Do we really all pray to the same God?
September 8th, 2008
ALL RELIGIONS
ARE THE SAME
Christian Observation…
Statement: “Religions are basically all the same and we all pray to the same God.”
We need to take a closer look and dissect that statement because it is absolutely false. It is misleading, and it is actually dangerous.
Caveat: Before we start, it is my honest and sincere wish to avoid any indication or notion of a subject aimed at creating one more incident of in-fighting within the Body of Christ (born-again Christians). This is a general rebuttal aimed at provoking thought. The intent here is to promote God’s Truth and obedience to Jesus Christ our Lord & Savior in times when Satan intensifies his confusion and lies in order to promote his insidious agenda.
Let us now please take a basic look at prominent religions to use as *examples while comparing them to Christianity:
Christianity…
ORIGIN IN TIME: AD 33.
GOD: There is one true God, Creator and Savior, existing in three eternal persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each equal in divine nature, but distinct in personhood and roles.
CHRIST: Jesus Christ is fully divine and fully human – perfect God and perfect Man. He died to pay the penalty for sin, rose bodily from the dead, and will come again someday.
SCRIPTURE: The Old and New Testaments constitute the inspired Word of God. They are without error in the original writings and serve as the final authority for doctrine and practice.
SALVATION: People are saved only by the free gift of God’s grace through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ, not by works. Salvation is of the whole person – body and spirit, not just the spirit alone.
Judaism…
ORIGIN IN TIME: 2000 BC.
GOD: “The Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4), the Creator of all things and supreme Ruler over all things. Note that Judaism understands “The Lord is one” to exclude the biblical doctrine of the Trinity.
CHRIST: Orthodox Jews expect a human, political deliverer, not a divine Savior. Conservative and Reform Jews expect a utopian “Messianic Age,” which has nothing to do with a literal Messiah. Therefore, Judaism denies the divinity and resurrection of Jesus.
SCRIPTURE: Orthodox Judaism believes the Old Testament and the Talmud are divine. Conservative Judaism sees Scripture as the work of God and Man, and Reform Judaism understands the Bible purely as human in origin.
SALVATION: Orthodox Judaism sees no need for salvation, simply presuming a right standing with God on the basis of Jewish heritage. Both Conservative and Reform Judaism define salvation as the betterment of self and society.
CRITICAL NOTE: There are also what is termed as Jewish Christians, Messianic Jews and Jews for Jesus. I don’t have enough reliable information about those terms and classifications, or exactly know how they are accurately defined. I do know, however, of numbers of Jews who are also born-again Christians. That would mean those Jews that are Christians fulfill that status in the eyes of God according to New Covenant (New Testament) Scriptural law. And that means they openly and vocally believe in their hearts that Jesus Christ is their Lord, that He died on the cross for their sins and was resurrected back to life subsequent to His death, according to Romans 10:9-10.
Islam…
ORIGIN IN TIME: AD 622.
GOD: Allah is inconceivable and inaccessible, utterly unique and unable to be revealed. Therefore, Allah cannot be known personally.
CHRIST: Next to Muhammad, Jesus was the greatest prophet who ever lived. He wasn’t God or the Son of God, nor was He crucified. Instead, he was taken by Allah into heaven. And He will return someday.
SCRIPTURE: Muslims believe portions of the Bible were given by Allah, but because it has been corrupted, Allah gave Quran (Koran), the greatest of Allah’s gifts – his very words.
SALVATION: For Muslims, the only hope of salvation is through obedience to Allah’s will as outlined in the Quran and as demonstrated by Muhammad’s life. Consequently, they have no assurance of salvation.
Hinduism…
ORIGIN IN TIME: 1500 BC.
GOD: Formless, infinite, eternal, and impersonal, Braham is the cause, source, material, and effect of all creation. As a means to approach the divine, Hindus have created multiple names for and personal forms of Braham.
CHRIST: Vishnu, one of the personal forms of Braham, occasionally comes to earth as an avatar, a wise human teacher, in order to help the world move toward enlightenment and salvation. Jesus Christ was one such avatar, as were Rama, Krishna, and Buddha.
SCRIPTURE: The broad Hindu canon includes the Vedas, Upanishads, and other collections of rituals, mantras, spiritual teachings, historical records, and philosophical writings.
SALVATION: The goal of Hinduism, or moksha, is to realize one’s own connection to the divine reality of Braham, which leads to a detachment from worldly desires and freedom from the cycle of reincarnation.
Buddhism…
ORIGIN IN TIME: 520 BC.
GOD: Buddhism is virtually atheistic – the concept of a god is ignored. All reality is seen as an illusion. Truth is grounded in experience and personal enlightenment.
CHRIST: Some Buddhists see Jesus as a spiritual teacher like Buddha. Others classify Him as a bodhisattva, a human who reached enlightenment but gave up nirvana in order to help others along the path.
SCRIPTURE: The Pali Triptaka, a collection of Buddha’s sermons and commentaries on the Buddha’s teachings, is considered to be scripture by nearly all Buddhists.
SALVATION: Nirvana, a state of oneness with the universe to the extent that the cycle of reincarnation is broken and the self ceases to exist, can only be achieved through the renunciation of all worldly desires.
Mormonism…
ORIGIN IN TIME: AD 1830.
GOD: The Mormon god, the “Heavenly Father,” is a supremely glorified man who once was as we are. The spirits of all people are the product of his union with heavenly mothers.
CHRIST: Jesus (also known as Jehovah) was the firstborn spirit child of the “Heavenly Father.” He became mortal through a physical union with Mary. His atoning death and a person’s good works are the basis of salvation.
SCRIPTURE: In addition to the Bible, the Latter-day Saints accept the following as scripture: The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants (an evolving document), and The Pearl of Great Price.
SALVATION: To be saved, Mormons must turn from sin, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, obey divinely revealed commandments, partake of Temple rites, and strive to be like Jesus.
Jehovah’s Witnesses…
ORIGIN IN TIME: AD 1881.
GOD: “Jehovah” is the proper name of the god of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and none other will suffice. He is the supreme creator and ruler of the universe, and he is not a trinity.
CHRIST: Jesus was Jehovah’s first creation. Before he was conceived in Mary and became man, he was Michael, the archangel. He became Michael again upon his resurrection, which was not physical, but spiritual and immaterial.
SCRIPTURE: Jehovah’s Witnesses recognize The New World Translation of the Bible as divine revelation. Its accurate interpretation comes only through The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.
SALVATION: Jesus is the mediator of the “new covenant” for 144, 000 anointed believers who will enjoy heaven. All “other sheep” must become Christ’s earthly subjects by keeping his laws and obeying his commands.
Scientology…
ORIGIN IN TIME: AD 1954.
GOD: God, the highest spiritual power, is on the same ascending scale as humans. There is no clear distinction between creator and creature.
CHRIST: Jesus was a good man who achieved a high level of spiritual awareness, but he did not attain the highest level possible by Scientologists today.
SCRIPTURE: The writings of L. Ron Hubbard, such as Dianetics, are regarded as authoritative for the Church of Scientology. The Bible contains inferior wisdom.
SALVATION: Salvation is achieved by the acts of man, not by grace of God. Salvation is defined as an increase of spiritual awareness and freedom from the limitations of body and mind.
Having examined the basic break-down of elements for the various respective aforementioned religions in comparison with Christianity, noting the one (1) exception of born-again (Christian) Jews, there is no possible way that a mortal can be both a Christian and Jew; nor can a mortal be both a Christian and a Muslim; nor can a mortal be both a Christian and a Hindu; nor can a mortal be both a Christian and a Buddhist; nor can a mortal be both a Christian and a Mormon; nor can a mortal be both a Christian and a Jehovah’s Witness; and, nor can a mortal be both a Christian and a Scientologist.
When Christians pray to God they pray to the One True God of the universe and everything and everybody in it. They pray to the Trinity (three separate personalities) – The Father (Jehovah God), The Son (Jesus Christ) and The Holy Spirit.
Acknowledging The Trinity (Matthew 3:17 & 28:19, John 10:30 & 15:26, Acts 5:3-4, 2nd Peter 1:17) is in direct conflict with all other religions of the world. Also, all other religions of the world are in direct or indirect conflict with the true Word of God (John1:1), The Holy Bible.
The “god” of other religions is not God. Ironically, our God is the God of all those people of other religions, whether they realize it or not.
When a known Christian prays to God, all other Christians privy to that prayer will know Who that person is praying to. During prayer, when there is vocal or written reference to Jesus Christ we then know Who we are praying to. Consequently, we know that we are ‘on-track,’ even if the person praying is a stranger.
Conversely, when a stranger vocalizes or submits a written prayer in behalf of others and just uses the term “god,” without reference to Jesus Christ, who they are praying to would be the subject of a valid concern.
By His commands, we are not (in any manner) to be ashamed (Mark 8:38, Romans 1:16) of our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus is The only Portal to God The Father (John 14:6).
In these changing times of popularizing other religions, always focusing on and identifying with Jesus Christ during any prayer to God is fundamental. For, if your heart is not with Jesus, you are not praying to God.
In The Lord’s service…
Chaplain Lee Koerber
Romans 10:9-10 {KJV}
9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Matthew 3:17 {(KJV}
17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Matthew 28:19 {KJV}
19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
John 10:30 {KJV}
30I and my Father are one.
John 15:26 (KJV}
26But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
Acts 5:3-4 {KJV}
3But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
4Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
2nd Peter 1:17 {KJV}
17For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
John 1:1 {KJV}
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Mark 8:38 {KJV}
38Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
Romans 1:16 {KJV}
16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
John 14:6 {KJV}
6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
*Bibliography: ‘Religions of The World – Passport’,
Harvest Outreach Ministries,
P.O. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514;
(800) 821-3300.