Are all religions essentially the same?
When I talk to people about Jesus, they often try to deflect my words by saying something like "All religions are basically the same, so it doesn't really matter which one a person chooses - as long as they believe in God and are morally good."
This, of course, is a statement that can only be made by someone wwho is only superficially familiar with religion. Religions are not the same at all. A central concept of Hinduism, for example, is atman -- which means "soul." A central concept of Buddhism, on the other hand, is anatman -- which literally means "no-soul." If you're Hindu, you believe all human beings have a soul. If you're a Buddhist, you believe the human soul or identity is basically an illusion. That's a huge difference with serious implications either way.
Some religions (or variants of a religion) tell you that you should kill people who have a different religion. I personally don't think this is a very valid position. But there are other religions that say you should leave people who have other religions alone and not make any effort whatsoever to convince them to follow yours. I think this is a fairly loveless position as well. If I had a cure for cancer, would it be right for me to keep it to myself? Of course not. Well, I don't have a cure for cancer -- but I have something better. I have a cure for sin. So I think it's only right to share it with others. If they remain unconvinced, I promise not to kill them or even judge them. But because I really care about people, I try to at least give them a little insight into this proven cure whenever I can.
Let's take the medical analogy a little further. Imagine you have a heart condition, and you go to two doctors. One doctor says "You know, I think you need a lot more butter and salt in your diet. I want you to stop exercising and go to Burger King at least three times a week. Once you get your weight up to 340 or 350, your problems will be over." The other doctor says "You have a serious problem, my friend. We need to bring your fat consumption way down and get you doing some cardio. I also want you to take this medication for a few months to see if it helps. Then come see me in a month and we'll see if your condition has improved."
Those two doctors are very different aren't they? In fact, one will probably save your life while the other one will probably kill you.
But here's the thing. Both doctors have a lot in common. Neither one told you to eat rocks and jump off the top of a ten-story building. They didn't suggest that you have surgery to remove your liver or that you soak your feet in hydrochloric acid.
Religions are similar in this same way. Just about all religions tell you not to lie, cheat or steal. They tell you to honor some kind of god or gods. But those similarities are essentially meaningless, because they are simply the attributes of what we call a "religion." Adolf Hitler and Mother Teresa both walked upright and consumed food through an opening in the front of their faces. They were both people, after all, and all people are basically the same -- right? No difference!
What's funny is that everyone wants the very best doctor they can get. Even if one doctor is just a tiny little bit better than the other, we'd all want the one who will give us that slight advantage. And ifyou know a great doctor, you recommend him or her to everyone you care about. Yet, when it comes to our spiritual condition (which, I would contend, is infinitely more important than our physical condition) people actually tell me with a straight face that it doesn't really matter who or what people follow -- as long as they're "good."*
4 Please click here to go to Part Two! It's important! 4
*By the way, the idea that religion exists simply to enforce moral order is absolutely and completely false. Religion did not originate to fulfill mankind's need for moral order. Religion came about because we want to know who we are and what the heck we're doing here. Morality simply gives us some basic rules so that we can live together in some semblance of harmony. The two objectives are quite different. Morality is a bit like auto mechanics. It just gets us from one place to another without crashing into stuff. But it doesn't tell us why we want to get there or even where exactly we want to go. Religions are more like maps -- or, in the case of mine, the most amazing personal tour guide and traveling companion.
