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Christianity Explained Information Find Christian Unity in Biblical Explanations of the Doctrines That Count! |
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You have a choice to make: You
can either believe the opinions of theologians, atheists, or agnostics,
or you can determine for yourself what the Bible says by studying it.
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What Is Religion and Where Did It Originate? What Is the Bible, and How Relative Is It to My Life? What Are Messianic Prophecies? Who Was Jesus of Nazareth, Really? Why Are There So Many World Religions? Why Are There So Many Christian Denominations? What Is the Law and How Does It Apply to Me? What's All This About the End of the World and End-time Prophecies? Isn't the Book of Daniel a Closed Book? Revelation: How can anyone understand all that symbolism? Who or What Was Jesus' Mother, Mary? Didn't Darwin Disprove Creation? What's the Truth About Faith and Works? Christian E-mails: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Complete Directory of Articles/Studies
Title Abbreviations for Books of the Bible Genesis
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Why Are There So Many Religions?What is Religion?According to Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, religion is defined as: 1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. 2. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion, etc. 3. something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience: to make a religion of fighting prejudice.
With those definitions, it's not hard to see where religion originated. It originated in the heart/mind of man. Years ago, before he knew better, my husband had a shirt on which was printed, "Everyone needs something to believe in, so I believe I'll have another beer." Silly as it is, it contains a seed of truth: everyone needs something to believe in. Your beliefs equal your religion.Most people think "moral beliefs" constitute religion, but they only constitute "moral religions". There are worldly religions as well: the pursuit of fame, fortune, pleasure, or power--even being an American, a Nazi, or a US Marine, according to the above definition, for some people is a religion. These may or may not include morals, but certain people have devoted their entire lives to them. For our purposes, however, the belief in an authority for our personal moral code is a good definition of religion. Problems arise in "moral" situations, however, when there is no Supreme authority to which one can turn to demonstrate to others why they should agree with the moral code. If everyone has his/her own opinion of what's right, who's to say what's wrong? Without the leadership of a final moral authority, there is moral anarchy, which we are experiencing today. Moral anarchy is the result of individuals finding sufficient moral authority only within themselves. Convinced that their own intelligence and "inner moral compass" is able to determine what is right or wrong for themselves, some feel that laws are made for everyone else--they, themselves, are so wonderful that they need no rules. It is their right to do as they please. According to them, anything that "comes naturally" must be right. "If it feels good, do it." Now, don't get me wrong, some of these people are right, and they just naturally do what is right. They're kind, thoughtful, helpful, reasonable, forgiving, courteous, industrious, respectful, fair, and/or self-sacrificing by nature. Others are wrong in their self assessment, and they just naturally do what is wrong. They are addicted to self-serving goals and it makes them mean, angry, critical, unfair, unkind, discourteous, lazy, disrespectful, vindictive, judgmental, and/or thoughtless. Doing things their way generally wreaks havoc on the earth and fills the jails and prisons or destroys homes, families, businesses, and lives. Most of us are right sometimes and wrong sometimes. We're good enough to stay out of jail, but we eat the last candy bar, take the parking place someone else was waiting for, don't return the extra change someone gives us by mistake, and we certainly don't lay our lives on the line for the stranger being attacked across the street! We don't even share what we know about our religions so others can benefit from our beliefs. The Basis of Belief Systems that the World Calls ReligionTwo major factors are responsible for religion. 1. We humans hate the idea the we are mortals. We want to live forever . . . not in the toil and pain of this world but in some blissful place. 2. Therefore, we have to figure out (or dream up) the blissful place in which we will spend eternity. For JudeoChristian belivers, that place is heaven. For others it is a place called paradise or Nirvannah or "the collective", etc. Whatever you call it, it is generally a place where only the cream of the crop can go. Being aware that "the cream of the crop" implies "only a few", we must figure out ways to "make the cut" (to use a golf term). Of course, there are those who don't think a place of bliss is right for them, so they prefer to just live life after life after life here on earth . . . That's why some religions focus on steps to heaven and others on reincarnation without any heaven and still others on simply returning to "the whole". Different beliefs are necessary to accommodate the different needs of different types of people. Each of us is going to believe "whatever works for us" . . . whatever gives us the strength and hope to get through another day to or "succeed" in this life. Needless to say, what we believe is colored by our families, societies, and experiences. The existence of so many religions is partly a product of just continuing in the way we were raised, without seeking "truth". The folks said Santa, the tooth fairy, and the Easter Bunny are real, so we believe. Ordinarily we begin to see that there is no basis for these beliefs and we ask questions about them and the truth comes out. When it comes to "religion", however, many of us tend not to ask the right questions. Afraid of the God we might find, we just accept what others tell us. For those who believe in God and a spiritual existence, the realization and acknowledgement of our unworthiness to exist on the same plane as God (in heaven) has spawned depression and hopelessness that has led to anger and open rebellion against all forms of "order-by-law". Most of this is due, however, to Bible ignorance that has spawned varying views of God and his love for and desire to fellowship with humans. Many parents have portrayed a fearful picture of God to try to keep their little ones in line because they didn't have the moral, loving, and self-sacrificing strength to be the examples their kids needed so they could learn how to love others more than themselves. Rebellion is simple unwillingness to care about others more than self, and it can be recognized as each person doing what seems right in his/her own eyes rather than doing things according to laws that have been established to bring order to society and to protect society from predators. The majority of humans are smart enough to recognize the chaos that would result if there were no laws. They realize that, when there is an authority over all, the chaos turns to peace and harmony and our stress levels drop dramatically! Therefore, governments are set up to guide the actions of human animals. Having seen civilizations destroy themselves in the past, modern civilizations, at least nominally, follow certain laws with an eye toward self-preservation. Unfortunately, the men who run our governments are only human themselves, and the decisions they make are not always the best for their citizens. History is plain on this matter. A wise student of government in many countries can see that certain laws are in place simply to subjugate certain classes of people to other classes of people . . . a rather ugly glimpse into the human heart. Gods and WorshipWhile many societies don't have faith in their politicians, they do believe in Gods, as in the god of fertility and the god of war, Gods that are supposed to keep them safe and provide for them. Some believe in one all-powerful, all-knowing, "higher" being that they believe will keep them safe and provide for them. The essence of "Religion" is not just its "god", however. It is the fact that reverence and worship of some type is given during religious experiences. People are fiercely loyal to their gods--mostly out of fear. You don't want to make someone or something you think is stronger than you angry. People practically worshipped Hitler, not because they agreed with what he did, but because he held the power. The same can be said of people who worship the Pope or a Muslim cleric or a televangelist, whom they perceive as their ticket to a closer relationship with their God. Certain gods are said to require certain types of worship, and most rituals are aimed toward appeasing an angry god. The attributes of the gods, or God, often seem rather human to me, as though these gods were made up by humans. And how can one tell, since all we know about our gods comes from past generations of humans? The only way we can know the real attributes or character of a God, or the God, is if he or she communicates with us. This is where we get into religious writings, where gods have supposedly made themselves known to humans who have written down their experiences. Some of these writings have been elevated to religions and others have been relegated to myth. In my mind, the reason for this is that humans won't long give their allegience to a character as fallable and ornery as themselves, especially once the human has discerned that no good seems to come of the relationship. We have gods because we need something from those gods. When we don't receive what we need from them, we move on. Irreligious people believe they can fulfil their own needs. They are self-sufficient in all things, and only discover their need when a circumstance "bigger than themselves" presents itself. When there is no answer to their dilemma, they finally at least wonder if there is, and sometimes heartily wish there was, an almighty, superpowerful God. Then, of course, there are those who blame him for their dilemma, curse God, and seal their own fate. On the other hand, some find God through their trials and profess belief in him. As they grow in understanding of the scriptures and if they truly believe, their self-sufficiency is mitigated with humility, and they learn to rely on God as even Jesus did, sealing their fate in the other direction. Religious people are those who have become aware of the limitations of humanity. They are looking for something they know cannot be provided by mankind. Those religions that are still practiced today offer something spiritual, calming, and fulfilling to their adherents--a reason for their existence, a reason for all the ills of the world, a way to cope with trials and tribulations, and a final way out. For that reason, there are many similarities and many differences between all the religions. For instance, many call for offerings or sacrifices--a similarity--but the reason for the sacrifice is not the same--a difference. All have a weekly special day of worship--a similarity--but the day of worship varies from religion to religion--a difference. There are many more similarities and differences, but I don't have time to list them. If one looks closely enough at the similarities, however, one comes to realize the possibility that all religions came from the same base, but splintered off for some remote and now unclear reason. Since I am a Christian, the Tower of Babel comes to mind . . . But that's another study. |
Related Links Written in the HeartThe Truth About Mary Magdalene
Scriptures: Within Text: I Corinthians 2:16 Further Study: name chap:verse-s
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Copyright 2005 Lynda Karr
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