Introduction
Rephrasing the question to be more specific, “If you are a monotheist, believing in one God, are there multiple paths that allow us to truly connect with that Supreme Being?”
That is the subject of today’s 10-minute episode.
Continuing
Today’s Key Question: If you are a monotheist, believing in one God, are there multiple paths that allow us to truly connect with that Supreme Being?
Today’s Key Answer: Yes.
I’d like to sit down with you with a piece of paper or a small white board to help explain, but we’ll have a go just as we are. There are several monotheostic religions in the world, the main ones being Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Arguably there are others, but we do not need to either make or refute that case here. The three main monotheistic religions have different views of God, or they would not be separate religions. If they all had the same views and thoughts about the Supreme Being, then we would need only two, or perhaps even one, monotheistic religion. Does that make sense so far?
Okay, then; their different views about God can mean only one of three things:
Only one of the religions has it right about God, and the others are wrong.
All of them are right in their unique views of God, meaning that there are really multiple gods–flying in the face of the shared, core belief in one God.
None of them have it right about God.
But the shared, core belief is that there is one God, a God who is real, whole and universal. I share that belief with a deep conviction. I find it incredulous to believe that God would permit, much less mandate, us to live in a world where by accident or personal choice, the majority of us were condemned to being forever unconnected to Him because we were on the wrong dogmatic path, i.e., we did not select the correct religion, the correct set of specific teachings.
The largest of the world’s religions is Christianity, at about 2.3B, followed by Islam at 1.9B, in a world of almost 8B. I disagree with some of my Christian brethren who are convinced that one can come to God only through a belief in Christ. And they will quote scripture to help make their case. And judging from what I have seen, there are a fair number of Muslims who feel that way about Mohammed and Allah, and also have quotes from the Quran and the Hadith to back them up.
But what about the 13-year-old shepherd boy, let’s call him Batu, in Mongolia who gets killed by a runaway yak? In this hypothetical example, Batu grew up in a tightly knit, loving family, but a family that while spiritual was not religious. Is anyone willing to say that their view of God allows for Batu the shepherd boy to be without God for all eternity because he did not adhere to the correct set of religious doctrines and dogma?
Are you? I’m not.
I believe in one God, and my path to that God is Christ. It is impossible to connect the dots of my life without seeing God’s hand all along the way, and Christ is my path to, and connection with, God. There are other legitimate and effective ways to make that connection, to see and experience the wonder that is God. Christ said that the two main commandments are to love God with all your heart, mind and soul, and to love your neighbor as yourself. Don’t other religions, including Judaism and Islam, vigorously support those principles? And which major religion has an issue with the 10 Commandments.
Q. Okay, Will, why is this a topic on Revolution 2.0™? Have you changed your focus to religion? A. No. One of the themes that is often mentioned here is the need for a https://revolution2-0.org/we-all-need-a-moral-compass-ep-137/ (moral compass).
Having a moral compass is a recurring theme for those of us at Revolution 2.0™. I refer to its importance frequently in my semi-weekly episodes, so it is entirely appropriate for us to return to the subject from time-to time.
If you don’t have a solid moral compass that you follow, then nothing else...