tolerance. Islam was established and built on the idea of conquest, and the destruction of any and all who held opposing views. The Quran contains at least 109 verses that call Muslims to war with nonbelievers for the sake of Islamic rule. Some are quite graphic, with commands to chop off heads and fingers and kill infidels wherever they may be hiding. Muslims who do not join the fight are called 'hypocrites' and warned that Allah will send them to Hell if they do not join the slaughter. Unlike nearly all of the Bible's Old Testament verses of violence, the verses of violence in the Quran are mostly open-ended, meaning that they are not restrained by the historical context of the surrounding text. They are part of the eternal, unchanging word of Allah, and just as relevant or subjective as anything else in the Quran. But allow me to let the Quran speak for itself: Quran (2:191-193) – "And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah [disbelief] is worse than killing… but if they desist, then lo! Allah is forgiving and merciful. And fight them until there is no more Fitnah [disbelief and worshipping of others along with Allah] and worship is for Allah alone. But if they cease, let there be no transgression except against Az-Zalimun (the polytheists, and wrong-doers, etc.)" Quran (3:151) – "Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority". This speaks directly of polytheists, yet it also includes Christians, since they believe in the Trinity (I.e. what Muhammad incorrectly believed to be 'joining companions to Allah'). Quran (4:76) – "Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah…" Quran (5:33) – "The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His messenger and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement" Quran (8:12) – "I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them" There are dozens and dozens more verses that challenge the true Muslim to wage a religious war against any and all who deny Allah and his pr0phet. Over the last 1400 years, 270 million non-believers have been murdered by Muslim jihadists. Islam destroyed the Christian Middle East and Christian North Africa. It is estimated that upwards of 60 million Christians were slaughtered during this conquest. Also, half the Hindu civilization was annihilated and 80 million Hindus murdered. Islamic jihad has also destroyed over 10 million Buddhists. In other words, Islam is a killing machine, not a religion of peace. The truth is that Islam is not a religion of peace. Over 90% of all the conflicts on this planet today involve Muslims fighting non-Muslims or each other! We should be very thankful that the majority of Muslims do not closely follow the teachings of the Quran.

LGD-- Thanks for your views, but I find it interesting that the only thing that Harsha wrote that is actually true is the thing you find hateful and intolerant. While I'm confident that the majority of Muslims are peaceful at heart, the book they profess to believe in teaches something far from peace and tolerance. Islam was established and built on the idea of conquest, and the destruction of any and all who held opposing views. The Quran contains at least 109 verses that call Muslims to war with nonbelievers for the sake of Islamic rule. Some are quite graphic, with commands to chop off heads and fingers and kill infidels wherever they may be hiding. Muslims who do not join the fight are called 'hypocrites' and warned that Allah will send them to Hell if they do not join the slaughter. Unlike nearly all of the Bible's Old Testament verses of violence, the verses of violence in the Quran are mostly open-ended, meaning that they are not restrained by the historical context of the surrounding text. They are part of the eternal, unchanging word of Allah, and just as relevant or subjective as anything else in the Quran. But allow me to let the Quran speak for itself: Quran (2:191-193) - "And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah [disbelief] is worse than killing... but if they desist, then lo! Allah is forgiving and merciful. And fight them until there is no more Fitnah [disbelief and worshipping of others along with Allah] and worship is for Allah alone. But if they cease, let there be no transgression except against Az-Zalimun (the polytheists, and wrong-doers, etc.)" Quran (3:151) - "Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority". This speaks directly of polytheists, yet it also includes Christians, since they believe in the Trinity (I.e. what Muhammad incorrectly believed to be 'joining companions to Allah'). Quran (4:76) - "Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah…" Quran (5:33) - "The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His messenger and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement" Quran (8:12) - "I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them" There are dozens and dozens more verses that challenge the true Muslim to wage a religious war against any and all who deny Allah and his prophet. Over the last 1400 years, 270 million non-believers have been murdered by Muslim jihadists. Islam destroyed the Christian Middle East and Christian North Africa. It is estimated that upwards of 60 million Christians were slaughtered during this conquest. Also, half the Hindu civilization was annihilated and 80 million Hindus murdered. Islamic jihad has also destroyed over 10 million Buddhists. In other words, Islam is a killing machine, not a religion of peace. The truth is that Islam is not a religion of peace. Over 90% of all the conflicts on this planet today involve Muslims fighting non-Muslims or each other! We should be very thankful that the majority of Muslims do not closely follow the teachings of the Quran.

Harsha and LGD, the things that I have found to be the "Real Deal" all focus on Jesus . . . The point of Christianity is the re-establishment of a "Father-child" relationship between the incomparable God who created our cosmos and us in spite of our ragamuffin nature. God is eternally, immutably, and intrinsically good and His character cannot tolerate our wrong doings. But He also will not "give up" on His creation and the role Jesus has is to "fix" the problem. This is why all of our worship, praise, devotion, energy, etc., all of what we are, has to be focused on Jesus Christ. This means that our primary interest is getting to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, to follow Him and to grow close to Him. He was neither lying nor insane when He told the religious establishment that He and God the Father were one (John 10:30) and that when you see Him, you see that Father (John 14:9). Paul makes it very clear in the first chapter of Romans that nature alone speaks loudly about God and that we have no excuse for substituting anything in His place. Why is it that Christians can confidently affirm their identity as God's children, members of His family? The short answer is that we have received the Spirit of sonship (Rom. 8:15). But if we continue to probe, we discover that this Spirit is none other than the Spirit who sets Jesus apart as God's Son by raising Him from the dead. Jesus' resurrection by the Spirit begins the re-creation of God's family. When we receive the Spirit of sonship, we are receiving the Spirit of Jesus, the resurrected Son of God and no other "religion" holds this promise.

Harsha You were making some interesting points, that I wanted to have an open discussion about but the second to last paragraph caused me to delete my notes. "Now, moving to Islam. Many muslims claim that this is a religion of peace. But when you notice in Mid East (Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, Libya etc) you have the same Muslims fighting and killing amongst themselves. How then can this be a religion of peace? " That is such a hateful and intolerant thing to say. Having what is going on over there because certain groups are misusing that belief system to justify their actions. The belief system itself is peaceful and I know many Muslims that have a peaceful mentality based off of their religious beliefs. I hope not eating meat is enough to follow the laws of karma to your advantage. Good day..

Hello Folks, At my current level of consciousness, I do not believe that all Religions lead to the same God. Each religion is at a certain level of consciousness and hence at their core, they may not even realise that they are completely doing the opposite of what the real GOD wants. I am a Krishna worshipper and hence worship to his idol everyday. I have read Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. In these 2 books, I got convinced beyond doubt that Krishna is the only God and he is the same person that Jesus referred to as Father. In that sense, I totally agree that Jesus is the son of GOD. As a Krishna follower, I totally understand that animals and humans are souls and I do not have the right to hurt or kill either of them. Hence, I do not eat meat, fish and eggs. Let's say I disregard this rule and start eating animal meat. This means, I will be affected by the laws of Karma and I will be reborn as a chicken or a Cow and should get slaughtered in the next life (this is the price I pay for eating meat in this life).In addition, the 2 books describe how Krishna looks like, where he resides and also what I should do in this current human life if I desire to go His abode (called Krishnaloka) Now, Christians believe that GOD has blessed them with everything on this Earth to enjoy and hence it is absolutely fine to kill an animal and eat it. How can GOD give 2 contradictory rules ? Hence, I firmly agree that Christians will end up in the path of repetitive Karma of birth and death and keep paying the price for killing innocent and helpless animals. Jesus said 'Thou shall not kill'. Doesn't this mean that you should not kill? If yes, how do you justify killing animals? Now, moving to Islam. Many muslims claim that this is a religion of peace. But when you notice in Mid East (Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, Libya etc) you have the same Muslims fighting and killing amongst themselves. How then can this be a religion of peace? They can claim that they have an upper hand compared to Christians because they eat animal meat but spare the pigs/swines. If 2 students have scored 7 and 10 marks respectively in Maths but the minimum passing mark is 15, both of them have failed. But, the other student thinks he is better off than the other because he has scored 10. This is how I would look at the followers of these 2 most widespread religions.

Hi Jamie, You are right one doesn't have to do works to prove faith.. thanks for the correction, because that is what I actually meant. Works is because of our faith, and helps us be aware of it. not to prove to God (because he knows) and not to prove to others (with the exception of setting an example). I don't want to go too much into other faiths and religion, because I am not trying to sway anyone that is strong in a particular faith, just want to point out that we as followers may not fully grasp what we receive, no matter how popular/unpopular it may be. I just want to point out what you mentioned. 1. Islam. in the 5 pillars first one must announce faith in God and it would make sense to acknowledge their prophet, but their is only one true God. Well Jesus and God are one and the same so there is a possibility that Islam isn't going down a wrong path. The rest of the 4 pillars are just rituals that help keep one's mind towards God.. The last part about "earning a BETTER CHANCE of entering Paradise" I am not sure if that is exactly what they mean, but as long as it's Allah's (God's ) will pretty much some it up. Christian's learn God's will through the scripture, Jesus(who is God), and prayer. The reason that God sent Jesus was to show that he has done what we have been falling short of doing. So Accepting God and understanding it is his will for our salvation. i wouldn't believe semantics would prevent that from happening. AS far as Buddhism detaching ourselves from worldly views and achieving Nirvana, (awareness of our relationship with "God") or enlightenment (opening our ears to God perhaps? ) the last comment " where we cease to exist as an individual" hmmm My wife is Buddhist and she is quite an individual :) however I am sure the Monks are pretty dedicated (as some extreme followers/teachers of Christ) not to say that is a bad thing. I just hope that you see the possibilities that people that who haven't quite found Jesus that if they are looking towards God they still maybe following how God intended or making mistakes the same way as ones that did find Jesus. We all know about Gravity.. but do we understand the science behind it? knowing or not knowing the laws of Gravity doesn't change the fact that "what goes up must come down" or what would happen if we take one more step at the end of a cliff. Gravity is still Gravity if we know it or not. LGD Romans 14

Hi LGD, I would rephrase your statement about works slightly; you wrote, "However our works are needed to show our faith or to truly see and be connected with God." It is not that our works are needed to show our faith but rather they will reveal our faith and our true connection with God. Paul wrote "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20) The message of Jesus is that humanity is separated from God because of our rebellious nature against God. Jesus' death on the cross paid the penalty for our sin against God, and through His resurrection we now have access to His Spirit living in us, guiding us so that our lives reflect His character. As we live by faith, looking to Jesus to lead and guide the decisions we make in life, our thoughts, attitudes, and actions are shaped into His perfect character. Our focus is not on doing good works, because they naturally happen through His leading and guiding us. So I don't need to do good works to prove that I am follower of Jesus, but rather as I follow Jesus I do good works. That is one of the central differences between faith in Jesus and all other religions and world views. In Islam there are the 5 Pillars: Faith in the oneness of God and Muhammad His prophet, Prayer according to the rituals laid out in the Quran, Charity towards the poor, Fasting in the proper ways described in the Quran, and Pilgrimage to Mecca. As a person follows the 5 Pillars they earn a better chance of entering Paradise as long as Allah wills it. The emphasis is one what a person does to pay the penalty for their sins and earns Allah's favour. In Buddhism, we are all trapped in the eternal cycle of death and rebirth because of our desire. In order to escape from that never-ending cycle we must detach ourselves from desire and achieve Nirvana, the point where we cease to exist as an individual. You will note that it is all about what a person does to attain a level of enlightenment. I could go on through other religions a that have rituals, moral codes, or levels of enlightenment through which a human can fix whatever is broken with their nature and be set free. Jesus' message is uniquely different from all others because Jesus said, "Apart from Me you can do nothing"(John 15:5) Instead of humans do something to reach up to God (however they might define God), God reaches down to humanity and rescues us from ourselves. He purifies us so that we live out the purpose for which He created us. We are just called to trust that He will do it, and that He will lead us to follow His plan. That is a message that is incompatible with all other religions, which deny that we need God to rescue us--we can/must rescue ourselves.

Jamie, thank you for your thorough reply, and Picaso :) I do believe what Jesus is saying, but I don't fully accept your comment about that. Yes there are warped worldviews of who God is, but it is hard to believe that many people's interpretation of Jesus's words to have the corner market of the view of God. If we take Jesus "being the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to God the Father, except by me" we can look at it as being by the grace of God that we are saved. It is exemplified by Jesus. Also, if we accept this we will be guided by the gift of the Holy Spirit that will be inside us. So Jesus and God are the same (bible verse quotes inserted) Our works do not accomplish this. However our works are needed to show our faith or to truly see and be connected with God. ( Again bible verse quotes inserted, because I am sure that you are aware of references to this). Now with that being said.. If we look to God, but do not know the record of Jesus (who is God in the flesh), however no it doesn't matter what we do it doesn't change the fact as to what he has done. It is also possible that no matter what terminology we use that we know it isn't us in control that we still fall under that umbrella if we are in the mindset of the same concept? So what about the works? We have to understand inside or out side the Jesus teachings, that our works are towards keeping our mind away from worldly views and look inside for that outward connection(this being the Holy spirit, God talking to us, or linking outwardly to what we don't physically see or can't be simply explained by reading text and blindly accepting it. My point is not to steer you nor anyone else away from what you believe with the exception of rethinking the who "Jesus's way or the highway" mentality. I believe this analogy of the elephant and the blind men displays that. It is one thing to hold true to your belief and congregate with like believers. Also understandable for wanting to share that to ones that are not going down a path of outwardly thinking. The bible states that we must be weary of false faith, but doesn't necessarily state that you must follow the literal context of any writing. I hope I expressed my point properly, it is hard to provide an abridged explanation of a topic that I literally could talk hours about. LGD

The more I looked into the analogy,, I realize that this article misleads and doesn't seem to be a proper interpretation of the story. "Do all religions lead to the Same God?" Who knows. The story is stating the each observation of the blind men is true but subjective, it may not be the totality of the truth. they are limited by failing to account for the other observed "truths". the blind men needed to communicate and respect each different perspective. Is Jesus the "fifth man"? Well this could go a couple of ways Since the "major religions" have different views, this would seem to imply that Christianity and Jesus would be one of the blind men's observation. That what Jesus says is true but limited by not describing the whole truth. Of course this wouldn't be accepted nor a popular opinion for Christians.. Note that this would be the same if we said that for Islam and Allah, or any specific religion and their doctrine…. that each perspective view would not accept this opinion towards their beliefs and that they represent one of the blind men's observation as well. Of course who knows? The other way could be that maybe each religion is the whole truth but our observations are represented by the blind men? Maybe us a humans are missing the point that the truth is being described totally across the religions but we pick an choose the truth based of our limited observation? or it could be some sort a combination of both? To write about the story of the blind men and elephant and conclude that the author's view that Jesus is the "fifth man" is not solving the "riddle" of the story but proving the point of the story.

The way I see the analogy of the elephant and the four blind men is that they don't have enough information to make a firm stance on what the truth is. It also leads to show that each discription is left to question, if they don't know it's an elephant, how can they know for sure that it is a wall, snake, or rope? The elephant is an elephant no matter how the four men concluded it to be. I would draw from this story that we as humans shouldn't be so quick to "blindly" accept a confirmation and continue to be open on this quest. As far as the hypothetical fifth man who can see, that would change the analogy by making it longer. 1) blind men would have to take this mans word for it. 2) and/or the blind men would have to feel the other parts of the elephant that each other touched Then it leads us as the outsiders to either hold firm to one of the first four conclusions or that the fifth person was right. I guess it boils down to first person view. And unfortunately all religious doctrine isn't first person view to the readers. For those that have experienced it personally first person view is lost once the experienced has been passed on. *i will pause for now and come back at a later time*

to tom thanks for the clarification-- sharon

Sharon— Just to clarify a bit: Satan was originally Lucifer the angel, the most powerful of all the angels. When Lucifer rebelled against God, he was send to earth along with 1/3 of all the angels (because they followed Lucifer.) Satan and his followers are, for a time, in great control of the earth. He's even referred to as the god of the world; but his power is limited by God. God's word tells us that there are no good people. We have sinned and disobeyed God. There is not a single righteous person on earth. According to human standards, there are "good" and "bad" people, but in God's eyes, we all come short of his perfection. Yes, Christ died for our sins. If we believe in him and trust him to save us from our sins, he will do so. It is only after we are saved that any of our "works" can be counted in our favor, and then only what we do for Christ will count as rewards in heaven.

Sajid– Thanks for joining the conversation Sajid. All views are welcome. Let me ask you some questions: 1) Since the Quran says that Jesus is a pr0phet of God, can we believe everything Jesus said? In other words, can a pr0phet of God ever lie? 2) Since Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me," isn't Jesus Christ the only way to heaven? 3) Since the God of the Bible has very different attributes than Allah of the Quran, how can they both be God? 4) Since Mohammed taught things contrary to what Jesus taught, how can they both be pr0phets of God?

to Sajid-- good comment I am not sure God created the devil the devil was first an angel in heaven the devil wanted to be like God and usurp God authority so God sent the angel down to Hell. its Adams's sin originally then JESUS died to set us free and to but to be good humans yes good humans knowing what God wants from and to live for HIM we can't be just good humans and go to heaven we have to love and obey HIM and serve God by serving others like the homeless and others less fortunate and to give to charity so they can serve people over seas if we can't and to tell the good news of God. sharon

Peace be upon all of us God can only be ONE his attributes are beyond human comprehension. Let us consider all the three Abrahamic faiths Jews christians and muslims believe. The Torah Bible and Quran all are speaking of the same commandments through different prophets at different times. All of them have the worship of submission. The difference is the way we submit. The Jews and Christians believe the prophets to be their God whereas muslims believe in Moses Jesus and all the biblical prophets without attributing the pedestal of God which is reserved only to the One they call GOD which in Arabic is called Allah. Logically speaking the dispute is within us in understanding the truth. Many times I wonder why God gave different revealations instead of just ONE and this could have stopped the divisions. Now who is wise we or the Almighty God. So buddies stop being the judge. Let the creator deal with the conflict of thought. Let us be a good human being understanding basically that God is one and that we are all Adam's children whether we are non believers ,jews, christians, or muslims. Let us first of all understand that God in his wisdom has also created Devil who wants us to fight each other and not embrace. Why did God create the devil? . We will be answered when we get to him. So till then let us live us brothers in humanity and bring peace and not war. God bless all

David-- I have a question for you..... Since the word Sabbath means "seventh," and since the Sabbath was God's reference to taking every seventh day as a day of rest and reflection, what difference does it make to God whether that day is Saturday, Sunday, or Tuesday? We have no way of knowing on which day God finished his creative work, and I believe Saturday was simply a day that the Hebrews chose as the seventh day of the week. Doesn't Jesus make it clear that God is a respecter of the heart of a person? Doesn't God's grace overcome the letter of the law?

Kermit-- I'm not sure I understand each of your comments, but it seems you believe all gods are the same. Let me ask you--If you say 2 plus 2 equals 4, and I say 2 plus 2 equals 5, can we both be right? Of course not. Either both of us are wrong or only one of us is right. This is called the Law of Contradiction. Now consider that man's view of the different gods they believe in are all different views. Each one of the gods has different attributes, and no two of them are the same. Can all of the gods be the same? The Law of Contradiction would say no, because they are all different. Therefore, either all gods are not true, or only one god can be the true god. I believe that the God of the Bible is the one true God because he has revealed himself through his Word and through creation and through our consciences. What do you think?

all them gods are the same ! Just study they are not good guys and why god got to look like us! You guys don't read.

David-- While we can't go wrong in keeping the Ten Commandments, do you think it is necessary to do so in order to be saved? Is it necessary to perfectly keep all the Ten Commandments? If so, then where does God's grace to save come in?

We all do not worship the same God, My God is the God of creation, he gave the ten commandments, sent his son to die for my sins, and will be returning a second time to bring me home to heaven. This God may sound like a lot of other religions God, but my lord has asked me to keep the ten commandment, " if you love me keep my commandments" This includes the fourth commandment. The seventh day is the Sabbath, of the Lord, my God. He is Lord of the Sabbath, and I keep this time holy to worship Him as a sign between His children and God. The third angels message, tells of a time that by not keeping the Sabbath, but satans counterfeit "Sunday" they will be marked, against God. Revelation 12:17 states that Satan is after Gods people, those that keep the commandments. All TEN. I had someone just recently tell me that everyone is keeping Sunday they must be right. The way and gate is narrow my friend, that leads to the Lord, and few find it. The broad path, (majority rules) is wrong. I'll pray for you.

HI asb, thanks for sharing your ideas about God here. I would suggest that one thing that all religions agree on is that there is a broken relationship between God and humanity. Even your recommendation to 'just be' insinuates that people are not connecting properly to God and need to change in order to discover the reality of God inside. The source of that broken relationship is humanity because we need to make the change in order to restore that relationship. If we are the source of the problem how can we depend on our senses to accurately discover God? That's where I see the message of Jesus as fundamentally different from every other understanding of God and humanity: God did not leave it to humanity to discover Him, but instead He revealed Himself throughout human history, culminating in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "If you have seen Me, you have seen God the Father." (John 14:9) Not only has God revealed Himself but He is also the one who heals the broken relationship with humanity. How could we, who are the source of the brokenness, heal the brokenness? Instead, God sacrifices Himself so that we can be reconciled to Him. All other paths to healing the brokenness between humanity and God depends on humans fixing themselves through ritual, moral purity, or enlightenment. Alternatively, Jesus is the path: we are reconciled to Him by putting our faith in what He has done on our behalf. The path you recommend involves putting aside all concept, belief and ideas so that you can see the meaning of God inside. How can you trust that your senses accurately behold God when your senses are the source of the brokenness with God in the first place? Are not ideas, beliefs and concepts derived from our senses?

The way I see it is very simple. In essence all religions do in fact point to the truth.. just in different ways based on different cultures and interpretations. The problem is that the "concept" of god has become so distorted in modern society "through" the concept of religion itself as an entity that as soon as the word god is mentioned there is an instant mental image attached to it. Now to quote, you say "If God is infinite and we are finite, it is reasonable to believe that none of us can fully capture His nature." In the words above you say "his nature" meaning that god is a he. Im not saying you are wrong to say this i am just illustrating societal conditioning around the image the word god brings up. In fact looking at this whole statement again just shows how religion has struggled to capture or rather not even struggled, more so a creation of separation has happened somewhere along the line of "if (god) is infinite then (we) are finite" meaning this concept of god has been put on a pedestal and keeps the concept of "us" as "persons" or "humans" which are also concepts, separate. You also say "it is reasonable to believe" this also shows how the concept of god has lead to a "belief" about god being a "him" which is also a concept. Drop all concepts and beliefs and ideas and what is left? Nothing. Even the word nothing is a concept. Just be. then you will see the meaning of god inside for yourself.

Thanks for sharing your ideas here M.J. Keegan. It is always good to interact with different ideas to see how they hold up under scrutiny. It would seem that the gods to which you refer were shortsighted by entrusting their message to fallible humans who would lose the certainty of their message over time, and then leaving them without anyway to verify their message, therefore dooming humanity to an existence of ignorance with no hope of ever getting to the true message that was given to our ancestors. That shortsightedness makes me question their wisdom and their worthiness to be called 'god'. Doesn't it make more sense that if a god was interested enough to give a message to our ancestors that was of value to our relationship with our Creator, our world, our neighbours, and ourselves, the this god would involve himself in our existence to carry that message of truth forward? I am also a little confused of your statement that abstract ideas are subject to infinite interpretations. There are many abstract concepts that are well grounded in truth. Just because there may be an infinite possibility of interpretations does not diminish the existence of a true interpretation. Math, for example, is pursuit of abstract ideas; when a teacher gives a math test she may receive as many different answers as there are students in the class, but that does not change the reality that there is one correct answer, and that her interpretation of the answer is the correct one. In this elephantine analogy, God is the elephant and wants to be known by the blind men. What better way to make himself known then to become one of us and describe Himself to us. There need not be any confusion about His nature because instead of depending on the interpretation of blind men, we can hear from 'the elephants own mouth' who He is and what He is like. If our knowing God was important to Him and essential for us, it makes sense to me that God would not abandon us to the fallible interpretations of fallible men but would actively participate in every level of our search for Him. So the question then becomes, why are there so many different religions with different ideas? The Bible says that it is because humanity does not want to submit to the authority of God and so ignore His revelation of the truth. Instead we create our own truth that satisfies our desire to be independent of God. It seems to me, that fits what we see in our world today very well.

This analogy is wonderful, but referring to Christ as the 5th observer who understands the entire truth is irrational and cannot be deduced. His understanding of the elephant is relative to his own interpretation. An elephant is a concrete object whereas religion is abstract. Religion's abstract nature opens the realm of infinite interpretations. The "elephant" has become the plethora of religions we observe today as a direct result of these uncountable interpretations throughout history. How do we know which correlates to true religion? My opinion is that over time these religious ideas diverged from a common source and through the passing on of an ideology through customs and word of mouth skewed and branched into the diversity of world religions we observe today. If my theory is correct, as we move backwards in time we will find more and more consistencies until finally they are merged. Also, it is important to point out that religious ideology has not become more exact over time, but oppositely, it has become very abstract with little to no proof of each religions true nature. Followers cannot achieve exact answers to religious questions because our leaders today cannot provide the original interpretations of the religion's founder. All we have are the subsequent interpretations collectively throughout time. For example when we pass things on by word of mouth certain details can be lost or translated incorrectly. The search for a religions truest doctrine comes before this divergence occurs, at it's inception. Therefore, in order for us to find the truest interpretation of any religion is to examine the earliest interpretations or those of it's founder. In my opinion, Christianity is just another interpretation of Jewish doctrine that has branched into it's own ideology. Why do many religions branch off into New religions that base it's tenets and ideology on the parent religion's? This is directly related to how followers interpret the ideals and scripture. I believe religion first arose as man's quest to understand where we came from. Ancient religion's share many common creation stories and motifs. For example, many ancient religion's attribute their very culture(language and customs) as a gift from the God's. The interpretation of this has also skewed over time. Often we translate this as indirect in nature, that God created man's potential to learn and discover. I believe our earliest ancestors were taught directly. It is also logical to believe that the first people knew certain things because they experienced them first hand. I believe the first people who experienced this transfer of ideas also realised a spiritual epiphany. The world was much more vast than their previously held interpretation of the world they live in. However, this knowledge now unlocked a new door of mystery that asked the question. Why? I believe as time passed on from this point in history, more and more interpretations were passed on to New generations of people. This process deviated religion over time thus diversifying and losing it's original message. Originally, religion began as a quest to understand why the gods taught us what they did and how this intertwined us with them. We may never know these answers because the gods no longer exist in our world. The subsequent interpretations over time have created doubt to whether or not they actually, physically existed. I believe that if we could ask our ancestors, they would be much more certain. The complex ideologies of religions and the personification of deities seems like a lot to believe for someone from antiquity based on solely interpretations passed down. I strongly believe that in order for a religion to take root and flourish it must be widely accepted that something profound and concrete happened in the past. In the generations that followed the actual witnesses, the interpretations became more and more abstract. These people had little concrete evidence to go on, and over time questioned it's doctrine. Some claimed divinity in order to separate themselves as true interpreters of religion, while others added and removed pieces to make their own. It is logical to induce that religion will continue to diversify and become more abstract, until we collectively agree that somewhere along the way someone mistakenly identified the elephant as something it isn't.

Im going to say something nice before I tell you your wrong for not thinking like me, then provide a snazzy quote from a mammoth book so I sound smart. I believe it so should you and I can't let you be right because I will lose my faith.

Krishna & Sai, Thank you for asking. No all the religions lead to the same God. Religion/s are man made. There is only one true living God. That is Jesus Christ. Religion cannot take you and me anywhere but the relation can- relation with Jesus Christ. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

You've just disproved Christianity's claim regarding Jesus. By saying that Jesus claimed to be a fifth man, you are clearly indicating he is NOT the elephant. The analogy is actually used to show something that Christians struggle to understand. We are all affected by our perspective of the truth. We are unable to comprehend God because we lack the faculty as the for men who are blind. But in forcing that understanding (father son spirit), you will misrepresent the truth entirely. But this is still the same God. And that's why Muslims have used this analogy to explain our theology.

HI Alora, I appreciate your peace-maker heart. Your desire that we all see value in our commonality and uniqueness reflects the heart of God. God has created us all to reflect His likeness and because He is limitless, there is great diversity within the unity of His nature. I am sure that you would agree though, that in the vastness of the nature of God, there are things that He is not. Have you observed any religious practices/traditions that do not match with the character of God? I am sure you are familiar with some of the religious practices of the nations in which the Old Testament people lived amongst. There were the fertility rituals of Baal and Asherah which included ritual prostitution. The worship of Molech, the god of fire, included child sacrifices. The Bible records God's abhorrence of those practices and of the religious systems where those were prevalent. I am sure that you would agree those religious practices were misdirected, and, in the case of the child sacrifice, evidence of an evil system. If we were to look at other religious practices we could find other rituals and teachings that we could identify as not reflecting the character of God at all. So would you say that all religions have a lot of things right, but a little bit wrong? What would you suggest are the essentials that are consistent in all religions that truly help us connect with God?

Hi, I'm Alora. I was raised southern baptist. I've reviewed the comments above and must say, it breaks my heart to see such closed mindedness. As I've gotten older, I feel like the only way to believe, is to believe that we are all talking talking to the same God. That an undying faith in "the creator" will see us all through. Its a true tragedy that we argue over who is right and who is wrong. I believe that points from each religion are exactly the same (in so many words) . Everyone wants to stand around arguing about who is right, when all that is doing is bringing in negative vibes, the devil, an all consuming evil. God said to love on another, and its hard to love one another when you're apposing everything the other person says. Throughout history, the main evils were radicals. Whether that be Muslim, Christian, Hindu, etc.; They were all RADICALS, so close minded that if you didn't believe like them then you deserved to be damned. I think the God is sending us a sign here people. "Live in peace and harmony, and the creator will shine on you." That's what's wrong with our world, someone had to be right. When in all actuality, we are probably all correct and we're pushing each other away by arguing.

kittycat....thanks for your post....from my perspective as a Christian if you permit me, i think its best not to think in terms of christianity being exclusive but rather to think in terms of God being one and the father of us all, designing us with his plan in mind and simply saying yes to it. the fact that Adam and eve sinned and fell out of his presence didnt mean that God gave up on us but rather spent lavishly upon us by sacrificing his own son on our behalf which can speak of nothing but love for us. in fact Acts 3 in the new testament says that God sent jesus to bless us, not to condemn us or harm us. so much war and conflict has been created over the concept of relgion. Jesús grieves as that continues today. i would suggest that you simply ask jesus to show himself to you. i know he will if you are truly honest about seeking the truth. Sincé jesus is the truth, it wont be long until you and he cross paths. blessings to you!

Hi So I honestly don't know what I think, religion-wise... but I know that Christianity's exclusivity really bothers me. I've heard the argument that every group is in some way exclusive, but I just wish people could get along and at least accept others for who they are, no matter their beliefs- religious or otherwise. I've also heard the argument that we don't need to decide- we just need to decide whether we think the Resurrection happened or not, and then either have to accept the rest or not. I personally think it's far-fetched because I think the Bible is not entirely accurate (due to its age, time between supposed events and "publication", authors, relaying memories a long time after events, supposed quoting of Jesus, who never wrote anything down). Also, why doesn't God give a foolproof argument for him? In every so-called proof, there's a loophole... And if He is planning on renewing the world, then why hasn't he done so yet? Unless it has and we just haven't realized yet... haha. And how do evolution and the big bang work out with the Bible's teaching? On the flipside, if I'm to accept atheism, then where does good and "evil" come from? Is it innate? Do we copy it as children from those around us?? (This is a question for a non-Christian to answer). I think that's all I can think of. For now. Thanks!

Hello Jamie, I would like to respond to your question made to Jaime a few years ago. What if God, as read from the old testament, is simply an envoy of the impersonal force that Buddhism teaches of. What if our arrival to Heaven is also the joining of the impersonal force. What I like about the blind men analogy is that it shows how we cannot completely perceive God for what he/it is. Also, the points in the article made to dismiss the analogy have absolutely no authority. In fact the third, "most important", point actually lends strength to the concept of all religions leading to the same god. You see, the fifth man with sight actually verifies the existence of what the other four have experienced, he just elaborates more as to the qualities of the god/elephant. A fitting analogy to show that all religions do not lead to the same god would be one in where some, if not all, of the blind men never at all come into contact with the elephant/god before the fifth with sight arrives. Also, never forget that man is fallible as taught in the Bible. To go further, the Bible itself is the work of men; so feel free to pick from it as you, yourself, see fit. To go even further, if you choose to believe Corinthians, then do not forget that "Satan disguises himself as an angel of light"

C M-- You indicate that you only believe what your senses reveal to you. That would make you a naturalist. Is that correct?

What does one tell a True Believer?To blindly accept what has been told, The Word, is the act of a fool.Following a doctrine based on Eyewitnesses and Fantastic Stories??My reality Is before me, not in some religion.

mary f....the problem with that idea is that we have all broken the law and therefore need forgiveness. romans 3. therefore we all need to receive the only perfect sacrifice made on our behalf sent to us by God the father, his son jesus christ. praying that you receive jesus today as your personal lord and savior. romans 10.9 to 10. for more information on how to log onto knowingjesuspersonally.com or click talk to a mentor above. blessings!