Do all religions ultimately point to the same God?

[Jazzy]

Why or why not?

 

[Josiah]

No.

God is Triune. All other religions deny this.


.

 

[Lamb]

No. The only religion where God saves is the Christian one. For all the other religions, man must do something in order to achieve something. We have a merciful and loving God and those who do not trust in Jesus as their Savior, don't believe in the one true God.

 

[Lees]

Why or why not?

No, as to the 'other religions'.

Because there is only One God. And He has revealed Himself to man through the creation, (Rom. 1:20), through His very impression in man as His Creator, (Rom. 1:19), through the Scriptures, (2 Tim. 3:16), and through Jesus Christ. (Heb. 1:1-2)

And it is only faith in God who thus reveals Himself through these, that results in salvation.

We often make the mistake of seeing the origin of other religions as man's way of seeking the true God. But Scripture says just the opposite. The origin of other religions are the result of man first having the truth about God, and then turning away from Him. (Rom. 1:21-23) Missionaries should keep that in mind. They are going to a religion of a people who in their origin have rejected God.

But in those false religions, there are those who are God's. But they have grown up in a false religion. And it is these that the missionary is going to, to bring the Gospel, that they might believe. Wherever God has His people, whether they know it at the time or not, God will get the Gospel to them.

My opinion.

Lees

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
● 1Cor 16:22 . . If anyone love not The Lord, let him be accursed.

One's love of The Lord is exemplified by loyalty.

"If you love me, you will comply with what I command." (John 14:15)

"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me." (John
14:21)

"If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching . . He who does not love me will not
obey my teaching." (John 14:23-24)

Does a Muslim have to be a terrorist to be accursed? No; they only have to be a
loyal follower of Muhammad ibn `Abdullāh instead of a loyal follower of Jesus
Christ; same goes for Atheists, Nonreligious, Baha'i, Buddhists, Chinese
Universalists, Confucianists, Jains, Kabbalah mystics, Shintoists, Spiritists, Taoists,
Zoroastrians, Jews, Sikhs, and Hindus-- they're all accursed and there is nothing to
be gained in arguing about it.

How many people am I talking about? Well, as of mid 2014, worldwide there were:

550,000 Scientologists
1,500,000 Mormons
8,200,000 Jehovah's Witnesses
18,479,257 Seventh Day Adventists
7,794,000 Baha'i
515,951,000 Buddhists
451,292,000 Chinese Folk Religionists
8,424,000 Confucianists
974,597,000 Hindus
5,567,000 Jains
14,142,000 Jews
1,673,590 Muslims
2,819,000 Shintoists
24,918,000 Sikhs
14,183,000 Spiritists
8,660,000 Taoists
196,000 Zoroastrians
828,594,000 Nonreligious
692,111,000 Agnostics
136,483,000 Atheists.

The grand total of just those categories alone is 5,3387,550,257

If those figures are in the ball park, and if classical Christianity is the reality; then a
minimum of at least 75% of the world's 2014 global population of 7.2 billion people
wasn't unified with Christ.

NOTE: Scientology, though not actually a religion, has an IRS tax status as such.

Joseph Smith's movement is a spin-off; in other words: there's some classical
Christianity in Mormonism, but comprises only a portion of it. The rest is rather
outlandish; to say the least.

Charles Taze Russell's movement is a spin-off too. There's some classical Christianity
in the Watchtower Society's doctrines, but comprises only a portion of it. Russell's
slant on the remainder is very peculiar.

BTW: An informative book that I personally consider an essential volume in every
Christian's library is called: "Kingdom Of The Cults" by Walter Martin.

Submitted for moderator approval 02/03/2024 @ 07:42 am Pacific Time
_

 

[Albion]

No. I don't see how beings who are believed to have completely different natures, identities, histories, and so on can be considered to be the same.

 

[Albion]

How many people am I talking about? Well, as of mid 2014, worldwide there were:

550,000 Scientologists
1,500,000 Mormons
8,200,000 Jehovah's Witnesses
18,479,257 Seventh Day Adventists
7,794,000 Baha'i
515,951,000 Buddhists
451,292,000 Chinese Folk Religionists
8,424,000 Confucianists
974,597,000 Hindus
5,567,000 Jains
14,142,000 Jews
1,673,590 Muslims
2,819,000 Shintoists
24,918,000 Sikhs
14,183,000 Spiritists
8,660,000 Taoists
196,000 Zoroastrians
828,594,000 Nonreligious
692,111,000 Agnostics
136,483,000 Atheists.

The grand total of just those categories alone is 5,3387,550,257

I'm not sure I like your statistics there. You've included something over two billion people who actually do not have a belief in a God at all.

Maybe it's a list of the world's religions, using the word very loosely, but not of people who follow different versions of God.

If those figures are in the ball park, and if classical Christianity is the reality; then a
minimum of at least 75% of the world's 2014 global population of 7.2 billion people
wasn't unified with Christ.

On the other hand, Christianity is by far the world's largest and most widespread religion.

 

[Castle Church]

550,000 Scientologists
1,500,000 Mormons
8,200,000 Jehovah's Witnesses
18,479,257 Seventh Day Adventists
7,794,000 Baha'i
515,951,000 Buddhists
451,292,000 Chinese Folk Religionists
8,424,000 Confucianists
974,597,000 Hindus
5,567,000 Jains
14,142,000 Jews
1,673,590 Muslims
2,819,000 Shintoists
24,918,000 Sikhs
14,183,000 Spiritists
8,660,000 Taoists
196,000 Zoroastrians
828,594,000 Nonreligious
692,111,000 Agnostics
136,483,000 Atheists.

The grand total of just those categories alone is 5,3387,550,257

Can you cite where those numbers came from? They don't seem to be accurate. For example, there are close to 17 million Mormon/LDS church members, not 1.5 million, 22 million baptized SDA (which are Trinitarian Christians so should not be on the list). Also, there is going to be a lot of overlap between Chinese Folk, Confucianism, Taoists, Buddhists, and Shinto as practitioners often practice more than one, so it is imporant to know where the stat came from and how the question may have been worded.

 

[Iconoclast]

1 cor10:
20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.

21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~

Can you cite where those numbers came from?

Most of it was derived from

The World Almanac and Book Of Facts 2020
Page 698

And some I found online, e.g. Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and Scientology.

Submitted for moderator approval 02/09/2024 @ 02:49 pm Pacific Time
_

 

[Forgiven1]

No they don't eventually point to the same God. The Christian God is eternal from beginning to end and does not change. These other religions came after God. God tells us he does not change. Here are a few verses from the Bible. He stays the same and our salvation is given to us by him. We do not do anything to earn our salvation. Therefore, these gods of the other religions are false and are not of God and do not lead to the same God.

Malachi 3:6
6 “For tI the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.

Hebrews 13:8
8 Jesus Christ is hthe same yesterday and today and forever.


James 1:17
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from atheFather of lights, bwith whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.1

 

[Hadassah]

Can you cite where those numbers came from? They don't seem to be accurate. For example, there are close to 17 million Mormon/LDS church members, not 1.5 million, 22 million baptized SDA (which are Trinitarian Christians so should not be on the list). Also, there is going to be a lot of overlap between Chinese Folk, Confucianism, Taoists, Buddhists, and Shinto as practitioners often practice more than one, so it is imporant to know where the stat came from and how the question may have been worded.

I think you gag at gnats. I think the crux of the post is in the truth that you won't get into heaven without faith in Jesus. Numbers are numbers and God knows how many don't believe in the truth (atheist or some other religion).

 

[Castle Church]

I think you gag at gnats. I think the crux of the post is in the truth that you won't get into heaven without faith in Jesus. Numbers are numbers and God knows how many don't believe in the truth (atheist or some other religion).

With due respect I don't think that I am "gaging at gnats". The post stated "they're all accursed and there is nothing to
be gained in arguing about it.". If we are numbering the "accursed" then the numbers should be reasonably accurate and probably not include Trinitarian Christians like SDA.

 

[Hadassah]

With due respect I don't think that I am "gaging at gnats". The post stated "they're all accursed and there is nothing to
be gained in arguing about it.". If we are numbering the "accursed" then the numbers should be reasonably accurate and probably not include Trinitarian Christians like SDA.

Well, saying you are Trinitarian and believing in all the Holy Trinity teaches in scripture are two different things. As Christ said ; " Many will say Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, do mighty works in your name.... I will say to them plainly, I never knew you, depart from me you workers of lawlessness". He also says; " These people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from Me".

My point is, prove SDA really believes in all the Holy Trinity teaches and they are not just giving lip service.

I'll start with this; 1. Do they believe in the veneration of the saints. If no, tell me why, if no, I'll tell you where in the scriptures is says to. I'll give questions so forth and so on, as will you. We will learn togther what the Holy Trinity teaches for sure. We will learn if their belief is true, based on the answers. Afterall, there is only one truth. Blessings.

 

[Castle Church]

Well, saying you are Trinitarian and believing in all the Holy Trinity teaches in scripture are two different things. As Christ said ; " Many will say Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, do mighty works in your name.... I will say to them plainly, I never knew you, depart from me you workers of lawlessness". He also says; " These people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from Me".

My point is, prove SDA really believes in all the Holy Trinity teaches and they are not just giving lip service.

I'll start with this; 1. Do they believe in the veneration of the saints. If no, tell me why, if no, I'll tell you where in the scriptures is says to. I'll give questions so forth and so on, as will you. We will learn togther what the Holy Trinity teaches for sure. We will learn if their belief is true, based on the answers. Afterall, there is only one truth. Blessings.

I'm really not in a position to argue for or against SDA, nor is this thread about it. But I will say that veneration of saints isn't a salvific issue, so I would not argue for or against it as a reason SDA may or may not be "Christians".

 

[Hadassah]

I'm really not in a position to argue for or against SDA, nor is this thread about it. But I will say that veneration of saints isn't a salvific issue, so I would not argue for or against it as a reason SDA may or may not be "Christians".

Well, I suppose that is a stand if sitting on the fence is one. Blessings.

 

[Albion]

Well, saying you are Trinitarian and believing in all the Holy Trinity teaches in scripture are two different things.

Yes, but either one marks the person as a believer in the Christian god to the exclusion of some other God or gods.

My point is, prove SDA really believes in all the Holy Trinity teaches and they are not just giving lip service.

I'll start with this; 1. Do they believe in the veneration of the saints. If no, tell me why,

That would depend on what you understand by the word veneration. If it means to honor the saints, that's one thing. If it means to pray to them as being capable themselves of hearing our prayers and responding to them either by granting our petitions or of interceding with God on our behalf, that's something else.

 

[Josiah]

What Albion said above.....

But @Hadassah the "veneration of saints" is obviously off topic in this thread. But you are invited and encouraged to start threads/discussions on any issue. In the past, we've had many discussions on issues where Catholics and some Protestants differ - and while it's not surprising that seldom was anything resolved, often much was learned on both "sides." As a former Catholic and now Lutheran, I know there is LOTS (and I do mean LOTS) of misunderstandings on ALL sides. You might check out the theology and denomination forums here, you'll find MANY threads on issues such as this (although I don't recall specifically discussing veneration of saints).

Here at CH, we don't have a plethora of ranging "Evangelicals" or Catholics, so usually discussions are pretty civil here (unlike most sites). "Anti-Catholicism" and "Anti-Protestantism" are both mostly absent here. And some of us (Albion, Lamm, Castle Church, Forgiven and others) are able to express a "middle path" - not Catholic OR "Evangelical" and we seldom get noticed at most "war" sites but we do get a chance here.

Blessings on your Lenten observation...


- Josiah



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