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“In Perspective”
We do not live in a closed or secular world. One look to the daily news will confirm that no community can remain as an “island” unto itself - whether this is a community of people or a community of the church. The violence and hatred of religious sectarian battles infiltrate nearly every corner of this shrinking world. It is vital that we understand each other in order to live peacefully alongside each other. Recognizing that there is true power in knowledge, as Christians we must empower ourselves to better understand the complexities -- and the diversities-- of other beliefs. In some situations, you may be surprised to see that there is not that many degrees of separation between religious beliefs. In other cases, the ideology could be from another planet.
“In Perspective” will highlight, compare and contrast what are considered the major religions of the world. The purpose is not to defame, diminish or denounce any religion in this volatile world, and if any reader is offended, it is not the purpose to do so. It is through knowledge and exchange of thought that we learn tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
An Outline of the Major Religions of the World
Ralph O. Muncaster presented the following outline of the major religions of the world in his book, How Is Jesus Different From Other Religious Leaders.
1. Judaism -- Judaism is too small to be called a "world religion." Its adherents make up less than one percent of the world's population (fewer than some religions that are not listed). However, the impact of Judaism has been enormous because it is the foundation of the Christian religion (Jesus was Jewish) and is largely the basis for Islam.
Basic Doctrine of Judaism:
• God -- There is one God, who created the universe and everything in it.
• Mankind -- People are separated from God by sin.
• Sin -- People are sinful, but can be reconciled to God by making sacrifices for their sin.
• Eternity -- People can gain an eternal dwelling with God by following the laws of Moses.
2. Christianity -- The largest world religion, with about a third of the world's population, quickly spread within the eastern hemisphere during the time after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is history-based (based on historical facts and events).
Basic Doctrine of Christianity:
• God -- There is one God. Jesus is the Son -- one of the three "Persons" of the three-in-one Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Spirit.)
• Mankind -- People are sinful by nature.
• Sin -- People are separated from God by sin, and must accept God's gift of Jesus' sacrifice on their behalf and be baptized into a new life in order to be reconciled with God.
• Eternity -- Eternity is a gift from God, given freely to people as a result of their committing themselves to Jesus.
3. Islam - Founded by Muhammad, Islam combines much of Judaism (several of the books of the Hebrew Scriptures -- the "Old Testament"), Christianity (a version of the gospel), and adds the writings based on Muhammad's teaching (the Qur'an). About 20% of the world's population adheres to Islam.
Basic Doctrine of Islam:
• God -- God is a single unit. Considering Jesus and the Holy Spirit to be God is blasphemous.
• Mankind - People are by nature good.
• Sin -- People can be forgiven of sin through repentance. Jesus' involvement is not necessary.
• Jesus -- Jesus is a great prophet, but to identify Him as God is blasphemous.
• Salvation -- People are saved by virtue of their deeds. Their good deeds must outweigh their bad deeds at the day of judgment.
4. Hinduism -- The other foundational world religion, Hinduism, has adherents that number about 13% of the world's population. It is philosophy-based (that is, it is based on ideas, not on historical facts and events) and has no known single founder.
Basic Doctrine of Hinduism:
• God -- "God" is an impersonal force; an undefinable, all-pervading deity. Hinduism recognizes hundreds, even thousands, of lesser gods.
• Mankind -- People are morally neutral, but their status reflects their karma from past lives, which they must work off in order to reach nirvana.
• Sin -- Actions and thoughts inconsistent with dharma, the moral order. "Sin" does not affect a person's relationship to Brahman.
• Jesus -- He is not an issue.
• Salvation -- Nirvana can be achieved by working off karma through actions, knowledge, or devotion on the part of an individual. Working off karma to achieve nirvana -- the state of dissolution -- may require millions of reincarnations.
5. Buddhism -- Founded by Buddha after a period of "enlightenment," it is a reconstruction of the fundamentals of the Hindu religion and is likewise philosophy-based. About 6% of the world's population follows Buddhism.
Basic Doctrine of Buddhism:
• God -- God is an abstract. In essence, Buddhism is an atheistic philosophy.
• Man -- We suffer because of our desires for temporary things.
• Sin -- Suffering is the focus, not sin as such.
• Jesus -- He is not a factor.
• Salvation -- Total enlightenment brings us to nirvana, a state of blessedness in which all desire and individual consciousness is extinguished.
6. Confucianism -- Confucius was the originator of the philosophies that were formed into the Confucian religion. Three to four percent of the world's population follows Confucianism. It also is a philosophy-based religion.
Basic Doctrine of Confucianism:
• God -- He (it) is not really personal, but is the ultimate reality. Confucius himself did not profess to be divine, though some sects later deified him.
• Mankind -- People are good by nature and are potentially perfect.
• Sin -- Sin only occurs when people are forced to act in evil ways, or when they allow their minds to wander to evil thoughts.
• Jesus -- Jesus has no bearing on Confucian thought.
• Salvation -- There is no precise definition. It is sometimes viewed as a creative moral power or an impersonal principle.
7. Christian Science -- Mary Baker Eddy was founder of Christian Science, one of the leading "mind science" religions that have a close relationship to the gnostic mystery religions of the first few centuries after Christ. Her doctrines were based on Phineas Parker Quimby's teachings about mental-psychic healing and are fundamentally opposed to biblical Christianity.
Basic Doctrine of Christian Science:
• God -- God is an impersonal, all pervasive spirit that is in everyone. All people are part God.
• Man -- People are spirits, but are bound by the illusion that they are made up of matter.
• Sin -- Sin is merely blindness -- ignorance of the fact that people are spirit, not matter.
• Jesus -- Jesus was simply a highly enlightened Christian Scientist. The "Christ" refers to an advanced state of consciousness that everyone has to some degree-- "Jesus more than others."
• Salvation -- Salvation is a process of learning to slough off the illusion that we are material. Since there is no fall from grace, no hell, and no Satan as the Bible teaches, there is no need to be "redeemed" from anything.
8. Jehovah's Witness -- This organization (the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society) was founded in the late 1800's by Charles Russell. Its teachings differ from biblical Christianity in many ways, but most fundamentally in that the deity of Jesus is denied and His role is diminished. The Society created a new "biblical" theology emphasizing that salvation is dependent upon our actions, and it places a high emphasis on prophecy about the end times.
Basic Doctrine of Jehovah's Witness:
• God -- He is called "Jehovah" and exists in a single person, unlike Christianity's one God in three persons. He never came to earth in the human form of Jesus.
• Mankind -- People are a material creation of Jehovah.
• Sin -- Sin can be overcome by one's good actions as defined by the Society.
• Jesus -- He is not divine, but rather is a creation of Jehovah -- an angel who existed first as Michael, then as the man Jesus, and now exists again as Michael, the exalted angel.
• Salvation -- "The 144,000" have already been "saved." Everyone else must earn his or her way to good works, such as door-to-door proselytizing.
9. Mormonism -- Joseph Smith was the founder of the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints," the largest branch of which is known as Mormons. Mormon doctrine now teaches that Smith is a god who sits on the throne with Jesus and "Elohim" (another god, who was formerly a human); Smith will judge human beings along with these other gods. The Book of Mormon and other Mormon writings have been extensively studied by experts.
Among other findings, the historicity of the Book of Mormon has been flatly denied by representatives of the Smithsonian Institution; and the "Book of Abraham" in Pearl of Great Price was proven fraudulent by a Mormon expert in Egyptology. The failed prophecies of the Mormon writings have also caused problems for the church.
Basic Doctrine of Mormonism:
• God -- was once a man; any male can become a god. (Note: This doctrine is nowhere contained in The Book of Mormon.)
• Mankind -- People exist as spirits before birth and can become gods by adherence to church doctrines and rules in this life.
• Sin -- Doing approved works overcomes sin.
• Jesus -- A brother of Satan, created by "Elohim" through sexual union with Mary, who is one of Elohim's wives.
• Salvation -- Nearly everyone goes to some type of paradise. Those who strictly adhere to church rules achieve higher levels; males can even become gods.
10. Scientology -- Created by science fiction author, L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology promotes belief in an extraterrestrial race called "Thetans" and offers special supernatural treatments that can provide salvation -- at substantial expense (many of Hollywood's elite actors belong to this cult.) Governments of several countries have investigated Scientology and have warned their citizens about the truthfulness of its claims. In the U. S., church offices have been raided by the IRS; and it continues to be embroiled in many lawsuits over its activities.
Basic Doctrine of Scientology:
• God -- "God" as such is irrelevant. All people's souls are gods.
• Man -- People are essentially good, but must be reincarnated until the godlike "Thetan" status is realized.
• Sin -- Human reason will produce perfect behavior. The Bible is useless. It is "beneath contempt to tell a man he must repent, that he is evil."
• Jesus -- An advanced human who had a "strong energy glow" but was not at the "highest operating Thetan" level.
• Salvation -- There is not hell to be saved from, but freedom from the cycle of reincarnation can be achieved, especially if proper treatments -- at a considerable cost -- are undertaken.
11. Cults. No honest look at world religions can exclude the presence of cults and cult worship. Neil Wilson and Linda Taylor, authors of the Tyndale Handbook of Bible Charts and Maps, offers the following common characteristics of a cult (group claiming to be a religion): Examples of world recognized cults include: Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas run by David Koresh, the Heaven's Gate in California, and the People's Temple run by Reverend Jim Jones.
Basic Doctrine of a Cult:
• A central authority makes the decisions. Cults find their authority not in the Bible but in a powerful and dictatorial leader.
• Special prophets or special revelation show that the cult has "new truth." Because of so-called "problems" in the Bible or in Christian doctrine, cults appeal to new authorities or new spiritual revelation to counter Christianity.
• Attacks on the Christian church. Cults take great pains to show that Christian denominations show the disunity of the Christian church. The cult may point out immorality, racism, and hypocrisy in the Christian church in order to "prove" that it is not the true church.
• Attacks on Christian doctrine. To establish their authority, cults try to prove the "unreasonableness" of Christian doctrine. They especially attack the doctrine of the Trinity and of the deity of Christ.
• Undermine Scripture. Cults twist the Scripture's grammatical or textual background, or string together unrelated verses, in order to "prove" some way-out viewpoint.
• Promote salvation by works. Cults stress actions -- meetings, training, doing the work of the group-- as essential to acceptance by God.
• Undermine the assurance of eternal life in God's grace. Cults teach that salvation exists in adherence to their teaching and practice, not in the merciful love of God through Jesus Christ.
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