Are all religions worshiping the same God?

November 17, 2006

The registered opinion of 4 of every 10 Americans is: “When Christians, Jews, Buddhist, and others pray to their gods, all of those individuals are actually praying to the same god, but simply using different names for that deity “

The Baha’i’s faith claims that in reality there is only one religion, the religion of god. This one religion is continually evolving and each particular religious system represents a stages in the evolution of the whole.

An old Indian tale goes as follows: It is said that once upon a time a king gathered a few men who were born blind. They were asked to describe an elephant, but each one was presented with only a certain part of it. To one was presented the head of the elephant, to another the trunk, to another its ears, to another the leg, the body, the tail, tuft of the tail, etc. The one who was presented with the head said: "The elephant is like a pot!" The one who was presented the trunk answered, "The elephant is like a hose." The one who touched only the ears thought that the elephant was a fan, the others said that it was a pillar, a wall, a rope, a brush, etc. Then they quarrelled among themselves, each thinking that he was the only one right and the others were wrong. The obvious truth is that the elephant is a unity of many parts, a unity that they could not grasp in their ignorance.

According to the pattern suggested by this tale, it is often said that world religions form a unity, and only this unity provides the right perspective on ultimate truth.

A similar trend is encouraged by the suggestion to consider the various world religions as alternative paths to the same transcendental finality or, using a known illustration, many paths to the same mountain peak.

Now I know this topic is a bit of the line from the general topics being posted on this site, but I thought it might make interesting reading. :stretcher:

November 17, 2006

Interesting read - thanks bokklong

November 19, 2006

Some religions worship the same god (e.g. the "Abrahamic" religions that are Judaism, christianity and islam) while others are somewhat different.

It is for each and every one of us to find our own "god".

A number of years ago, I wondered what I would have grown up believing if I were a Chinaman born in the middle of China, or an Arab in the middle of Saudi Arabia or an Indian born in Calcutta.

In all probability, I'd have been somewhere between a Buddhist praying five times a day in front of Krishna.

So . . . . who is "God"?

Is there a "God"?

What nature does he / she take?

I've had to work thro' the question and come up with an answer that gave meaning to my life . . . . if there is any meaning to life? :ilikeit:

November 20, 2006

This is a very "heavy" topic and one that I have struggled with lots of times throughout my life. I think at the end it is a personal decision and nobody will be able to "persuade" you what you should or should not believe. Coming to Sydney was definitly an eye opener to me, where in South Africa it is more of a "closed community" and most people claim to be christians. Luckily I have been "down this road" of doubt before and have come to the conclusion that it's just a sense of "knowing" there is a God and that He is a loving almighty God. I think life would just be too hard to believe in "nothing".

I have just finished reading two books of Gordon Livingston "Never stop dancing" and "Too soon old, too late smart". It's basically essays about things he learned throughout life, but one thing that made me think was the fact that he decided that there is no God. He lost two sons one from leukemia and one that commit suicide. His philosophy is that if there was a God he would not allow children to suffer in such a way. So this brings me to a new question: Why is there suffering and if you do believe in God why is he allowing this? And PLEASE don't give me answers like: "Oh, God needed a beautifull flower for His garden in Heaven."!!!! :ilikeit:

About your question to what is the meaning to life.....I'm still wondering about this one. Have heard many "good" answers, but not one that I fully accept as the truth (for me). Some answers that I have considered is: "We are here to acquire wisdom and knowledge", "We are here to learn more about love and how to live by the principal of love", "what will matter at the end is the things you did for others with a loving heart and not things you have done because you felt you had to". Now, I know some of this might sound a bit "new age", but you can base it on christian principals.

I really love talking about the deeper meaning of life and would love to hear all the different views everybody has. :hug:

Edited November 20, 2006 by Poeksie

November 20, 2006

This is a very "heavy" topic and one that I have struggled with lots of times throughout my life. I think at the end it is a personal decision and nobody will be able to "persuade" you what you should or should not believe.
About your question to what is the meaning to life.....I'm still wondering about this one.

I agree each one of us has to make that decision for him/herself, whether or not God exists and whether all religions believe in the same God or not. As a Christian, I believe the only way to God is through His Son, Jesus Christ. Doing good deeds alone but not accepting Jesus Christ as your Saviour, will get you nowhere. But this is my personal belief.

As for the meaning of life, the answer may be found in Rick Warren's book, Purpose Driven Life, I am sure most people have heard about it. Also look at the South African and Australian versions.

November 20, 2006

Poeksie,

I came to a personal crossroad in my life a few years back, where I had to say to myself . . "am I just going thro' the motions each Sunday if I saunter off to church?" "What if there is no God?"

There's no way that you can prove the existence of a God.

No sense of seeing, hearing, etc will get in touch with God.

There's no meter that can measure spiritual beings, unlike electricity, etc.

I began to believe that there may be no reason to existence . . . that all is just a series of random happenings.

If all of the universe, as we know it, is just random, then there isn't much, if any, purpose let alone any meaning to what ever we do. It doesn't matter if people are raped, murdered, mutilated, if we destroy this world or if a meteorite crashes into Earth and all life gets wiped out. It is all random and we just have to accept the consequences of anything that happens in our lifetimes as "fate".

Life has NO meaning. If I weren't here, it wouldn't matter a damn.

You can see the hopelessness of that outlook.

No wonder I became depressed, as so many other people around the world are. Lives are not worth living and death is the only real escape, so . . . . let's eat, drink and be merry because tomorrow we die! . . . . . and when we're dead, that's it!

I can tell you that Teacher's Scotch goes a long way to making Life merry in times like that, but is Life really the bottom of a bottle?

If you look up at the stars, as I am apt to do often, you have to be amazed at the vastness of it all . . . . . that universes that no longer exist are still transmitting their light to reach us on planet Earth . . . . . even atomic gravity has to be such that the particles don't fall in nor fly apart and are measured at 7 . . . not 6 where they would fly apart nor 8 where it would collapse.

There seems to be a definite order to things beneath the underlying surface and to suggest that it's "random" is just too much co-incidence.

It is easier to believe that pigs can fly than to believe that all is just random . . . just chance.

If I can believe that this world was simply a series of random happenings, than why can't I believe that pigs can fly, which is easier to do in reality???

So . . . maybe, just maybe . . . there is an Intelligence that has 'designed" all this and has a purpose for this Creation.

If that is the case, wouldn't it behove us to try to "understand" or have a relationship with this super Intelligence??

What if this "Intelligence" has a personality?? You and I have personalities.

What if jealousy, hatred, love, patience, long suffering, etc. were all part of the make-up of this personality???

What if there was a longing to relate with us?? We relate and hurt for our kids, so what is so improbable about this Intelligence hurting for us too, just as our mum and dad did for us??

November 22, 2006

If you look up at the stars, as I am apt to do often, you have to be amazed at the vastness of it all . . . . . that universes that no longer exist are still transmitting their light to reach us on planet Earth . . . . . even atomic gravity has to be such that the particles don't fall in nor fly apart and are measured at 7 . . . not 6 where they would fly apart nor 8 where it would collapse.
There seems to be a definite order to things beneath the underlying surface and to suggest that it's "random" is just too much co-incidence.
It is easier to believe that pigs can fly than to believe that all is just random . . . just chance.
If I can believe that this world was simply a series of random happenings, than why can't I believe that pigs can fly, which is easier to do in reality???

Think of it this way. Maybe the universe we are in is one of a very large number of universes. The vast majority would not contain live because they have the wrong gravitational constant or the wrong this constant or that constant. But as the number of universes climbs, the odds mount that a tiny minority of universes will have the right fine-tuning. Have you ever heard of the saying "One in a million " Well maybe we are that one in a million.

The argument for God’s existence from the physical world was the so-called argument from design: Living things are so beautiful and so purposeful, they could only have been made by a intelligent designer. But scientist provided a simpler explanation. Their way is a gradual, incremental improvement starting from very simple beginnings and working up step by tiny incremental step to more complexity, more adaptive perfection. And when you add them up over millions of years , you get what we have today, purposeful living things. So what I thinkis important to remember is to never assume that because something is complicated, God must have done it. TIME is something that we have know idea about.

This isn’t my final view on live and creation, but just me being very open-minded.

November 22, 2006

Regarding the argument for God’s existence, this is probably a good time to revisit Pascal's Wager, which is an attempt to justify belief in God not with an appeal to evidence for his existence but rather with an appeal to self-interest.

Then there is the Christian apologist C.S. Lewis, whose most famous apologetic work, Mere Christianity, explores the fundamentals of Christian faith - what do Christians believe, and why?

In the end I guess each one of us has to find the answer for ourselves, as to God's existence and whether all religions are worshipping the same God or not. But the great thing is that God gave us freedom of choice in all things. The prophet Elijah said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." [1 Kings 18:21]. As simple as that.

November 23, 2006

I cannot argue with you Bokklong.

"Time" may have played an instrumental part in the makings of Life as we know it.

At the end of the day, there are arguments for and against the existence of a "God".

If it were proven. . . . could be measured or counted, etc. . . . there would be no purpose in "faith" (coming from the Latin word "fides" = trust)

We would "know"

However, God requires our trust in Him . . . our "faith" . . . because all lasting relationaships must have trust or it will not last.

I "trust" my wife, therefore I am still married to her after many years.

Without the trust, there would be no relationship . . . or not much of one!

In that measure we have a belief in a God who is elusive, not being blatant enough to take our "faith" away, yet still requires a relationship with us, because we are made by Him and he loves us.

Christianity is a "faith" religion . . . not able to be proven nor disproven. We can reject the teachings or accept them.

We have choice. We choose either to 'believe' in a loving, personal God or not.

. . . . . but the "not" is a pretty hopeless choice, having no purpose nor meaning to Life.

The majority of Aussies choose the "not". . . . and, at the end of the day, if you ask them, their lives are without any purpose and even less meaning!

Edited November 23, 2006 by Bob

November 24, 2006

Hi All,

I had to reply to this as it is a topic too close to my heart...and that is the heart of the matter for me. I am not just flesh and bone ( muscles and tissue and fluid) I have a SPIRIT and if anyone stops to think about it long enough they will realise that, YES they do have a SPIRIT too. GOD is SPIRIT and we have a RELATIONSHIP with HIM when we choose to SPIRIT TO SPIRIT. God is a person I know and as real as my husband or children. The ony difference is that we relate spirit to spirit while I live in my physical body, which we all know doesn't last for ever. Our spirits on the other hand, do last.

If anyone doubts the existence of God, I challenge you to take a risk and ask Him, 'God are You there? Are you real? Show yourself to me!' Let Him operate in your life, if you dare!

Love Bliks!!!

November 30, 2006

In today's Sydney Morning Herald:

Souls are not shaken, just stirred

"Migration and conversion have changed Australia's religious profile....The near future promises to bring more, not less, religious life, greater diversity and increased challenges to policy makers."

March 12, 2007

Shoe Bokklong you have asked a deep religious question that cannot be answered in short. For centuries humankind have argued about this topic. Wars have been fought for this very reason and many people died as a result. It is something that will not be resolved on this forum. I would love to answer you in detail but I also know that my answers would probably be removed as soon as it is posted as it would fuel a very controversial issue. However as a Christian I will say with conviction that there is only one true god; the three trinity God -God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the God of Yahweh (YHWH). Although YHWH can be traced back to Abraham giving connections to Judaism and Islam we as Christians believe that no one will inherit the kingdom of God but through Jesus Christ.

I am sorry to say but I am deeply disturbed by Springbok’s misapplication of 1 Kings 18:21. As a Christian myself, I believe it is my duty to respond to this.

Okay so let us consider the context in which the profit Elijah said “If the Lord is God follow him; but if Baal is God follow him”.

Shortly after the death of Solomon, the united kingdom of Israel came to an end. Most of the tribes broke away from the Davidic dynasty and formed a separate entity known as the Northern Kingdom. The biblical narrative characterizes all the Kings who ruled in the north as having done what is evil in the eyes of the Lord. During its history, God sent various prophets to challenge the nation. It was during the rule of Ahab that the prophet Elijah was sent to challenge the nation. Ahab ruled 874-853 BCE.

Ahab was weak in character, a man who tend to blame others for his own shortcomings and who was dominated by his wife, Jezebel. We read about Ahab and Jezebel in 1 Kings 16. Ahab is just introduced in 1 Kings, when we read that Elijah confronted him. Read 1 Kings 16:29-34 and 1 Kings 20:1-22:53.

The prophet declared that there would be no rain until he said so and then disappeared.

Israel (now the name given to the Northern Kingdom) depended on rain for agricultural success, so no rain meant famine.

The declaration also set up a direct confrontation with Ahab’s new deities, which were fertility gods taken from the Amorites who settled in Canaan around the time of Abraham.

Anyway, Elijah was gone for three years, after which he returned with a challenge: YHWH versus the gods of the Canaanites (i.e. Ba’al). The challenge was to see which god would answer prayer, and more specifically, send fire from heaven to burn a sacrifice. It was here that Elijah made the comment of “How long will you waiver between two options? If the Lord is God, follow him but if Baal is God, follow him”.

Do not read this verse in seclusion for it is important to know what happened next. - The 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah prayed and used every trick they knew to get their gods to answer. After an entire day of futility, it was Elijah’s turn. After soaking his sacrifice with water he gave a short prayer and God set the sacrifice on fire. Following YHWH’s victory, Elijah had the people kill the false prophets. Then Elijah prayed again, and it rained.

You see, Elijah’s quote is not to be interpreted as God’s blessing or tolerance for us to worship other gods. On the contrary, it was uttered as a challenge to show Ahab and the people of Israel that there is no other God beside YHWH.

In response to what seems the general consensus here and which is a manifestation of post-modernism theology; that God gave us the option of choosing whatever religion is good to us, I say no! God did not give us the option to choose for he gave us an ORDER to follow him through Jesus Christ. I can give you many scriptures where this is supported in the Bible. That would be a topic on its own. However, it is imperative that we realize that although God is a God of Love and Faithfulness, he also a “jealous God”. For it is written in Exodus 20:5 “You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the sins of the fathers for the third and fourth generation of those who hate me”.

It is within this realization that we as Christians have an urgency to spread the Gospel so that ALL people may be saved and thereby become descendants of Abraham and beneficiaries to the eternal blessing of God. It is within this context that we as Christians have an obligation and urgency to do missionary work.

All Glory to the Lord, God Almighty!

March 16, 2007

Hi Sparrow

Thanks for explaining the context of the quote. God sent his Son to die for us so that we could be make right with Him through His death (the sins of the whole world were placed upon him on the cross and He suffered the consequence of separation from God the Father on our behalf), when he died he went and preached to the people in hell and on the third day he rose again from the dead. because He was completely pure and sinless and the fact that He is God He could not be held by the penalty of death ("the wages of sin is death") and God raised Him from the Dead. he did not disobey God as man had.

Now, death was the penalty God told Adam and Eve they would pay if they chose to rebel against His authority and go their own way. And we all know what happened the serpent (devil) deceived the woman and we as their decendants all will surely face physical death (and spiritual eternal death in hell for those who reject God's plan of salvation which was to buy us back from the slavery to sin we as a race entered into the minute adam and eve turned their backs on God) Hence all the suffering in the world today is a result of sin.

The bible says that Jesus's face was "marred more than any many" he was whipped with a cat of nine tails, and nailed cruelly to a wooden cross - he suffered more than any human being has ever suffered or would ever suffer. It is a medical fact that if a person undergoes enough intense emotional/psychological stress he can sweat blood. This is precisely what happened to our dear Lord in the garden of Gethsemane the night before he was crucified. He knew the intense physical and spiritual pain He was about to endure.

He was God in the Flesh (The Holy Spirit came to Mary and Jesus was miraculously conceived in her womb). Our loving God became a man and bore the consequence that He had decreed upon our sin. When He created Adam he knew already that he would sin and that some years later the world would be filled with wickedness and violence and he was sad that He had made man on the earth. The flood of Noah followed and all men except eight souls were saved because Noah found grace in the sight of the Lord. He 'found' grace. We need to look to God for mercy that we might find grace and mercy to help in our time of need and understand that Jesus alone paid the price of death for our sin. There is no other payment acceptable to God and no other prophet or means of coming to Him. He is our creator and He has set the terms in his infitite love and wisdom.

We cannot do good works to wipe out the sins we have committed. God's holiness cannot hide sin under the carpet. it had to be dealt a death blow. Jesus destroyed the power of the devil when he died and rose again and He promises all who will come to him a "new heart" - one that longs for an intimate relationship for Him.

This is the Good News of the Gospel God's complete pardon for sin, a chance to start over with Him and to Have an intimate personal relationship with Him. "It is finished" Jesus said on the cross. This was an accounting term in those days which meant He had paid the complete price of the penalty of death for sin opening the way to God for all who will believe in Him. The curtain to the Holy of Holies in the jewish temple was torn in two at that moment as the way to God was freely open thank's to our mighty and worthy Lord Jesus. God looks at all who put their trust in Jesus and His death for them in a different light. He sees them as though they had died with Christ and as being in Jesus and as being righteous and holy. ie Jesus debited His account with our sin and credited our account with his gift of righteosness.

So, when those who believe in Jesus and trust Him for salvation (redemption ie. he has paid the ransom that had to be paid to resucue our souls from eternal death brought by sin) die physically their souls/spirits will live for eternity with Jesus in heaven. Those who don't will be separated from God (as they are without faith in Jesus on the earth) in hell.

Think of this...wouldn't it be terrrible if we had to live on this earth forever ie. if there was no death and we continued in this sinful state eternally in this world of pain and suffering. it would be horrific so Thank God for His beautiful plan of salvation.

God loves us and He wants us to come to him for forgiveness and life. He wants our lives, our hearts, our souls to be completely dedicated to Him - He is our creator whether we accept it now or not. One day we will all bow before Him but then it will be too late for those who have rejected Jesus in this life. If we don't want a relationship with Him now why would we suddenly want one in eternity?

He is a God of love and he loves you. God is love. The fact you are asking the question shows that He is causing you to question - after all didn't we all have the question in our heads as teens ...what am I doing here? where did I come from? where am I going?

I agree with the other poster who said....be brave ask God to reveal himself to you. That's how He found me. I cried out to Jesus and asked Him whether He was there and whether He really did exist....it's a long story from there but all I can say is He rescued me. I was not a Christian but now I am and it's all thanks to His love for me.

"Today is the day of salvation. Now is the day of God's favour"

March 16, 2007