Hebrews 11:6 says, “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
I am a magnet for religious discussions. It drives me nuts. As a matter of fact I don’t often tell people I meet I’m a pastor, because I know what will happen next; my new friend will start asking me questions or telling me why I’m wrong about the way I believe something because their great aunt, who is now dead, was told once by someone that is a pastor, or priest, or one of those religious types…. Then I get to answer for someone that has been dead for 20 years that said something that no one can remember. However, the thing I hate most is people telling me that all religions are the same and that they are all right and as long as you believe in something you are O.K. I could never understand how Jesus can say he is the only way to get to heaven, and the great Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, can say that there is no heaven, and they both be right.
The other day I was reading a book on religion and I came across something that made me say Eureka. O.K. I didn’t really say Eureka, it was more like, I see now. The book made the statement that all religions are made by people seeking to alleviate guilt. I don’t agree with the statement, but I realized that is why people say all religion is the same. If all religion is simply for the purpose of making ones life better, then anything you believe that makes your life better is a good thing, and as long as you are better because of your religion and I’m better because of my religion, then both are right.
The tricky part of that is; what if there really is a God and that He is a rewarder of them that seek Him? What if He is a jealous God that doesn’t want to share the affection that is His with other false gods? What if He rewards evil and sin? Although I can’t say God created a religion, I know he opened a door for a relationship. This relationship may have blossomed into a religion, and there may be many false religions made by man, but God is looking for those that will believe He is. Place your trust in Him and know that He will reveal Himself to you.
