All Religions Are The Same?

Most people have heard the line, “All religions teach the same basic truths.” What the people who say this mean is, it doesn't really matter what you believe.

Some would be more specific and say, “It doesn't really matter what you believe, because all paths lead to God.” 

There are other variations of course. I think it was G.K. who said something like, “Buddhism and Christianity are very similar, especially Buddhism.”

I don't actually get that, but I'm sure it's pretty funny.

The point that's not to be missed however, is that saying “All religions teach the same basic truths,” is just about the stupidest thing a human being can say. Not as stupid as the atheist's denial that a Creator of the Universe exists, but it's close. I mean, just think for a moment about what the various religions say regarding the following:

. Who is God?

. How did the universe begin?

. What is the origin of evil and suffering?

. What is our authority for knowing truth?

. What are the fundamental moral and ethical principles for living a holy life?

. How do we know our sins are forgiven?

. Where will we spend eternity?

. What is the nature of paradise? 

To say that all religions teach a similar answer is to show that you've not given the statement, “All religions teach the same basic truths,” even two second's worth of thought.

On the other hand, there is one striking difference between Christianity and ALL other religions of the world, including atheism. That difference is the following.

Only Christianity is based on the concept of Grace. Jesus the Christ, the One from whose teachings Christianity is drawn, taught that our forgiveness, our salvation is based upon unmerited favour. Jesus said there is nothing that we can do to make ourselves good enough to be good enough for heaven. Jesus taught that our forgiveness is based upon our faith in what He accomplished through His death and resurrection.

The focus of all other religions, including atheism, is on good works. They are focused on being as good as we can be and expecting some type of reward based upon those works.

In the end it's clear that all religions are not the same. And when the man-made religions are compared to the one founded by Jesus the Christ, it's clear that they're not the same by an unfathomable margin.