Let me start off by saying, “I love religion.” I love to think about religion, talk about it, study it, and write about it. Also, I think the variety of religion in the world is beautiful and wonderful. Such diversity and wonder…
I could sit and talk for hours (and I have) with individual persons about their religious experiences — no matter how different they are from my own.
Many times in conversation, the subject of the uniqueness of specific religions comes up. Usually, the question is phrased something like this: “Well, aren’t all religions the same deep down at their core?” When asked this question or some variant, I feel that I honestly have to respond, “Yes…and No.”
Yes, I believe that deep down in the core of every human person there is a pull toward something beyond us — God, the Ultimate, etc. This is the “religious impulse” or “spiritual impulse,” if you don’t care for the word religion. Now, many persons ignore or do not perceive this impulse, but I believe it is there — whispering to us that there is more to life than eating, sleeping, going to work, having sex, and paying taxes. In this sense, all religions are linked.
However, if the person talking about the interchangeability of religions means that Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, or Christianity are only separated by semantics and cultural customs, then I feel that I must disagree. Now, don’t get me wrong. The person who thinks about the sameness of religion on this level is usually very well-intentioned. He/she often sees the horrors that we have inflicted on each other in the name of our religious differences. These scars which mar the face of every religion are unequivocally wrong — evil in a way that brooks no debate, allows for no question of excuse. It should be deeply humbling to us as humans that we have taken one of the most beautiful and essential pieces of our nature and used it for something indescribably ugly. Still, the difference among religions are not the cause of all this trouble, so they shouldn’t just be swept under the rug.
To not respect the difference of one religion from another is to not respect what they say about themselves. In fact, it is a very strong form of disrespect which seeks to invalidate, at least in part, every religion. It is setting oneself up – quite arrogantly, I might add – to “really” be able to evaluate the worth of each religion based on the individual’s perception of truth, enlightenment, etc. Allow each religion to speak for itself. Admire the difference each one asserts. Not matter how tempted you might be to say, “All you religions look alike to me.”
Okay…so back to the difference of Christianity (I am really taking “metaphysical meandering” seriously today!) or “Why I am a Christian?”
I want to focus on two passages from Paul’s letters: Colossians 1:15-20 and Philippians 2:5-8. It’s hard for me to leave the Gospels here, but Paul knew that his audiences were mainly Gentile (non-Jew), so he often went to the trouble of explaining the reasoning behind prescribed actions and beliefs in great detail.
Anyway, let’s start with Col. 1:15-20. I believe these few verses are the greatest statement in the Bible of who Christ is — He is God, and not just a god, the Ultimate in bodily, human form — the Everything of Everything squeezed into our tiny, little living space. John 1:1-5 says the same thing very beautifully but less clearly to those who aren’t familiar with the importance of the “Word” to an ancient worldview. Phil. 2:5-8 follows up from this viewpoint to show the deep humility of God (and victory in 9-11).
These two passages work together to show the real difference of Christianity: God believes in us!
Many religions encourage humanity to believe in God, gods, or ultimate reality. Christianity shows that God, Divinity, Ultimate Reality believes in us. For all of our imperfection and brokenness, God believed we were worth it. That’s why I am a Christian — that hope. If God believed in us — and showed us bodily what we could be, then we can move forward with some hope for life on this tiny, little world — our island home.
P.S. You might have notice that I haven’t said much about “sin.” Well, I do think that Christians focus too much here. We tend to act as if christ is about forgiveness from SIN rather than CHRIST is about FORGIVENESS from sin. So, suffice it to say, if you’re worried about sin, it’s been taken care of…so let’s move on to talk of something else.