by Orestes J. Gonzalez

Created on: November 25, 2008   Last Updated: April 28, 2012

Just as "there is a great deal of evidence by way of written record and artifact to show that no matter how far one may reach back into history, there is music," so also is there similar evidence to show that there has been religion in every culture. (1)

The question then is this: From the multiplicity of religions, is there one right religion?

A number of considerations seem to be operative in the minds of individuals when addressing the question of the one right religion.

In the ultimate analysis the reasons that help shape one's answer in one direction or another are a mystery that defies logic. But this does not invalidate the fact that the act of free-will is best exercised when aided by well structured argumentation.

Regardless of the circumstances, the choice one makes is both an exercise of free-will and an act of inference.

In this paper I shall concentrate on providing a few fundamental premises that seem to me to be substantive in support of arguments in favor of the one true religion.

According to "Fides et Ratio," one may define the human being as the one who seeks the truth. "God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth." (2)

And just as God provided fruits, plants, animals, and water to quench man's hunger and thirst, God has provided answers to quench man's desire to know the truth. God has made himself known to man.

God manifests himself as the ultimate cause of the material world. But God also manifested himself in human language.

In the opening line of the "Letter to the Hebrews" one reads, "In times past, God spoke to the fathers through the prophets at various times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, Jesus Christ."

Concerning religion, the voice of the created world, though important, is not as compelling as the voices of the prophets, and the voices of the great religious personalities, and the voice of Jesus Christ. God has revealed himself in history with a language and message that go well beyond that of creation.

It should nonetheless be accentuated that revelation remains charged with mystery.

"Religion is practically a universal phenomenon wherever the human race is found." (See "Theism" in "Encyclopedia Britannica.") And every religion pretends to be bearer of a message which has its origin in God himself.

Here are some of the difficulties: Which religion shall seekers choose? What are the norms to guide their choice? Can one conclude that a point of reference for a reasonable

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