What Religion is "Right"?

Question:

All the time I hear stereotypes about religion (especially Islam), please tell me your opinion.  Do you believe one religion is more right than another?

My Reply:

So you want to know what religion, in my opinion, is more right than all the others? Well first of all, to say that only one is right is to say that all others are wrong, for since they’re all different, there can only be one that's right, right? Let's look at some of the popular religions today, and what they offer:

Some Popular Religions Today

But I suppose that what’s “right” really depends on what you hope to get out of it.  For example:

• If you’re looking for cheap harmony and false enlightenment, then maybe Buddhism is right.
• If you’re looking to pride yourself among others and believe in reincarnation, then Hinduism would be the right one.
• If you're hoping to have many spouses and inherit a planet when you die, then Mormonism would be right.
• If you’re in search of harsh, empty discipline with a background in hatred, rage, deception, and revenge, then Islam is the right one to be a part of.
• If you’re looking to live a life based on many of the "better" parts of other religions from, combined by an author who started a religion because he wasn't making any money in writing science fiction, then Scientology is right for you.
• If you’re into healings and never having sex again with your spouse, then Christian Scientists would be right for you.
• If you like the idea of casting spells and calling upon the powers of evil, and calling it “white magic”, then Wicca’s the right religion for you.
• If you’re interested in mostly just celebrating traditions, then Judaism would be right.
• Post-Modernism is a popular religion (or belief system), which is mostly the ways of the world…that one may be right for you.
• Of if you’d like to just take a little bit of each religion out there and form it into your own, then New Age or Universalist-Unitarianism would be the right one.

If You're Searching for a Religion

There are also a bunch of other religions out there, all making false promises of one form or another, but hey, since "truth is relative", who knows? One of them may be the one you’re searching for.

If You're Searching for God

But if you’re searching for the One and Only True God, and would like to know God personally, as well as inherit eternal life with Him, or to “go to heaven” when you die, then honestly, no religion is right…...but this is keeping in mind that Christianity is not a religion.

Christianity Is NOT A Religion

I say that Christianity is not a religion because, as you can see, all regions are somehow about trying to fit your pleasures, or about what YOU must do to become right with God, or what YOU must do to earn some sort of reward in this life or the next.  But the Christian Bible says that works and deeds will never make you right with God, nor can anybody ever earn their way into heaven.  See, being a Christian is not about what WE can do, but what JESUS has already DONE.  So the only way to actually please God, is to receive His Son, Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Also, as a Christian, we understand that, unlike religions, God is God, and His character is not one that we can form or mold.  On the contrary, HE forms US to become more like HIM.

So if Christianity isn’t a religion, then what is it?

Being a Christian is about being in a personal, intimate "RELATIONSHIP" with God through Jesus Christ.  See, religions can’t claim this because they’re too busy trying to please God (or their false gods).  Therefore, since to be a Christian can’t be compared to any religion out there, I believe that only Christianity is right, for it is the only one that is truly connected with and pleasing to the One and Only True God.

---Pastor Andy

Evangelism (part 1)

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Question:

What happens when someone has never heard of your God/Christ?  I just want to know what you think, since this is one of the main reasons that I turned away from religion in elementary school (I'm in high school now and am an agnostic atheist). How is it fair that people in other countries who have never heard of your religion will burn in hell for not following it?   And if they don't, then how can you proclaim Christianity as the only way to salvation?  Religion is generally region specific. Christianity is only prevalent in Western countries and their former colonies. No one can control where they are born and thus what religion and culture they are born into. What happens to a person who leads a good life, but doesn't belief in your faith because they have never been exposed to it?

My Reply:

Your question is very common among non-believers and those who want to disprove or judge God.

First of all, Christianity is not about an "it" but a "who".  Christians don't follow Christianity, we follow Jesus.  The religion is the doing-part in response to our relationships with God through Jesus Christ.  In fact, if you don't have that relationship, then you really can't call yourself a Christian to begin with.  And when I say a relationship, I don't mean giving yourself to Jesus then having nothing to do with Him.  A relationship is an ongoing thing...constant communication (prayer), regular reading of His Word, baptism into the Body where He's the Head, engaging in the sacraments and fellowshipping with other body parts (Christians), studying and applying His Word (which you find in the Bible), listening for His direction and obedience to them, putting what we learn to practice, taking on God's character...anything else is just "religious".
Many who fall away from Christianity often do so because they never had that relationship in the first place.  Sometime they never picked up on that part, other times they focused so much on the doing that they didn't put in time with the relational part, and just burned out.  I'm assuming you'd fit in with this type of "religious" person.

So now say you're in a burning building with several other people. The building consists of 4 tall walls and a roof, no windows, and any doors are solid and locked from the outside. So there's no way out, and everybody agrees that such is the situation. It doesn't matter if you believe in fire or not, or if you believe in smoke or not. In fact, it doesn't even matter if anybody sees or smells the smoke or feels the heat. Point is, the building's burning, about to collapse, and there's no way out.

Now, let's say that you somehow find a way out. What do you do?  Do you run to the exit without telling anybody else?  Or do you inform everybody else in the room of your discovery so that they too may escape the flames?
My point of mentioning this is that sin is present, whether you believe it or not. Jesus is also the only way to be freed from the sin, whether you believe in Him or not (although you can only be freed from sin through Jesus). The second part is a response to the cop-out of what about those who don't know. The point here is that if you find the escape route, it's your responsibility to tell others so they too may escape the flames. In the same way, regardless of where you were born or into what culture, it's the responsibility of the "saved" person (or the person who discovered the way to safety) to tell others about the Way (which is Jesus Christ).

As for Christianity being a "Western" religion, Christianity began in the East, for it's the fulfillment of Judaism, which also originated in the East.  And the ONLY reason Christianity is known in the West is because of people who knew Jesus Christ that traveled from the East, to the West, in order to tell people who didn't know (for though much of the original colonizing was to escape the Church of England, much was also to evangelize to the natives of this land).  And so even today, Christianity continues to grow, moving in every direction, due to those who know Jesus.
I've heard your argument before that says if you were born in Iran for instance, you're bound to be a Muslim, or a Mormon if in Utah, or a Hindu if in India.  But then there ARE Christians living in those countries.  Plus, Christians and Christian teachings are everywhere, so where you live or were born no longer (or maybe never) holds water.  Also on that note, thanks to the internet, you can research "it" (called "it" for the sake of the discussion) from anywhere in the world.  ANY question about Christianity, Jesus, salvation through Christ, etc., you can find the answer to or research on.  Therefore, you can no longer use the excuse of being born here or there, for if you really want to know, you can find out.

So the question turns around now, stares you in the face, and asks, how will YOU respond?  Going back to the burning house, will you listen to the person trying to show you the way out, or will you use your excuses of culture and location as reasons to remain where you are?

---Pastor Andy

Where Did Cain's Wife Come From?

© 2010 Answers in Genesis

Question: In the bible it talks about Eve bearing 3 sons but it also says that eve and Adam were the only two ever to have no earthly father or mother, so when Cain went to live in nod, where did his wife come from?

My Reply:

Yes, the Bible does talk about Eve bearing 3 sons, but it also tells us that they had many other sons and daughters. And being the 1st parents created, Adam and Eve surely made many and many children!

Remember, Adam lived a really long time, and I doubt they only had 1 child a year...they were commanded to fill the earth with people (paraphrased), so I don't doubt the Lord caused Eve to give birth to like, quintuplets or something, at least several times in her life.
Also, we don't know how old Cain and Abel were when the murder took place...so it could've been well over enough time for other children to grow old enough to move away. 

I used to wonder why Cain was afraid of being killed after being sent away. I read recently that these other sons and daughters no doubt knew their brother Abel. So their wanting to kill their other brother Cain would be due to their knowing of what he did to Abel (or more if he ticked them off beforehand).  So Cain's wife was either a sister, niece, or child of a niece (or child of the child of a niece).  That information though is not explained basically because it's not needed to understand the lineage of the patriarchs, the experiences of God’s people, or the prophesies or lineages connected to the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ.  Plus, everybody connected with Cain died in the flood anyway, so there's no need to go back and figure out her part of Adam's lineage.

---Pastor Andy

Meanings of Creeds and Baptism

 Question:

1) What are Creeds in Christianity?

2) What are the major branches of Christianity? And what are the differences?

3) What does being baptized mean?

My Reply:

Wow, big questions :)

1) So what are Creeds in Christianity? Well, in the old days of the early Church, many people went off and began preaching other gospels, confusing people and sending them onto the wrong tracks...much like how religious cults today confuse people about Jesus and Christianity.

So the early church put together creeds in order to profess and make it clear as to what the real Church believes about Jesus Christ.  I suppose you could say it was an early version of apologetics, or defending the Truth.  It's all taken from scripture and from what was being preached by the original evangelists. So in other words, the purpose of the creeds is to teach, remind, and confirm the Truth, and to recognize and disprove the lies.

2) What are Christianity’s major branches? You know, I'm not really sure anymore, for there are so many branches out there now. Also, not all the denominations believe the same thing within their own denominations. So I can't really say.

3) What does Baptism mean, or what happens when you are Baptized?

Many things occur in baptism:
1) First, Baptism is not a means of salvation.
2) Jesus said that nobody can even SEE the Kingdom of God unless they're born from above. In Baptism, we're made a new creation – even a new race (the Christian race) – for like clothing, the old comes off and the new comes on.
3) Baptism is also described as dying and being born anew (from above...same word in the Greek). We die and are buried in our watery graves (dying with Christ), and being born anew when we come up out of the water (resurrecting, in a sense, but not to be confused with the resurrection to come).
4) You've heard the term, "blood is thicker than water"? In terms of baptism, "Water is thicker than blood", for it's in the waters of baptism that we're bonded with the other members of Christ's Body (the Church).
5) It’s the sealing of the deal…as accepting Christ is compared to getting engaged, Baptism can be compared to the wedding.  You’re saved when you enter into a relationship with God by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and you become part of the Body of Christ (fellowship of believers, Church) at Baptism.

I have a blog post that may help you understand some, also, put into context of a conversation.

---Pastor Andy

Why do you think many people in the world are more threatened by Christianity than Islam?

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Question:

Radical Islam has declared Jihad on the West, Israel and Europe, has enslaved women, beheaded the innocent or infidel, and has declared Honor Killings and Sharia Law as the law of Islam.  Now, many Muslims are wonderful people, yet most of the terrorism in the world we see is a Radical form of the Islamic Faith....YET....the world is more concerned about ridding the Christian faith and the teachings of Jesus Christ (GOD), who came to earth in the flesh of MAN, the SON of GOD to bring Peace, Redemption and Salvation to the world.

The HOLY BIBLE even speaks of Demons on the Earth in the LAST DAYS before Jesus returns, running the world into the Ground of evil and dis-obedience of the one true living GOD, and the only thing that makes them *TREMBLE* is the NAME OF JESUS CHRIST....JAMES 2:19-You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

My Reply:

I think the term you used, "Radical" Islamics, could be a part of it, since then the finger can be pointed to a small group and say, "it's just them, not us." I also think more people are familiar with Christianity than they are with Islam, so being a mystery religion, it's easier for Muslims and others to make Islam look like the victim, or to mislead people into believing it's a pure religion that only focus' on peace and submission to God (even though it's not).

The Bible tells us that false prophets and teachers will come from all around, and their messages will be sweet to the taste, even turning strong Christian believers away from the Lord. And since the flesh is at war with the Spirit, and the Spirit is connected with Christ, it's only natural that anything of the flesh should see anything of the Spirit as a threat.
If you'd like some more resources on Islam, Christianity, and witnessing to Muslims, then I'd suggest "Persecution.com, also known as "Voices of the Martyrs".  Otherwise, please feel free to check out some of the links below.

---Pastor Andy

Some of these resources may be helpful for further study on this topic:

  

Iran: Desperate for God  
("Iran: Desperate for God" is also available through Persecution.com. I read a pre-released portion of the book and loved it...very explanatory, backed up by real events and experiences.)

This Resource May Be Helpful In Witnessing To Muslims About Jesus Christ:   

Confused About Faith and God

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Question:

I want to believe but it's so hard for me to believe in God. A while back I had a lot of faith in my religion (Christianity) and I was the happiest guy in the world because I always felt there was someone who truly loved me no matter what. I would do my best to keep the commandments and in doing so I felt that I was doing the right thing and so no matter how much I would go through I wasn't worried because according to scripture, God would help me get through it. I would even go to church by myself because my mom was an Evangelical Christian and I was LDS so I would sit by myself in church, however I never felt lonely. Recently I lost my faith due to everything that goes on in this world. For example, the Bible says the Earth is only 6,000 years old but I know better than that and I know evolution was the means by which Humans came into existence but then again I had a friend who believed that god used Evolution to create Humanity. In conclusion I don't care if I have to blindly follow my religion because having faith in God made my life soooooooo much better! Even if there is no God I'd rather believe than not. I need advice on how I can gain faith.

My Reply:

So let me get this straight...you were solid in your faith when it came to going through anything in your personal life, and you lost your faith when it came to questions about things outside your life but in the rest of the world?
My friend, I see that your problem was recognizing Christianity as a religion where you had to do things in order to feel holy, and how you feel as your confirmation of God's existence. But being a Christian is about being in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and because of this relationship, you are already ARE holy (regardless of how you feel).
There are problems in the world simply because we live in a world tainted by sin. Check here to help with another view on this, as well as other questions: http://www.answersingenesis.org/
The LDS' idea about God and Jesus is also tainted by sin, which may also be what helped you get to where you are now. Have you tried talking with your mom about Jesus? Try reading her Bible (not the book of Mormon). For example, look at John 14:6, and compare that to what the LDS said about Jesus.
To be perfectly honest, if questions about the world are what caused you to fall out of faith, I have to wonder what kept you in the LDS faith for so long?  For example, have you ever seen the golden plates?  History says nobody but Smith has. Have you done research on events and places in the book of Mormon? Archaeology has and continues to prove and give evidence to the Holy Bible and its events, cultures and locations, but nothing has been proven or discovered in terms of the book of Mormon. So what (other than the feeling of God's presence) kept you involved with the church of LDS?  And with so little to base your LDS faith on, why such difficulty in believing in God through Christianity?

---Pastor Andy

Are Angels Real?

Question: Are angels real? Have you seen one? What was it like?

 My Reply:

Yes, Angels are real.
I'm not sure if I've seen one before, though. I say I'm not sure because there were situations before where somebody out of nowhere helped out, then vanished. I never got a good look at them though. Could it have been an angel? Yeah, I believe so.

The Apostle Paul also mentioned that we may come across angels anytime and never know it.

Christianity Borrowed from (Other) Religions?

Question:  What percentage of Christianity do you think is borrowed from older religions and belief systems? Why? Please keep your answer short.

My Reply:

OK, how's this for brief?  NONE of Christianity is "borrowed" from older religions and beliefs.  Although, Christianity is the fulfillment of Judaism, so if you want to consider it as "borrowed", Judaism would be the closest to the answer, I suppose.

---Pastor Andy

Same Gods In Both Testaments?

Question: Why do I always get argued against when I say that the Jewish God is different from the Christian God?

My Reply:

Probably because the Jewish God is the same as the Christian God...they can't be different, for if so, then Christianity would be void.
Before Nero burned down Rome and blamed it on the Christians, Christianity was actually recognized as a sect of Judaism.  Jesus was a Jew.  I suppose you could say that Christianity is an upgrade from Judaism, since Christianity is its fulfillment.

Also, if you look at the Old Testament, you’ll see that everything points to Jesus Christ and all that happened in the New Testament pertaining to Him and what He did on the cross.

So they're not different gods, but One in the same. If they weren't, then Christianity couldn't be real.

Now, if you were to say that the Muslim god is different from the Christian God (another popular discussion topic), then you would be correct.

---Pastor Andy

All Religions Are False!!!

All religions...are they true, or are they false?  What is the possibility that everyone's outcome (after death) relies only on their own views. Possibly, there is no right way or wrong way to worship 'God' (if you believe in him) or fear hell (if you believe in it).

 A lot of people say: "Well what about murderers"? Well, who's to say they won't live peacefully as well? The important thing is not that we're punished for our mistakes, but rather that we learn from them and progress. Surely God (or whatever's out there) is willing to forgive them for learning a lesson. Weren't we all sent here to learn lessons?

Please answer this question with an open mind.

  

My Answer:

You're right...all religions are false. I say this as a Christian, for Christianity isn't a religion, but a RELATIONSHIP with God through Jesus Christ. So the possibility of all being right is several billions (of religions) to 1. And I am saying this with "an open mind".

Religions are all about "what I need to do" in order to be "happy", at peace, or obtain righteousness from God or a god, to be a "good person", or to change. But the Bible tells us that righteousness can only be obtained through faith (which is also entering into a relationship with God through Christ), not works.  But religions are about works. So when faced with the Truth of God, anything else can only be false.
The Pastor at the church we're frequenting said it another way: "Religion tries to change you from the outside-in.  But Christianity changes you from the inside-out."

In terms of punishment, the important thing isn't that we're punished for our mistakes, for often times we're punished even in our innocence. What about murderers? We can ask about their salvation, but to say that we're punished for our mistakes is to say that the people he murdered deserved it, and if so, then the murderer shouldn't be punished, right? But he/she is, right?

We learn and progress, yes, and there IS a God out there willing to forgive them, yes, but they have to repent and accept His forgiveness. Sounds pretty easy, right? Yet so many choose not to and instead follow a religion.

Finally, why were we sent here? To glorify God. If you choose not to glorify Him, then why would you want to spend all of eternity with Him? Because that's what Heaven is...God's home. Good vs. evil, right vs. wrong, left vs. right, yin vs. yang, yes vs. no, heaven vs. hell. God didn't create hell for us, but for Satan and his demons. But as a loving God, He's given us the freedom to choose where we wish to go when we die. We could go to be with Him, or not.  Check out my blog for more on this topic.

---Pastor Andy

Religious Polar Opposites?

Question: Are there any religions out there that are polar opposites of each other?

My Reply:

Christianity vs. everything else.

Christianity is about what Jesus has already done to make us right w/ God...it's also about a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It's selfless and communal, for it's about a Kingdom people...the Church.

Everything else (religions) is about what I or you need to do to get right w/God (which is impossible, but people still continue to try). Religions also don't have any sort of relationship with God except like, pee-on vs. big time celebrity under heavy guard, if they even believe in Him at all. And finally, religions are selfish, for they're all about individual righteousness, accomplishments, and being better than others.

---Pastor Andy

Christianity-"Lite"

Question:  For example, say you're a good person deep down, you believe in the goodness of people, and you help people. But you don't live a restricted life, you drink occasionally with friends, you enjoy a nasty joke, and you have sex outside of marriage (in a relationship)? I am in college.  I joined a Christian group and they would crap their pants if they knew that about me. I like them...but they are such prudes! lol. Is it possible to be a "light" Christian?

My Reply:

There's this disease being spread in many of the churches and ministries today, and it's called "cheap grace". Cheap Grace says that you can be a "light Christian"...God loves you the way you are and because He loves you, He won't ask you to change a thing. Holiness is not a factor, and discipleship is a disinterest or considered unnecessary. There's no repentance, just acceptance. And people who have accepted Cheap Grace believe that as long as people are "good" in terms of the world's standards, then they too will be saved, and anybody who says otherwise (even quote scripture out of context to back it up) are closed-minded. 

Unfortunately my friend, it sounds like you've been infected with it, and if you don't take the antidote combination (which are Jesus Christ with Costly Grace), then yes, you will die.


Check out this ad for more information ;)

---Pastor Andy

Christian View of Sex

Question:

Explain the Christian argument for chastity.  Explain how Christianity is pro-body and pro-sex, and argues that. 

My Reply:

Pro-body/sex: 
1) God created us as sexual beings.
2) God introduced marriage to us with the first 2 humans (He brought the woman to Adam, as a father does his daughter today, bone of my bone etc. is known as wedding vows, Adam only had 1 wife).

Sex is meant to be within the relationship of a married couple:
The Apostle Paul explains in 1 Corinthians that sex outside of marriage is actually the worst sin you can commit against yourself, for when you have sex with somebody, you actually merge yourself with that person. You've heard that analogy with the tree? A guy sleeps with this girl who's slept with 10 other guys, so technically he’s sleeping with them too...that argument originated in the context of AIDS, but similarly, because sex is not just physical, but also emotional and spiritual, you actually do merge with each person you have sex with.

One explanation of this: in the TV show or movie "Highlander", when they chopped off their enemy-immortals’ heads, they absorbed all the spirits of those whom their victim had killed. If 50 people, they absorb those 50 people's souls, or something.  Sex is kind of like that, in the merging sense.

Another example: you're blue, she's red (primary colors).  When you have sex with each other, you each become purple.  Purple is good if you’re married, but until then, you were created to remain your primary color.  Now say you’re each purple, and you each have sex with others.  You keep mixing in other shades and colors, and soon you don't know what color you are, or you look like those blobs of Play-doh (like the one above) with all the colors mixed into it...and they're so mixed in that you'll never get them back to their original colors.

So you see, Christianity isn't against sex...sex is awesome, feels great, and was created for our pleasure. Otherwise, it wouldn't feel so good (yes, I'm married). 

Christianity is FOR sex.  But if it's going to be blessed by God, and not sinful, then it needs to be in the context in that which God had intended, which is marriage.

---Pastor Andy

Play-Doh ball picture courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/piepkorn/2093606082/

Copy Cat Religions

Question:  Christians, how do you explain religions that pre-date Christianity, all having a Christ-like figure? In other words, many figures were born from a virgin, crucified, and resurrected. It's the same story told under a different name! This is documented history...is your religion just a re-telling of an ancient story?

My Reply:
I've heard of some of these stories while talking with a professed-atheist friend of mine, and I'd not only suggest them as "copy-cats" of events in the Bible, but I'd also say that just the fact that such stories even exist shows that so many people, for so long, so strongly desired a savior to come and rescue them from the events of their time.

First of all, we have to remember that Moses predicted Christ's first coming way back, what, 4000-5000 years ago? Then we have Jesus being mentioned in the Psalms, which are thought to have been written about 3000 years ago, Jesus' virgin birth mentioned about 2500 years ago, the prediction of the coming of the Holy Spirit about 2800 years ago...I mean, everything was promised through the prophets of old.

So you figure, the Israelites mingled with other nations, and no doubt shared their prophesies, which gives reason to believe that others may have taken (copied) such stories as their own. But either way, Jesus Christ is the ONLY one to have fulfilled EVERY prophesy about Him, and the ONLY one who was risen from death 3 days later. The Jews admit Jesus lived, died on the cross, and that His tomb was empty 3 days later; the Muslims even acknowledge that Jesus raised up into Heaven; and the Christians (as well as 500+ other people who saw Jesus alive 3 days after they saw Jesus die on the cross at the hands of the Romans) all spread the news.

Also, not many have heard of these other stories you talk of (you don't even have examples or details...sounds more like word of mouth). Yet practically everybody knows of Jesus Christ.



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