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But
aren’t all religions the same?
 f you
believe that Jesus Christ is God—“the
only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from
Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, one in Being with the
Father”[1]—then
no other religion can be equal to Christianity. It’s that
simple.
If You Love Him,
Keep His Commandments
Christ told us flatly, “Not
everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of
Heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in Heaven” (Matthew
7:21). So it doesn’t count for much to say that you “respect”
Jesus—and then go about your life as you want it to be. For as
Saint John reminds us, “Whoever says, ‘I know Him’ but does
not keep His commandments is a liar” (1 John 2:4). And one of Christ’s
commandments is to celebrate the Eucharist,
a uniquely Christian obligation.
In today’s world, with its
“politically correct” desire for cultural
diversity, it can be controversial to discuss
this issue. But the truth is, there can be no unity
except in truth—the one truth—and those who advocate
“diversity” are enemies of the truth. So, let’s look at this
all from a common-sense perspective. (And, in an attempt to stay out of trouble,
I won’t name names.)
The Enlightened
Philosopher
In the Orient, a religion (which
is really a philosophy centered on a psychological technique) was started
by a man who received “enlightenment” while sitting under a tree.
Although his ideas make psychological sense, his philosophy is a natural
philosophy with nothing in it that must be “believed.” This is
why so many individuals in this country who have turned away from
God—especially because of anger at God—turn
to such a system: it’s easy, and there is nothing to
believe in. But in the psychological sense, what
does it mean to believe in? Well, in the words of the psychoanalyst
Jacques Lacan, we “believe in beings
in so far as they are able to say
something.” [2]
And what is Christianity all about but the Word of God speaking to us, saying
something very, very important? That Word is the core of all belief—and
all love. So with nothing to believe in, there’s
really no love, no God, nothing at all.
The
Prophet
Then there is another religion
founded by a prophet several hundred years after Christ. This man not only
denied the divinity of Jesus but also claimed that he himself was a greater
prophet than Jesus. Moreover, whereas Jesus told His followers to bless their
enemies, this man personally had his enemies killed. So how can a religion
that is really a Christian heresy be equal
to Christianity?
The
Doubter
Then there is the man who so
doubted his salvation in Christ that he felt compelled
to form his own church whereby he could declare, by his own annunciation,
the certainty of his salvation. And from his initiative came dozens, then
hundreds, then thousands of others, each with his own certain, self-annunciated
path to truth. But when all roads lead anywhere, you’re right in the
middle of nowhere. So, in trying to assure our own salvation, we end up assuring
only our own . . . well, you decide.
The
Adulterer
Then there is the king who wanted
a divorce from his barren wife so he could marry his mistress. When the Pope
denied him, he formed his own church whereby he divorced his wife, married
his mistress, and then murdered his wife (well, he executed her—he was
a king after all, and kings often think of themselves as gods). So imagine:
would you want to entrust the care of your soul to a church that was founded
on the principles of pride, adultery, divorce, and murder?
The Gold
Digger
Then there is the man who dug
up some golden tablets in America which revealed the “complete”
truth about God that allegedly wasn’t revealed in Jesus’ own ministry
in His own land with His own Apostles. So you go figure. If this guy was
right, then Christ had to have lied to—or deceived—all of us. And
if that’s the case, who would want to worship a liar? So if the tablets
are right, then they must be wrong.
Confusion
Confusing? Then, according to
simple common sense, let’s stop this foolishness and return to the
truth.
The Christian
Obligation
Remember that no matter how misguided
others may be, the Christian obligation is to live in peace with everyone
(Matthew 5:43–48; Luke 6:27–36). Sadly enough, there have been
many instances through the ages when so-called Christians did not keep
Christ’s own holy commands. Such failures point to the fact that misguided
individuals can be found everywhere, no matter what religion they claim to
follow.
Also, realize that God does not
withhold His saving grace from anyone. Although some religions and sects
lead their followers astray by cutting themselves off from many of God’s
graces or even by flouting His laws, it is
always possible that any individual will see through
the darkness of fear and ignorance and follow the
light of true prayer to learn to do God’s
will.
Notes
1. See the Nicene Creed. The English
word creed comes from the Latin word credo which means, “I
believe.” Thus the creed specifies all essential beliefs about the Christian
faith. The Nicene Creed is also known as the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed;
it was composed and refined during the ecumenical Councils of Nicea and
Constantinople in the early fourth century.
2.
Jacques Lacan, “Seminar of 21 January 1975.” In Mitchell, J. &
Rose, J. (Eds.), Feminine Sexuality: Jacques Lacan and the école
freudienne (New York: W. W. Norton [paperback], 1985). See p. 169.
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