Isn't there only one God? Why then do we have so many religions? How do I know which religion is right?
Jews claim that they are the only Chosen People, Christians say that if you don’t believe in Christ, you won’t be saved, and Buddhists consider their path the only path to enlightenment.
Each claims heaven/truth for its people that believes to the exclusion of others.
But can that be truth?Regardless of our faith, our heart tells us that there is something wrong with believing everybody. Clearly, there are good and bad Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Jews out there. Can they all be condemned to Hell simply because of their beliefs? Our heart also tells us that something is not quite right about calling Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, or Krishna liars or their sacred texts complete fabrications.
And, aren’t there a lot of similarities in all these religions anyway? there are differences but most of them teaches us to be thankful to our Creator and to be kind to His creation. So then what’s going on?
Religious diversity is a fact. There is not one religion in the world, there are indeed many. Hence, a compact survey of these religious paths reveals that christians form about 33% of humanity. Thus all christians compose 1/3 of humanity. The muslims are the second large religious community with 19.2%, Hindus 12% and Buddhists 7%. The Jews are about a half percent of humanity considering their role in shaping other Abrahamic religions namely, Christianity and islam, which together count one half the population of the human race. Of course, they are important theologically, christ and his disciples belonged to this group
There are traditional religionists not only in Africa but also in Ameri-Indian religions, tribal religions in Asia, and aboriginal religions in Australia. There are 6 of these religions, namely Jainism, Zoroastrianism, the Barhive, Shintoism, Confucanism, and Taoism. These religions possess an impressive patrimony of deeply religious texts and of the assimilated wisdom of peoples and cultures. They are so near to the culture of their people such that it is difficult to tell where religion ends and culture begins.
In constrasting these religions with Christianity, the essential difference between Christianity and all other religions is that the others start from man. They are touching and often very beautiful attempts, rising very high in their search for God. But in Christianity there is a contrary movement, the descent of God towards the world, in order to communicate his life to it'
Religion has remained a vital and virile force in the history of humanity. With the passage of millennia, its influence on people and society continues to grow very strong.
The strength of any religion is observed and felt in its role to transform human lives and societies, sometimes negatively, and at other times positvely. Both may occur simultaneously, concurrently, or serially.
The fact of religion is that it never leaves any society untouched. The cosmos feels the impact of religion. Africa as a continent seems to confirm the long lasting saying that man is deeply religious because of the plurality of religion and religious beliefs which are found in it.
IS GOD TIED TO ANY RELIGION?
God is spirit. No ordinary man has seen God. Every
information and knowledge about God comes to man through revelation. Apart from this, in many other instances man decides to think of God using the materials available at his disposal. Man looks at nature and facinated about awesome nature, sees the creator as the perfection of creation. Man cannot have a full grasp of God.
There is no religion which holds title to the deed of God. God's grace is not limited to a selected few. The moment any religion believes it is, one can be sure that such a religion knows nothing of God.
IS GOD DIFFERENT FOR DIFFERENT POEPLE?
God is not different for different people. God is divinely and eternaly the same. It is we human that are different from each other and we each observe God in our own particular ways. God gives each person and each culture what's needed to know and love God and to love their fellow human beings.
ARE ALL RELIGIONS EXCEPT MINE WRONG?
May be all these religions got it wrong or may be there is at least one religion that got is right. The religion I belived in! It may be Christianity, Buddhism, Islam or Hinduism. Well if it my religion, it must be the right one. If not why would I believe it.
Isn't it funny? Regardless of what religion we look at, people who believe it assume they are the ones who have real truth about God. And that all other religions are a bit off.... If not totally off.
It is equally common for people to think that their religion is the right one.
If people in each religion believe that theirs is the correct one and every other person's isn't right, how can we believe any of them.
***WHY DOES ONE GOD HAVE SO MANY RELIGIONS? ***
"logically, one God can just have a Single religion. He isn't in competition with Himself."
God has revealed His only religion not once, but so many times throughout history. His messengers have been the founders of the world major religion: Christ, Zoroaster, Budda, Abraham, Moses, Krisha and so on.
That implies all the major world religions are divine in origin, one in essence, equally true, equally important and piece of prograssive process.
CONCLUTION
A universal loving creator does not play favourits. He needs all His children to know of His existence, to adore and obey Him, and in this manner, to develop into the spiritual human beings He made them to be.
So each religion is best for the people who believe in it.