Jim,

I have to disagree with you, in the world today there are 11 "Living" Religions... Keep this in mind: "Information is accepted or rejected based on reason and verifiable observation."

Buddhism
Christianity
Confucianism
Hinduism
Islam
Jainism
Judaism
Shinto
Sikhism
Taoism
Zoroastrianism

If you look at the Fundamentals of each, you will notice major differences.

This is a pretty decent summary of Christianity...

This worldview is based on the belief that Jesus Christ, born of the virgin Mary in Bethlehem of Judea approximately 2,000 years ago, was the longed-for Messiah to the Jews, the Son of God, the manifestation of the God of Abraham in a physical body. His death, burial, resurrection and ascension were all pivotal events in the history and spiritual development of this world. His crucifixion provided forgiveness of sins and restoration to fellowship with God; his resurrection displayed the hope of eternal life for all who believe. Christianity teaches the ultimate return of Jesus to this earth, whereupon the kingdom of God will be established in this world. The Scripture base of Christianity is the Bible, comprised of the Old Testament (adopted from the Scripture base of Judaism) and the New Testament.

I found this on another board... not a bad description of religions...
Agnosticism is a belief that neither denies or accepts the existence of one or many gods.
Atheism is a world view which accepts nature without resorting to supernatural explanations, magic, superstition, or beliefs. Information is accepted or rejected based on reason and verifiable observation.
Aztec Native American culture is an ancient as well as a currently practiced religion.

B'ahai religion is one that unifies all the major religions of the world, from Christianity and Islam and Judaism to belief in Sai Baba and Hinduism and Buddhism.

Buddhism was originally primarily an atheist religion but has developed in many places into a religion of worship for its founder, Prince Siddhartha, known as Buddha.
Christianity is the religion that arose from the teachings of Jesus Christ. It has an ancient history from that time and has since diverged into Catholicism and many sects of Protestantism. Currently, Christianity includes Catholicism and various Protestant religions as well as other sects.
Confucianism is founded on the teachings of Kong Fu Zi, or Confucius. This religion originated in China.

Hare Krishna believers believe in the Hindu god Krishna as the single God. The leader of the religion is Swami Prabhupada.
Hinduism is founded on the existence of a single God manifest in hundreds of forms. It is among the most ancient religions, dating back more than 5,000 years.
Islam is among the newest of religions, and arose from the teachings of the prophet Muhammed.

Jainism originated in India.

Judaism's beliefs come from the Old Testament and the Torah. It arose before Christianity and Islam and is characterized by belief in a single God.

Mormonism is called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It is a religion based on Christianity which calls for a return to the original principles and values of Jesus Christ.
Paganism is older than many religions. It is characterized by belief in several gods of different characters and human and animal forms. Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology all contain stories of pagan gods.

Peyotism is the largest religion begun, organized, and directed by and for Native Americans. The religion uses the peyote, sometimes referred to as mescal, in its ceremonies. The name comes from the Aztec word peyotl, which designates a small spineless psychedelic cactus (Lophophora williamsii) that is native to southern Texas and north-central Mexico. Spanish conquistadores found peyote used as a sacred medicine and a source for magic far beyond the area of natural peyote growth. The Inquisition of New Spain, on June 29, 1620, published an order prohibiting the use of peyote for any purpose. The order failed to stop the Peyote religion, however, which persists among the Native Americans surviving in northern Mexico, particularly the Huichol and Tarahumara. The cactus is also used as a folk medicine.
en·theo·gen [becoming god or spirit within] psychoactive sacrament; a plant or chemical substance taken to occasion spiritual or mystical experience. Example: peyote cactus as used in the Native American Church.

Sathya Sai Baba is a religious leader who also tries to unify several religions. His predecessor was Shirdi Sai Baba. The faith is based in India but extends over the world.
Satanism denies the power or existence of the Christian God (Old Testament). The name comes from Satan (also known as Lucifer, Belzebub), the archangel thrown down to h*ll by God. Considered by believers to be self-worship, Satanists typically do not indulge in sacrifice but instead are guided by a few minimal moral principles.

Scientology is a modern (20th century) religion and way of life incorporating both Eastern and Western views. Shintoism is a religion practiced mainly in Japan to revere the Emperor, the state, and the sacredness of the Universe.

Sikhism is a religion of India, the practice of which involves strict adherence to certain principles and practices.

Shintoism is a religion that originated in Japan and is a form of ancestor worship. Taoism is another religion that originated in China.
Unitarian Universalism is a religion born of Jewish and Christian traditions that is open to various religious traditions and is a free faith unbound by strict doctrine.

Wicca is the religion of witches and Wiccans!

Zen is a form of Buddhism
Zoroastrianism arose in Persia and is now practiced in India as well.
These are some of the many many many religions on this planet!


If you have time man, keep reading... This is relevent to you.

"If I Were God I'd Make Myself Clearer"
Andy Fehler

When people see the enormous variety of different faiths and religions, some feel paralysed by choice - surely if there really were a God he would make it clear which one he was - on that basis people reject the notion of God or gods altogether.

Others are more accepting - there are so many faiths they probably all have elements of the truth or are just different ways to the same God and so are all equally valid.

These questions remain:

Why has God left us so confused?
Why doesn't the real God step forward?
If God were to step forward, it would make sense for him to do it in a very clear and verifiable way - I reckon he would favour the writing his name in the sky approach (where hundreds or thousands of people could see and confirm it) rather than the appearing in a dream to just one person...It is important for God to give us the opportunity to check out other people's claims about him.

What would you think if I told you I had a dream last night and God revealed himself to me and told me that we can only get to paradise if we start eating parsnip and treacle sandwiches. You might listen to me in a concerned manner - but I am not convinced you would put your trust in those foul sounding sarnies! It just seems so unlikely that God would reveal himself in such an un-testable, unverifiable way.

Many religions just aren't verifiable - that doesn't mean they are definitely not true, in fact they enjoy a certain invulnerability, as they can never be proved wrong. But other religions raise their heads above the parapet and make claims that can be checked out.

Why doesn't the real God step forward in a verifiable way?
When we turn to John's gospel and the passage we looked at last Sunday we see an incredible claim. Talking about Jesus, John opens his gospel with these words "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God" (John 1:1).Later he writes "No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he (Jesus) has made him known." (John 1:1 That is, no one has seen God - but the ultimate revelation of God was to be found in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Or we could turn to Hebrews 1:1-3a "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power."

Jesus claimed to be God stepping forward!
If we want to know if there is a God and what he is like, the Bible tells us to look no further than Jesus!

If I was God and was going to step down into history I would make sure the event was well recorded and people could find out about it many years after, which is exactly what the Bible tells us has happened.

Despite what fiction like the "The Da Vinci Code" and many so called Bible scholars say about the historicity of the Bible there is actually phenomenal evidence that the Bible is as it was originally written and that the events written in it really did happen.

But how can we verify the claim that Jesus reveals God to us?

We need to look into the claims and see if they make sense. Just like Judaism the claims of Christianity are based on historical events which either happened or didn't. Jesus either was who he said he was or he wasn't. Jesus either did the things that are claimed about him or he didn't. And ultimately Jesus either rose from the dead or he didn't.

Some people who have set out to show the inaccuracies in Scripture have ended up convinced of their reliability! Frank Morison the English journalist set out to prove that the resurrection was a myth but was instead convinced that it had really happened and ended up writing a book about it!

If you have never looked into the resurrection, don't take other people's word for it, check it out yourself.

If the real God has stepped into time and space as a man and revealed himself to us so that we can know what he is like, then it would be foolish to reject the one he has revealed himself to be.

Jesus either is God or he isn't. If he is God then his words "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father (to God) except through me." (John 14:6) make it very clear that the other world faiths have not got it right. If Jesus is who he said he was then it is clear that whilst other faiths may have important and insightful things to say about the nature of man and how we should live, they do not show us the truth about God.

So when people say "If I were God I would make myself clearer" the answer needs to be "how much clearer?" He has stepped into time and revealed himself in a way we can understand.

The more difficult question perhaps is "if God has revealed himself why don't all people believe?" But the real question I want to leave you with is not why don't other people believe but "why don't I believe?"


Do all roads lead to God?
If God exists, why doesn't He make it easier for me to find Him?
There are so many religions, which one is true?
Can truth be known?
Isn't it just a case of 'what's true for you' that matters?
Is atheism an arrogant claim?
What does it mean to be truly tolerant?


Can the truth claims of all the world's faiths be equally true? NO.