Archive for the ‘English’ Category

Ritual cleansing and purification

Sunday, April 6th, 2014

When you look at many of the major world religions they have some sort of cleansing ritual associated with normal life events such as with childbirth and death including their normal day to day actives of human experience as with menstruation, flatulence, sleep, sexual contact, unconsciousness, emission of blood, semen, vomit, and disease, etc.
Some of these purification rites involve ablutions such as are practiced among the Bahai Faith while others prefer their bodies to be completely immersed in water.
For the Jews this ritual involves such acts as hand washing and the Mikvah while Muslims have the Ghusl and Wudu. Hindus bathe in the holy river Ganges and practice  Achamana and Punyahavachanam. The Shintoist performs Misogi and the Native American Indian has their Sweat Lodge.
Though these religions have a vast array of differences in their world views there are some similarities or familiarities as involving some form of water which for them carries a real sense in which a person consciously discerns their uncleanness with an innate awareness that they are in some significant way defiled therefore in need of cleansing as symbolized by these actions with the use of this universal solvent as an agent of purification.
This self awareness as found in some religious expressions becomes a behavioral attitude towards having a mindful sense of a transcendent reality with a methodological approach according to the old adage of cleanliness is next to godliness. However to say that there is a correlation to this physicality or materialism as applying it as an effectual agent as dealing with divine disfavor and dissatisfaction or as an opportune to sanitize ones, so called, divine essence proves to be counterproductive  as constantly needing to repeat the same activities over and over again with an endless cycle of washings which intuitively seems to lack a complete sense or sufficient effect to sustainably cleanse. These reactions towards a need for sanctification and holiness seem to fail in creating a stockpile of merit as they are short lived as being negated with the brevity of time as they perpetually rewash themselves again and again as being subjected to their frequent immorality and imperfection as human beings. Thus it appears this need for repetitiveness to be thoroughly cleansed can’t be entirely removed in the ultimate sense as leaving some aspects of their being unclean and in need of someone else who is capable to reach the unreachable part of their self identity as eliminating the defilement of their human hearts.
Anyway there are some real practical benefits of hygiene when it comes to bathing and washing but to make a direct association between the internal and external facets of an individual through these habitual mannerisms of superficial skin deep treatments, which may be sincere and outwardly appear to be a form of wisdom, yet are unable to penetrate beyond the surface level as connecting the physical realm to that of the immaterial and immortal soul  as contributing towards an individuals spiritual well being.
Rabbi Yeshua put it this way as addressing His fellow Jews concerning such practices

Matthew 15:1-2,11, 17-20
15 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.”
11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”
17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”
Apart from human filth the other aspect of this matter may deal with the significant sense and understanding of a deeper realization to remove the impurity of guilt and shame left behind from their moral failures. This reminds of the Shakespearean play in which Lady Macbeth shouts “Out, damned spot” concerning her role in the death of King Duncan as a need to remove the sin stained bloodshed from upon her hands.
In some respect by performing these rituals it becomes an indirect way through their actions to openly confess as recognizing their state of immorality and therefore washing becomes a way of responding according to their human ability and self effort to somehow mysteriously do the job as sufficiently dealing with their moral failures with this compulsive drive to be made clean. Again, I believe this fails to demonstrate an efficacy regardless of their awareness, desire, piety and zeal in performing these rites as the sufficient means to reconcile or ratify  these matters through the limited and dependent abilities of human factors as a somewhat penitent act to offset as to appease, gain favor and acceptance by these various methodologies. Even if all this were somehow possible then when would  it ever be enough to absolve their status or state of uncleanliness and to what degree of scrubbing can sufficiently eradicate the tattooing that has indelibly left its mark upon the heart which has pigmented the spirit and soul with death from both its past and future actions.
Conclusively there is a real conscious sense which is inherent within all mankind that we have violated the standard of a holy God as indicative with an impending sense of a future judgment for those who fail to resolve this substantial conflict.

Romans 2:14-16
14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

Mankind has struggled to deal with this tension in forming or creating a delusional religious dialogue of ideologies as blazing a trail in finding a solution to navigate this journey towards enlightenment while the hostility of the deceived  anti-theistic psychopath just plainly denies the need to leave their personal abode as to venture out on a quest, which according to their belief, leads to no where as religion becomes an avenue by which weak willed persons have succumbed to the Freudian neurosis of fantasy as seeking a path to a make believe land.  So interestingly, either way, mankind has found a method to traverse or cope with this matter as to self manage this conscious appeal from the Creator.
In response to this crisis I would like to suggest a solution by means of the person and work of Christ who unlike other religious expressions isn’t about mankind trying to find, approach or reach out to God but rather it is about God pursuing mankind relationally with humanity reciprocating a trust response. Thus it isn’t according to the the strength, or for that matter weaknesses, of mankind’s personal abilities but rather cleanliness and purity has been graciously offered as a free gift resulting in fellowship and worship by which God, not us has made possible.
Titus 3:5
5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
1 John 1:7 
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
You may object in believing Christianity to being no different than any other form of religious expression with its cleansing sacrament of Water Baptism and in part I would have to agree with you as for some it is no more than a mere bath as going through the motions of identifying with the Church but who are in essence unclean as pseudo believers. True baptism, as a central tenet of the faith, primarily serves as an outward sign or symbol of the effectual and cleansing power of the perfect and precious life blood of Jesus which redemptively purifies all believers in judicially declaring them righteous as coinciding with the transference of the Holy Spirit as the personal change agent who through the process of regeneration brings about an inner transformation. Thus the act of water baptism is a witness or testimony to a reality that didn’t come by combining the elements of hydrogen and oxygen in order to benefit from a liquid but rather it was through the saving work of Christ and the living water of the Holy Spirit as the dynamo that inhabits a person as evidenced by a changed heart and life. It is God Himself that gives the good gift of salvation and the Holy Spirit which does not subsist through the plunging efforts of human baptizers and therefore water baptism becomes only a glimpse concerning this heavenly reality of the power of God in this womb like transaction as giving new birth to a person, not as being born of human will or origin such as with religious activities, but rather through the initiation of God as being born from above or born again through Christ and the Holy Spirit. This being born anew is not to be confused with the Hindu and Buddhist concept of rebirth, as it is the resultant work of Christ who imparts the Holy Spirit as contingent upon His initiative followed with a responsive act of faith or trust in His salvation.
The scriptures likens this reality based on future redemption of Israel according to the Hebraic prophet Ezekiel 36:25-27.

25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

Rabbi Yeshua said it this way during the Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot in

John 7:37-39
37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

The ancient Jews at best had a temporal satisfaction in their ritualistic duties to God but as stated in Hebrews 10 these were only symbols not the reality  themselves as Christ’s offering for our cleansing was given once and for all as the perpetual sacrificial offering as the “Lamb of God” who takes away the sins of the world. To say that Jews don’t need a sacrifice today as the rituals of prayer, fasting and good deeds will suffice as being satisfactory is an act of violation and rebellion against the inscripturated word as denying the fulfillment of the Torah regarding, Leviticus 17:11.

11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.

No matter how many Mitzvot you perform what surety is there that you have done enough or that your sins have been forgiven apart from the provisional sacrifice of God’s mercy and grace through the Messiah in Isaiah 53?
Likewise for my Muslim friends to deny the death of Jesus as some semblance of failure within the prophetic office entirely misses the point that this was God’s glorious plan to provide an Abrahamic type of  substitutionary atonement by means of the Messiah whose temporary disgrace and shame served as a joyous purpose and occasion as enduring the cross in leading many to glory, Hebrew 2:9-18; 12:2.

jesusandjews.com/wordpress/2011/07/14/crucifixion-of-jesus-christ-and-islam/

In closing Jesus can give you living water which can completely and fully satisfy  and refresh your soul and even though the heavenly Father can lead you to this water He won’t make you drink of it. So finally I would encourage you my friend, like the Samaritan woman, to simply ask for this living water which is essential towards quenching your spiritual thirst apart from false religions, cults  and philosophies which will only leave you high and dry as only being thirsty once again.

John 4:10, 13-14
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this (well) water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Lastly Jesus invites you!
 
Mt 11:28-30
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
How to have a realtionship with God

www.jesusandjews.com/wordpress/

 

 

 

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2007

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Bahai Faith Resources

Sunday, March 6th, 2011

1. Audio Resources

Audio New Testament

 

2. Written Bible

Download Complete New Testament

 

3. Watch the “Jesus Film”

Jesus Film, view now

 

4. Gods Plan of Salvation “The Four Spiritual Laws”

Four Spiritual Laws

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Bahá’í Faith

Thursday, February 10th, 2011

This religion is much the same as many of the eastern philosophies which adopt a semi-eclectical worldview towards humanity by incorporating the element of various religious ideologies.

As I have mentioned previously on some of my other posts as related to Hinduism, Cao Dai and Sai Baba the Bahá’í Faith also maintains an emphasis on the common elements of religious belief without seriously considering the differences as elemental to a religions process or system of proposed truth. So to meld all these religions is an oversimplification to comparative religion which unduly denies others a lack of religious identity.

Ironically, Bahá’í  boasts as being a one world order kind of  religion yet it maintains its own unique religious history that particularizes this movement as definably Bahá’ís contrary to its universal position. Even the name itself is exclusive as the “Bahá’í Faith” by which it maintains its own doctrines, laws and traditions.

Bahá’í  first came out of Islamic Shiite tradition in which it emphasizes and end time messianic figure which is described at the 12th imam or mahdi.

This all began with Siyyid `Alí-Muhammad or Mirza Ali Muhammad who was the supposed to be the relative of the prophet Muhammad who like his relative found enlightenment through deep meditation which led him to believe that he was chosen to be the gate or Báb by preparing the way for the coming of the messiah much like a John the Baptist figure.

Surprisingly, his successor Mírzá Ḥusayn-`Alí Núrí or Bahá’u’lláh was not even the choice of the Bab which should be the first indication something was wrong here but rather it was Baha’u’llah’s brother Mírzá Yaḥyá Núrí who was the one that was chosen and this created a rift from the onset of this movement which was already headed down the path of  fragmentation or disunity contrary to its religious agenda.

Now concerning the doctrinal controversies of  this movement it denies the grievous reality of sin and its evil consequences by overestimating the evolution of mankind’s morality and yet this last century has been the bloodiest since the beginning of time. Evil or should I say the results of evil have exponentially increased through the evolutionary process of technology in which now more than ever mankind is increasingly aware of the  mortal danger as being on the extinction list based on the genocidal tendencies of wicked empires. After all we have seen the atrocities of Germany’s Nazism and even with all this documentation we have people today who are in denial that this even happened and yet this is no different than what Baha’i supports by ignoring this stark reality by dismissing sin and evil as  just a glitch in human progress.

In addition to this the Bab states that he was ushering in the age of fulfillment when in actuality the outcome of this last century was an era of bloodshed which would be followed today by the evil dictatorships of North Korea and Iran.

Baha’u’llah’s son‘Abdu’l-Bahá was the assigned successor of Baha’i and in 1911 he gave his first public speech in which he spoke of the world prophetically as being in an enlightened age when war will cease and that peace will reign by which mankind will finally be united as brothers. This of course happened right on the heels of  two world wars alongside of many other global skirmishes within this last century.

So when looking at the failure of this prophetic utterance from a biblical perspective the scripture indicates a simple test concerning the veracity of the prophetic calling in that if what the prophet says comes to pass then he is of God and if not he was considered a false prophet and it appears that the latter is the case for Abdu’l-Baha, Deuteronomy 18:22.

This also reminds me of the prophetic voices during the time of the prophet Jeremiah when the false prophets were speaking “peace, peace when there was no peace.”

Anyway this brings me to my next point in which this movement sees Baha’u’llah’s life as the fulfillment of the second coming of Christ which is a disappointment considering what little had been accomplished by this exiled leader and its resultant movement. Also the second coming of Christ is not foreseen as some temporal or intermittent reign and yet Baha’u’llah as a man died in 1892. Nor is the second coming described as the solitary confinement of a prison cell but rather it is displayed as the glorious rule of one who would sit enthroned among the nations of the world in the grandeur of power.

Even his  efforts of letter writing to the world leaders of his time had no resultant effect in redirecting the course of the world towards a restored state.

Some other discrepancies are concerning the prophecies about Jesus in Isaiah which  have been associated with Baha’u’llah and yet strikingly there is not a genealogical connection as related to Baha’u’llah’s lineage in relationship to the nation of Israel nor would he be considered a descendant of king David. That’s why the gospel writers emphasized the genealogical records as a means to substantiate the credentials of Jesus as the Messiah in fulfillment to Old Testament prophecy.

Also to identify Baha’u’llah as the suffering servant of Isaiah 53 is an overstatement/ exaggeration and a radical departure from the text in light of his life. First of all the suffering servant motif was to be an atonement for the forgiveness of sins which is clearly outside the parameters and  purpose of  Baha’u’llah and is contrary to this movement’s agenda which downplays evil and sin as merely a human weakness. Yet Isaiah takes sin very seriously as an offense before God by which only the righteous servant can reconcile us unto God through his sacrificial death.

Another controversy is the influence from its Islamic roots in the idea of a transcendent God who is unitarily one. Yet how can this distinction be rectified against other supposed holy men who have either taken an atheistic/agnostic, polytheistic, animistic, pantheistic, monistic, panentheistic, deistic, trinitarian, etc. views about the essential nature of God.

If we can’t reconcile the ontological differences as a starting point to the discussion of God talk then how can we ascertain that all prophets and their messages have the same origin or nature?

One thing is for sure whether we are talking about the nature of God or other doctrinal distinctions is that many of these views are irreconcilable and can not be harmonized. So in essence the Baha’i Faith is not a completion of revelation but rather a contradiction in attempting to synchronize and sacramentalize many of these competing religious traditions.

Also another element which leaves this movement in a state of obscurity is there lack of ability to define the afterlife except to say that the biblical position regarding heaven and hell are a falsehood and at best these concepts are only metaphorical.

In Baha’i there is only the conceptual idea of some shadowy reality in which these departed spirit beings continue to somehow exist. Yet the bible gives more of a specific view concerning life after death and this phenomena has been documented among medical authorities as corresponding with the scriptural imagery of heaven and hell. I have written a blog about this at

jesusandjews.com/wordpress/2009/10/29/is-hell-real/

Also among the Baha’is, truth is adaptive and yet truth transcends time and is not necessarily relative to the contemporary society which subjectively redefines “what works” as based on the emotional needs of people. To take a position of what is truth today by assigning it as yesterday’s mistake or as a future blunder does nothing to certify truthfulness except to say that it is not timely or contemporaneous towards a personal preference.

Another oxymoron to this movement is its view concerning the  equality of women and yet they are not able to serve among the nine leaders at the Universal House of Justice and not only that but there are other limitations in which only a few of the world religions/cults are represented among the House’s leadership making it parochial not universal.

Intuitively God is a personal being as He has made us social creatures whereby we reciprocate our affections and emotions on the basis of relationships in which we not only  yearn for the human touch but also sometimes we have a deep seated desire to be spiritually connected to a reality which is beyond ourselves in wanting to understand the main questions of life and relevancy. This quest is not merely a human invention but has been hardwired into the mainframe of our being so that we would essentially seek and find God.

God has not only given us the lofty gift of general revelation by the display of His glorious creation but He has also manifested His intimacy by sending his One and only Son, not sons, so that whosoever should believe in Him shall have the surety of everlasting life. Jesus was the exact representation of God’s being in displaying the personal aspect of a loving God in His humanity by which He bore the marks of  mortality as the ultimate representation of His selfless and heroic love as the supreme and innocent sacrifice. His participation in humanity was that of a servant not in the sense of merely just sharing some revelation of knowledge but in giving His life on our behalf in order to justify us before a holy and righteous God thus eliminating all guilt. How personal can God get by which He participated in clothing Himself with flesh and bone as a way to ensure a reconciliatory relationship.

I have briefly explained that evil is real and should not be minimized as being illusory nor is it merely a human weakness or flaw but rather it is a serious violation and crime of rebellion not only against mankind but against the Creator. Please don’t trivialize the conscious as this is a moral compass by which God has internally communicated His laws on the human tablet of our heart which either confirms or condemns our actions.  God has taken this mater seriously and I would encourage you to do likewise by trusting in the saving power of Jesus.

Finally this globalization of religion may appear to be a good idea or the answer to the warring factions of diversity by seeking out some form of unification through religion but is this movement based on reality? After all are we depending upon earthly creatures to somehow make the paradigm shift to a new and better world by utilizing the vehicle of religion and education and yet we have seen the best of these advanced societies as moral failures.

It is a honorable thing to pursue the ideals of helping others but will this ensure a corresponding utopian existence by which man can create his own destiny? This form of religious socialism comes down to trusting in the will of human nature and it has not nor will it ever produce the qualities that are distinguishably classified as the parousia of Christ which theoretically makes this position unreasonable.

The difference between this humanitarian view and the biblical outlook is that the bible has an emphasis on God binging about this order of reality versus trusting  in the moral efforts of men who are attempting to build just another Tower of Babel in order to reach heaven.

Lastly, if the movement itself has internal inconsistencies such as its many schisms which would include the outlandish claims of the dissident Leland Jensen under the Provisions of the Covenant or any other splinter group ,which would be considered heretical as based on their mainstream movement, then how can they reassure themselves that this cream of the crop won’t fail in bringing forth a global harvest of peace and unity?

Also how can this movement claim to represent all when such bias towards other religious world views exist to such a degree that according to Baha’i that some should remove their religious status. To impose these kinds of objectives is not pluralistic but discriminatory. Also Bahai’s judgments against these oppositional views does not resolve the tension nor does it adequately refute these differences especially since this movement sees truth as being relative.

In all fairness the ideals of this organization towards the betterment of mankind is commendable but is it achievable? Their social platform of world peace and equality is desirable but will it be attainable? They have been proactive which is putting their religious beliefs into action by practicing what they preach yet does this ascertain its outcome of success or is just a pie in the sky?

To put their faith in mankind will only lead to disappointment especially for those who don’t hold to their ideals of a unified world  and without divine intervention of the second coming of Christ this reality will never be realized. To have a beautiful garden in the midst of a political and religious hotspot like Israel does not assure that the garden of Eden will be restored in bringing about the salvation of society.

 

 

How to know God

Bahai Faith Resources

English Articles on Bahai

 

 

Excerpts taken “From Handbook of World Religions, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission”

AMG’s World Religions and Cults, AMG Publishers, Chattanooga, Tennessee

“Reprinted by permission.  “(Nelson’s Illustrated Guide to Religions), James A. Beverley, 2009,Thomas Nelson Inc. Nashville, Tennessee.  All rights reserved.”

Find It Quick Handbook on Cults and New Religions

Copyright © 2005 by Ron Rhodes

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

Used by Permission.

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All Paths Lead to God

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010

Some people may come to this conclusion that there is a commonality and similarity that unites all religious thought and practice under one category as God. Yet this surface level view is Titanic as navigating the waters of religious diversity with an overconfidence that only sees the tip of the iceberg as neglecting to seriously consider the massive and deceptive destruction that lies just below the surface in boarding this doomed and sinking ship as a passenger that will never arrive at a safe harbor but will, to their surprise, drown under a false sense of security in thinking it to be indestructible.

Many people fail to recognize that most of these religious world views are so antithetical and divergent that they are plainly irreconcilable. This enlightenment comes when a person studies comparative religions/cults and like a sonar they pick up the significant differences as seeing its true shape and form as outlining its danger apart from a limited view and scope.

A Hindu can say that this is not a problem as contradiction is compatible with their philosophy yet they don’t walk the talk as their everyday lives reflects logic and reason even as it applies to the ideology of religion in that radical nationalistic Hindus are hostile towards other religious movements and the eastern gurus are often eager to convert Westerners to their way of thinking.

Practically speaking this whole idea perhaps evolved as a way to problem solve the tension between their competitive polytheistic past with an attempt to bridge the gap between these paths so as to broaden the road of life nonetheless this herd mentality will lead them to fall off the cliff as following the leader of religious pluralism.

Anyway some have attempted to use the analogy of the blind men and the elephant as relating this idea about god and though there is a god concept which is common among humanity as being intuitively hard-wired into the main frame of our being this does not always lead to a truthful correlation of reality.

Just because the blind person claims they can see in describing god does not mean that they couldn’t be lying or possibly deceived. This kind of subjectivism can be misleading as the motivating factor for ones perception can be imperfect for various reasons of self interests thus following the path of a religious teacher, guru, sage, and yogi can be presumptuous. Whose to say they are really touching god at all as it may be no more than the creative and imaginative process of inventing a god after their own likeness and image to correspond to their idolatrous desires. Jesus warns that there will be false prophets or blind gurus, who as the blind who lead the blind, they will both be led astray and off course.

Here is what the bible has to say on this matter

Mathew 24:24

24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

Romans 1:18-23

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

In conclusion to state that all views of god are equally valid and no one absolute view is essentially right becomes self refuting as applying to their very statement about all views being equally valid. Moreover to say that every expression is just a small part of the larger whole is conflicting as Hindus value their own uniqueness and exclusiveness as being essentially important otherwise they would see no problem or conflict as joining other groups or for that matter another unrelated religion in their experience of god. Furthermore to say that we all have just a little truth, then what reassures them that they have enough information to be effectual as being ultimately or essentially true.

Lastly it is one thing to accommodate various beliefs or belief systems but quite another to say that every belief can be proven to be equally valid or true. Thus religious tolerance is one matter while religious synthesis, relativism, inclusivism, and universalism is quite another. Forbearance is good but it does not supplant the need for a standard of truth and to say that there are “many ways” or valid paths to God will intolerably disqualify those who say there is only “one way.” Thus tolerance doesn’t become the measure of all things but rather truth spoken in tolerance and love is.

Finally, biblically speaking there are two paths that oppose one another. One is broad (many) that leads to destruction and the other is narrow (one) that leads to life. Just as most of us were given feet to walk we are also given a choice as to what path to travel. My challenge to you is will you take the broad way which merges all paths or will you dare to walk and explore the narrow way which leads to life? Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life and that none one comes to God except through Him.

Lastly God doesn’t just leave you blindly groping for the truth but rather he will open your eyes with a special revelation of who He is when you wholehearted and sincerely seek after him.

Mt 11:28-30

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

 

How to know God

 

 

 

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2007

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