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May nagsabi sa’kin dati nu’ng bata pa ako na ang lahat ng relihiyon ay pare-pareho lang. May kanya-kanyang label lang sa kanilang mga diyos pero iisa lang naman daw ang kanilang tinutukoy. Maraming iba-ibang paniniwala ngunit pare-pareho lang naman ang mabubuting asal na gustong ituro. Many people are also claiming the same thing that all religions are basically the same---just superficially different. Pare-pareho lang, mukha lang iba-iba.
Later on, I realized that such idea is based on the ignorance of these religions. The truth is all religions are really different from each other---they just look the same.
Yes, it is true that almost all religions (if not all) are associating music in their worship, yet it doesn’t mean that they are worshipping the same God. They are all teaching their followers to pray, yet we cannot assume that they are all talking to the same Being. Every religion has their own “sacred writings” as rule of faith, but these are not all teaching the same thing. Sa unang tingin lang ang lahat ay magkakamukha, pero kung idadaan sa pagsusuri, hindi.
BUT, it is also interesting to know that if all religions are compared to biblical Christianity, we can see that all of them are just the same. No matter how different these religions are in their practices, beliefs, and history, they are all about what man can do to earn their way to be saved (not to mention that they all have different views of being saved). Sa Judaism, ang tao ay dapat sumunod sa Kautusan (Law or Torah) para maging matuwid sa harap ng Diyos. Sa Buddhism, ang Nirvana (“heavenly state”) ay mararating kung susundin ang Eightfold Path. Sa Islam, kailangang isabuhay ang Five Pillars at maging mabuti para makapunta sa Jannah (“paradise”). And there are still sects, denominations, and cults, claiming to be part of Christianity, who believe that it takes faith and good works to be saved. (May isa pang nagsasabi na kailangang member ka nila para maligtas!)
Now the question is, what makes Christianity different? The Gospel.
Habang ang lahat ay nilalagay ang responsibilidad ng kaligtasan sa’yo, the Gospel reveals that salvation is purely by grace through faith (Rom 3:28; Eph 2:8; Titus 2:11; etc). Habang ang lahat ng relihiyon ay punong-puno ng ng mga dapat mong gawin para maligtas, ang Christianity ay ine-emphasize kung ano na ang natapos nang gawin para ikaw ay maligtas. The rest of all the systems of faith place salvation to your own hands for you to work for it, Christianity places salvation in God’s hand alone for anyone to accept by faith. For them, salvation is a reward to be earned, but in Christianity, it is a gift to be received. “Not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph 2:9).
Christianity is unique in many things, but I believe that the greatest factor that makes our faith stand among the rest is the truth that while all religions are all about the efforts to reach God, the Gospel tells the story of God reaching down to us.
And even becoming one of us.
Later on, I realized that such idea is based on the ignorance of these religions. The truth is all religions are really different from each other---they just look the same.
Yes, it is true that almost all religions (if not all) are associating music in their worship, yet it doesn’t mean that they are worshipping the same God. They are all teaching their followers to pray, yet we cannot assume that they are all talking to the same Being. Every religion has their own “sacred writings” as rule of faith, but these are not all teaching the same thing. Sa unang tingin lang ang lahat ay magkakamukha, pero kung idadaan sa pagsusuri, hindi.
BUT, it is also interesting to know that if all religions are compared to biblical Christianity, we can see that all of them are just the same. No matter how different these religions are in their practices, beliefs, and history, they are all about what man can do to earn their way to be saved (not to mention that they all have different views of being saved). Sa Judaism, ang tao ay dapat sumunod sa Kautusan (Law or Torah) para maging matuwid sa harap ng Diyos. Sa Buddhism, ang Nirvana (“heavenly state”) ay mararating kung susundin ang Eightfold Path. Sa Islam, kailangang isabuhay ang Five Pillars at maging mabuti para makapunta sa Jannah (“paradise”). And there are still sects, denominations, and cults, claiming to be part of Christianity, who believe that it takes faith and good works to be saved. (May isa pang nagsasabi na kailangang member ka nila para maligtas!)
Now the question is, what makes Christianity different? The Gospel.
Habang ang lahat ay nilalagay ang responsibilidad ng kaligtasan sa’yo, the Gospel reveals that salvation is purely by grace through faith (Rom 3:28; Eph 2:8; Titus 2:11; etc). Habang ang lahat ng relihiyon ay punong-puno ng ng mga dapat mong gawin para maligtas, ang Christianity ay ine-emphasize kung ano na ang natapos nang gawin para ikaw ay maligtas. The rest of all the systems of faith place salvation to your own hands for you to work for it, Christianity places salvation in God’s hand alone for anyone to accept by faith. For them, salvation is a reward to be earned, but in Christianity, it is a gift to be received. “Not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph 2:9).
Christianity is unique in many things, but I believe that the greatest factor that makes our faith stand among the rest is the truth that while all religions are all about the efforts to reach God, the Gospel tells the story of God reaching down to us.
And even becoming one of us.