by Timothy Franklin

Created on: November 15, 2008

Let's face it. When we think of religion, the majority of us think of Christianity's view of God giving his only begotten son to die on a cross to save humanity from our sins. We all know that there are literally thousands of religions out there. Many of which, none of us have heard about. Most of them claim to possess the one true path to heaven, spiritual enlightenment, and so on. But one has to ask the question: Is it not possible that they all possess "the path"?

Consider this: Most of the world's religions, philosophies, and mystics will agree with at least one single teaching: Do unto others as you would have them done to you. That may be be the Christian form of it, but there are many others (Karma, for instance). In all truth, the majority of religions preach peace, good will towards others, love, compassion, kindness, generosity, and patience.
Let us take the "God" and "religious" parts of the equation out of it and focus on those teachings. If every one of the 6.5 billion humans on the planet were to commit ourselves to these very things, how good do you think things might be? Perhaps, it isn't necessary to have "the one true faith" so much as it is to simply have faith. Perhaps it isn't necessary to live your life to get to heaven so much as it is to simply be a good person who cares about others at least as much as themselves.
Religions have become a product of the age by the simple act of making claims such as being the one true faith. It's called "advertising". The object is to attract your attention to make you consider joining up with them. It's kind of like a dating website. You get a taste of what they have to offer in the window dressing that they show you. But, to really understand the product, you have to join. Whether or not you are disappointed with their product or not really depends on what your experiences are initially. Do you like what they teach? Do you like how you are welcomed? Are the services enjoyable, educational, etc? Have you experienced a miracle? Does the product meet your preconceived expectations or assumptions?
In today's society, the majority of religions are actually nothing more than re-hashes of something far older. If you look at Christianity's teachings and traditions, you will find that there is much that was adopted from other faiths. In fact, the pagan Roman Emperor Constantine actually took steps to meld the pagan goddess- and sun-worshiping religions into Christianity as a measure to avoid the collapse of his empire in a civil war.
If you want this author's opinion, I will say that there are 6.5 billion faiths on the planet. We each believe in something, even if it is only our selves, the laws of physics, etc. No two Christians will agree one hundred percent on every issue, topic, or aspect of their faiths. For instance, one might believe it is OK to have a beer after work while the other may think it is absolutely "of the devil". Still another might believe it is OK to drink but condemns gambling, even if the previous two consider it a sin. They might all be Christians, but they all define their faith individually.
And this undermines any religion's attempt to make the claim that they and they alone possess the "one true faith".

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