IS THERE A TRUE RELIGION?
Dr. A.A.B. Philips Nov. 2010
Is there a need for Religion?
Some people claim that the earth and its inhabitants are too insignificant in relationship to the vastness of the universe for God to be personally bothered with. In their view God created the world and left it to run on its own. They suggest that God created human beings but did not provide them with guidance on how to live their lives. This claim is totally unreasonable because God's wisdom is absolute. It would be contrary to His nature for Him to create people and not guide them to the correct path for success in this world and in the hereafter. If God created human beings and did not lay down regulations to which they should adhere (i.e., religion), then we could expect that humankind would be confused and chaos would ensue in which only “the law of the jungle” would rule. The present condition of the world is such because people are unaware of or do not adhere to God`s regulations.
If a factory was set up and its employees hired without informing them of their duties and responsibilities, in all probability they would not report to work on time nor would they know what was expected of them if and when they reported. The same would be true in a hospital, school or any other institution. In the same way that every establishment clearly lays out its expectations, God, the almighty Creator of the universe and its contents, has created man and prescribed a way of life by which man should abide in order to be successful in this world, and more importantly, in the next. The claim that God did not reveal a religion is essentially the same as saying there is no God. Proper belief in God requires not only belief in His existence, but in the true religion He revealed to humankind.
Thus, when God created the first human beings, Adam and Eve, He provided them with instructions concerning how to live in this world. That religion, provided by God for all human beings, was the one true religion. God did not reveal a variety of religions, which would have caused confusion. So the question is: «Which religion among the multitude of world religions is the right way – the one God intended for His creation?» In order to find the answer, people have to be open-minded and not simply follow a particular religion because their parents chose it. Human beings have been given intelligence in order to investigate and choose the religion which can logically be proven to be the true religion of God.
When setting up a business, human beings typically take time out to first thoroughly research successful business practices. They do not limit themselves to this information alone; instead they try to determine what innovative steps they can take to make their business thrive. Why do so many people take business so seriously but when it comes to religion become so lax? Moreover, many people tend to adhere fervently to a religion only when they reach an advanced age.
Others criticize religion blaming it for many wars, human suffering, and acts of terrorism. However, if one compares World War I, World War II, the Korean war, the Vietnam wars, and the current wars of Iraq and Afghanistan to the wars that have been fought for religious reasons, it is clear that the numbers of people who have died from religion-based conflicts are far less than the numbers who have died in other armed conflicts. Therefore, this cannot be considered as a valid reason to avoid searching for and choosing a religion.
For the person who truly believes in God, it is abundantly clear that He must have prescribed a way of life for His creatures. Furthermore, it does not make sense that the prescribed way should be different for different people, since people are basically the same. The code of laws of Hammurabi from 1,750 B.C. deals with the same issues with which modern societies are faced today. The most ancient Hieroglyphics of the Egyptians thousands of years before Hammurabi also address the same issues. The famous Rosetta Stone discussed similar business concerns confronting trading nations today.
Human beings have not changed for hundreds of thousands, if not millions of years. Why then should God prescribe one way of life for one set of people and another way for another set of people? The logical thing is that God would prescribe only one way appropriate for human beings from the time the first human being was created to the end of the Earth. If God indeed prescribed such a way of life for His creation, then it should have certain characteristics which make it appropriate for human beings throughout every period of time and in every corner of the world.
Religion of choice
God has given human beings the ability to discern what the correct religion is. No religion should be considered the true religion simply because it was inherited, i.e., because one’s parents and grandparents followed it. God gave human beings intellect to be able to make correct choices in all aspects of their lives. However, people commonly tend to use their intelligence in their worldly lives but turn it off in their spiritual lives. They often willingly accept ridiculous religious practices simply because it is an inherited custom. However, it is God’s will that people are born into different religious traditions. He will not reward or punish people for the religion they were reared from early childhood to follow. However, each human being is required to reflect on his or her situation and to choose what is, in fact, correct. In order to do so, one must have a set of criteria to determine objectively what the right religion is. One may start by examining the claims of each religion as to why it considers itself to be the true religion of God.
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