Religions and Gods...

[Jigzy]

So I suddenly started to get these thoughts lately. So I thought I'd ask for some help here. Yes, I'm a Christian and I believe in God and I always have. There are so many religions out there besides Christianity though. I know I've heard that Christianity was the ultimate religion, but how do we really know that for sure? Why are there so many religions out there and not just one? There are also a lot of different so called Gods out there. So how come there isn't just one named God? Anyway why should God even send people who aren't Christian and don't believe in him to Hell just like that when there is all of this confusion in the world with Christianity and Gods? Innocent people shouldn't just be cast to Hell like that for something they don't really understand. Is there really a Heaven and a Hell? Well I really am still scared of going to Hell and I wanna go to Heaven if there really is one. So I sort of still believe in that at least. I feel so confused and scared now though. What do I do? Telling me to pray about this won't help me at all, because at times God don't even always answer prayers or I mean I'm not even really sure if he does or not anymore. I'm starting to feel so Agnostic right now though. I'm really scared and I don't wanna go to Hell for it if there really is one.

[Xeno]

You're questioning your faith. This is something that anyone who legitimately explores their beliefs, as opposed to just accepting things that they are told blindly, does at some point. You're right in saying that "innocent" people don't deserve to go to a place called hell just because they believe in a different god or because they have never heard of the one you believe in. Also the huge amount of different religions and further segmenting of those religions leads to ridiculous amounts of sectarianism where it's impossible to know who could actually be "right". Ultimately it is up to you to make the decision on what you believe. You might decide that god is an aggressive, arrogant, abusive figure who brutally punishes those who make even the slightest deviations from the letter of the mosaic law. You might decide that he is a loving god that accepts every one in the end, regardless of their beliefs. You may end up being truly agnostic and not knowing. You might be an atheist at the end of the day, or switch to another religion.

The choice will be up to you at the end of the day.

[Peanut]

To echo some of what Xeno has said, you shouldn't feel scared about having doubt. Skepticism is one of the stages of spiritual development so its not something to be afraid of. I'll try my best to give you answers to your questions from a Christian perspective however I would highly encourage you to do your own research on these topics and find out what other faiths have to say about them so that you can see where there are differences.

I know I've heard that Christianity was the ultimate religion, but how do we really know that for sure?

One of the unique things about Christianity compared to other religions is that God comes to us. In other religions there is a concept of working your way into heaven, namely that you have to live a certain way to make it into heaven. There is, however, a flaw in this thinking since how can a human (who is imperfect and limited) ever hope to reach God (who is perfect and is either without limits or posses limits far larger then we can comprehend). Christian theology starts with the idea that a human cannot hope to reach God because all have and continue to mess up (or sin). God has to intervene on humanity's behalf for humanity to be able to reach him. In Christianity's case, there needs to be an atonement for the sins of humanity that is equivalent to the sins that have been committed. That atonement can only be fulfilled through the death of another (since sinning against your creator is the worst sin you can commit). While an individual can make the first step and open himself/herself up to God, it is God who has to do the majority of the work and bring transformation to that individual's life.

Why are there so many religions out there and not just one?

There's several possible answers to this question. One is that, humanity longs to not be alone in this universe. With the fall came a split from God so, in order to fill the void that was left there, humans made gods in their own image to replace him. The other is that after the fall, humanity perverted the true religion of God and made it into the various religions we see today. Another theory is that humanity created religion to explain phenomenon in the universe and God decided to use it as a way to relate with man. I am sure there are others but these are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

There are also a lot of different so called Gods out there. So how come there isn't just one named God?

The actual word "God" does not come directly from Christianity or Judaism. Its etymology is uncertain but it seems that, before Christianity's spread across Europe, it was used by germanic tribes as a word for idol. What likely happened is that Christian missionaries, looking for words and terms to explain their beliefs in the germanic languages, choose it to represent Yahweh (the actual name of God). This was, actually, a pretty old practice and dates all the way back to Paul in Athens, where he uses the statue to an unnamed God to introduce God. It even still goes on today. If you talk with an arabic Christian, for instance, they may call God "Allah" because it is the same thing.

Anyway why should God even send people who aren't Christian and don't believe in him to Hell just like that when there is all of this confusion in the world with Christianity and Gods? Innocent people shouldn't just be cast to Hell like that for something they don't really understand.

The truth is we do not know if those people will be excluded from heaven and sent to hell. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either incredibly mistaken or lying (hopefully they are just mistaken). Who gets into heaven is up to God and God alone. I think this is true especially for those who never heard about Christianity. There is justification for both ways. On one hand they, like all of us, have sin and are deserving of death but on the other hand they never had the chance (to our knowledge) to rectify this sin and therefore should get that chance.

Is there really a Heaven and a Hell?

The existence of heaven and hell specifically is debated and, to be quite honest, not that important. The traditional Jewish belief actually doesn't really have a heaven or hell in the sense that we think of it. Where as we believe that when you die you go somewhere, the Jews believe that when you die you go to "sleep" until the day of judgement when God will raise and judge everyone on the Mount of Olives. It is interesting to note that today you can see graves of prominent people littered across that mountain because certain Jews want what is the eschatology equivalent of front seats to the Lakers. The traditional belief of heaven and hell that we have seems to be co-opted from the Jews as well as the Greek concept of Hades. Jesus' images of Hell in the new testament seem to actually be referring to a literal place called Gehhena where trash was burned around the time he was alive, not any spiritual place that you go when you die. It is a metaphor to many people then that simply describes what living without God will be like in the end. What is clear and is actually important is that there is a day of judgement and that the righteous are rewarded and the wicked punished. That is a consistent idea throughout scripture and can't really be disputed. It is Jewish in origin and ultimately makes morality a worthwhile endeavor since why should anyone be good if they are going to be rewarded regardless of what they do? When it comes to heaven, at the end of Revelation we see that there is going to be a New Heaven and New Earth and that humanity seems to be living on that New Earth. The New Heaven mentioned seems to be the universe or perhaps something else entirely but it does not seem to be heaven as that place good people go when they die.

Well I really am still scared of going to Hell and I wanna go to Heaven if there really is one. So I sort of still believe in that at least. I feel so confused and scared now though. What do I do? Telling me to pray about this won't help me at all, because at times God don't even always answer prayers or I mean I'm not even really sure if he does or not anymore. I'm starting to feel so Agnostic right now though. I'm really scared and I don't wanna go to Hell for it if there really is one.

Coincidentally, you should pray. And keep praying. There are two things to remember. One, is that prayer is a two way street. If you want to hear an answer from God you actually have to try and be quiet enough to listen to God. A way to practice this is to try and just be quiet for say 30 seconds before you pray and just listen to God. Try to not dwell on any thoughts that come into your mind that are clearly yours. Just stop and be still and know that he is God. This is an incredibly difficult discipline to practice and get right (believe me) but how can we expect to hear God if we refuse to stop and listen to him? You also have to remember that God is an individual and not a vending machine that you put prayers into and get the answers you want out of it. He can say no and does. For instance, look at Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
[Quote=Matthew 26:36-46]36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”[/quote]
"Take this cup from me" clearly means that Jesus does not want to die. That is his request to God and he prays it multiple times. However, his prayer is answered with a clear no. So, if God in the flesh himself is answered with a no with what was likely one of his most earnest prayers then who are we to expect that God will answer us every time with a yes? The next question is obviously why should we keep praying about things if God isn't necessarily going to answer them with a yes? The answer is again found in this story in the last part of Jesus' prayer: "may your will be done." Jesus' prayer is not just a petition but a way for him to bring himself in line with God's will. From this, he finds the strength and the calm to face the horrors ahead. Interestingly enough, a study done by Herbert Benson at Harvard has found that repetitive prayer has a rather powerful relaxation effect that can help with anxiety as well as other things. Since you mentioned being afraid, I would strongly recommend that you pray about this and do so several times daily. It definitely cannot hurt you and I think it will probably help.

[Mullet Death]

I'm gonna try and keep my answer simple here, even though the answers to all life's biggest questions aren't exactly "simple" depending on your definition of the word. :-/

Christianity is the ultimate religion because it is the ultimate source of truth. Jesus is the truth. An error of some extremists within certain Christian sects is to act as if other religions are basically all lies. I'm not so sure this is the correct way to view them. Other religions should be seen as man grasping at truth in varying degrees. As such, Christianity in its fullness is the fullness of truth. It is the culmination of everything that man can know about his creator through the lights of reason and faith and God's self-revelation.

Not being an anthropologist, scholar of history or pre-history, or even of Old or New Testament Scripture or anything of the sort, I cannot write an article or thesis on all of the exact reasons on why there are multiple religions which contradict each other in varying amounts. But if I may be so bold as to speak generally, I'd say it is because of the picture we see painted clearly in Scripture and Tradition. That is to say, man was created by God "out of dust;" man forgot and rebelled against God; and God, through many covenants with Noah (if Noah was a real person) Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the nation of Israel, etc., reaching its ultimate fulfillment in God-made-man Jesus of Nazareth, reconciled man to Himself. The many Gentile peoples who, often through no particular fault of their own but through the countless actions of their predecessors who gradually rejected God's covenants, know nothing of God, still attempt to make sense of it all. They use the gifts God has given everyone to find Him even without the light of the Gospel to fill the God-shaped voids in their hearts and lives.

I'm aware that, given that such peoples still know nothing of what Him Who Is has revealed through his prophets and Son, there are many, many, errors in these religions such as polytheism. This is pretty much the same old story we see from the Old Testament when it comes to idol worship. Without God's self-revelation to guide them people tend to look for love in all the wrong places.

As for the question of why God would send people to Hell who know nothing about Him through no fault of their own, the simple answer is that He doesn't. Jesus has instructed us to preach the Gospel to all peoples, and this we must certainly do, and in no way whatever do I wish to imply that it is not absolutely essential. Nevertheless, there are still so many who do not get a good or even legitimate chance to hear God's words, whether through the incompetence or failures of Christians or through various extenuating circumstances. So those people just go to Hell, huh? Cast into eternal fire for the sins of their fathers who take the chance to know Jesus away from them? No way. Remember the body of Christ, the Church, is the Holy Spirit's dwelling place. It is His organization. The Holy Spirit is not restricted by human actions or abilities. He meets every person exactly where they are in this big old universe, and every person shall be judged on their actions and response to God according to their very limited understanding.

Obviously, the same goes for you, whatever you choose to believe here in the end. I must say, though, having heard the Word in some capacity, choose your path in life and form your conscience very carefully. Study the Word and the teachings of our noble predecessors like your spiritual life depends on it- because it does. In other words, you need to do your own prayerful research, and you need to do as much you can. Not knowing with 100% certainty is the human condition; we're all scared in varying amounts. Give it up to God, even if hurts or if you don't feel anything at all- I should know what's it like to be confused and unsure of what to do or think. I just hope that you and I, for our part, continue to make the conscious decision to take the plunge in our hearts and believe and lean on God and live a life of faith.

Don't take my word for it, nor indeed the word of any anonymous internet stranger who may not have your best interests at heart. As for me, I can try to answer whatever questions you have if you like, but like anyone with any sense will tell you, you still have to make up your own mind, and no person is a replacement for the Bible or an encyclopedia. I will pray for you, and I hope that this blathering post will be helpful to you in some way.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

It's okay. I'm kind of agnostic too. And I'm glad you're becoming skeptical and questioning your faith. This is a very important process to your spiritual journey. And depending on who you ask you will receive very different answers. Xeno's and Peanut's answer is obviously different than Mullet of Death's for one. And overall I'm going to side more with Xeno and Peanut. And for what its worth Peanut is working on his Masters in Divinity. He knows stuff literally nobody else on this entire forum knows.

To draw from my own life, what Mullet said is exactly what I used to believe when I was younger. That sort of Christianity was spoonfed to me and I accepted it without question. And then I sought information which would back up what I already believed (i.e. confirmation bias. People favor information which confirms their biases. Everybody does this). When i was in high school I read and listened to Ravi Zacharias and I wanted to be a die-hard evangelical Christian apologist. My beliefs radically changed when I went to college and poked my nose in philosophy and some critical theory. Spirituality no longer became black and white to me. Most of everything I used to believe I don't believe anymore. The only thing that is constant is that I believe in some sort of "God" and "God" is "Love". But that in itself is its own discussion. Is God sentient? Is he loving and caring? Is he selfish and vengeful? Is "he" a "she"? Is our goodness a reflection of the nature of God? Or do we as humans project all the good qualities of human kind onto "God"? I will tell you up front that my belief in "God is Love" has no rational basis.

I get the feeling you're genuinely seeking answers about your faith. And I think that is amazing because you're willing to look at everything you believed in and everything that made sense in your life and go "this could all be absolute BS." It's a scary and dangerous path but you'll in a way be separating yourself from people who simply believe because they're told what to believe. So if you're going to do this I just suggest poking your nose into the basics of philosophy. I think the book Sophie's World (you can purchase it from amazon here) is a great introduction to philosophy. Philosophy of course important because the topic of God is perhaps *the* biggest topic in philosophy.

Alternatively you could pick up a Ravi Zacharias book and listen to his answers and just side yourself with whatever cookie-cutter answers he gives you. But if you're a tenacious thinker you'll begin to see all the cracks and circular assumptions that he believes in. Obviously I don't recommend this path but do at least familiarize yourself with both sides to everything.

[drill]

Despite there already being several replies to this topic, I thought I might take my own approach to your questions. That is through Bible verses.

Proverbs 3:5 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

I know I've heard that Christianity was the ultimate religion, but how do we really know that for sure?

This is the question that gets on my mind the most, but I usually refer to this verse when I have doubts:
2 Timothy 3:16 - All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness

Why are there so many religions out there and not just one?

1 John 4:5-8 - They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

When sin entered the world, so did the desire for things other than God. As time went on, other gods were made in place of God.

There are also a lot of different so called Gods out there. So how come there isn't just one named God?

Isaiah 46:9 - Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me

I also think that the last verses, 1 John 4:5-8, fit quite well into this question as well, as it explains why there would be multiple gods.

Anyway why should God even send people who aren't Christian and don't believe in him to Hell just like that when there is all of this confusion in the world with Christianity and Gods? Innocent people shouldn't just be cast to Hell like that for something they don't really understand.

Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
John 3:16-18 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

I think that you might have your understanding backwards here. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, this made all of their decedents tainted with the sin and they are no longer innocent in God's eyes. Therefore the default location of physical death results in going to Hell, not Heaven. Jesus came to correct that so then we could be reunited with God.

Is there really a Heaven and a Hell?

Heaven and Hell are mentioned many times through out the Bible, these are just a few verses to validity their existence.

Genesis 1:1 - In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Revelation 20:10 - And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

What do I do? Telling me to pray about this won't help me at all, because at times God don't even always answer prayers or I mean I'm not even really sure if he does or not anymore. I'm starting to feel so Agnostic right now though. I'm really scared and I don't wanna go to Hell for it if there really is one.

John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'

Also, don't be discouraged if you don't think that you see your prayers answered right away, as that God works in mysterious ways.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

Drill you should really re-read what Peanut wrote...

[Vilo159]

I'm not gonna try to answer all your questions, but I'll go with what Mr. SmartyPants said. Questioning your beliefs is scary and it feels like your world is falling apart, but it is a good thing because whatever ground you end up on, you found through your own study and searching, and is something you can rely on because you've tried and tested it yourself. That's more valuable than any spoon-fed answers you get.

In your studying, you do have to realize that you're going to reach a point where you have to make an unfounded decision. You can choose to rely on scripture, but you may eventually start questioning where scripture comes from and whether its true. Essentially everything will boil down to some set of choices that all have no facts to back them up. At that point, you have to make the simple decision of choosing what you want to believe, simply because you want to believe it, or because it feels right. Like prayer- Prayer will get you nowhere if you don't simply choose to believe that it will somehow help. Another case and point, MSP's decision that God is Love.

But another thing to consider, is that it is okay to want to believe. I don't see anything wrong with looking for confirmation for what you want to believe, so long as you don't let that cloud your vision of it. Don't be afraid to question, but don't just drop everything you know already and have nowhere to start.

I'm gonna post a video here: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/lord-i-believe?lang=eng#watch=video This was given by an apostle in the Mormon church, but please don't freak out or be offended by that. It has the occasional reference to Mormon-specific beliefs, so obviously don't take the parts that you know don't apply to you because your not Mormom. And I'm not saying to take everything he says at perfect face-value, because that would be counter-productive to what I've already said, but I think the general message he is giving very much applies to your problem. Listen to the whole thing, although around 5:20-7:15, 8:00-8:40, and 9:50-11:45 apply to you the most.

I didn't answer specific questions, but I hope I gave you some advice that can help you as you search for answers. Good luck, and may God bless you.

[Nate]

I think the best thing you can do is explore and see what else is out there. I grew up in the south and attended very conservative churches and my beliefs were pretty in line with that, and I never questioned it. It wasn't until I left the Navy, started exploring the wonder that is the internet, and learning that the things I had believed unquestioningly when I went to church were maybe not so correct as I had once thought. I'm not like Ryan in that I wouldn't classify myself as agnostic, I am very much a Christian, but have a fairly different worldview from most others that claim the title. A lot of the questions you're asking are, I think, distractions. For example, if Heaven and Hell are real or not, I don't know. Maybe they are, but ultimately I think it isn't important. Who cares if they're real? We should do good to make the world a better place, not in hopes of reaching some sort of paradise. If there is a Heaven, then it'd be nice, but if there isn't, it shouldn't matter.

I often refer to a quote which has been misattributed to Marcus Aurelius (in actuality he never said it, it seems to have been attributed to him in 2010), but it is still a good quote and one I hold close to my heart:

Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

I'm not like Ryan in that I wouldn't classify myself as agnostic, I am very much a Christian, but have a fairly different worldview from most others that claim the title.

Lol I'm only kind of agnostic. Just kind of.

[Xeno]

MSP is probably a 2 or a 2.5 on the Dawkins Scale that Peanut probably has a bunch of issues with.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

Oh lord Dawkins is the worst when it comes to religion or philosophy. Don't ever bring his name up again!

[Xeno]

Dawkins. Also Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens and Dinesh Dsouza and Ray Comfort.

[Nate]

Sam Harris is a huge bigot though and no better than Christian fundamentalists, claiming that all Muslims are terrorists and supports racial profiling. Bringing him up just makes atheists look really bad.

[Xeno]

Sam Harris is a huge bigot though and no better than Christian fundamentalists, claiming that all Muslims are terrorists and supports racial profiling. Bringing him up just makes atheists look really bad.

I brought him up just because he always seems to get brought up. Harris is an idiot.

[shooraijin]

Can we get back to the OP's question?

[Atria35]

So I suddenly started to get these thoughts lately. So I thought I'd ask for some help here. Yes, I'm a Christian and I believe in God and I always have. There are so many religions out there besides Christianity though. I know I've heard that Christianity was the ultimate religion, but how do we really know that for sure? Why are there so many religions out there and not just one? There are also a lot of different so called Gods out there. So how come there isn't just one named God? Anyway why should God even send people who aren't Christian and don't believe in him to Hell just like that when there is all of this confusion in the world with Christianity and Gods? Innocent people shouldn't just be cast to Hell like that for something they don't really understand. Is there really a Heaven and a Hell? Well I really am still scared of going to Hell and I wanna go to Heaven if there really is one. So I sort of still believe in that at least. I feel so confused and scared now though. What do I do? Telling me to pray about this won't help me at all, because at times God don't even always answer prayers or I mean I'm not even really sure if he does or not anymore. I'm starting to feel so Agnostic right now though. I'm really scared and I don't wanna go to Hell for it if there really is one.

Well, getting back to topic, a good number of these things have been addressed, like where the term 'god' comes from (and even within the Bible, god has some nicknames, not just called 'God').I can also only echo some of the other sentiments: its normal to question your religion! If you never question what you've been taught, you aren't ever using your brain. It's dangerous to accept what others tell you mindlessly.

The problem with asking how you know Christianity is The Ultimate Religion is that... You can't. There is absolutely no proof one way or another that Christianity is The Ultimate Religion other than what you personally believe. The bible's miracles, from Jesus rising from the dead to Genesis, cannot be definitively proven (outside of highly questionable studies and explanations that rely on, once again, faith). Neither can those of other religions. All religions are on equal footing that way.

The Bible also has so many different scholars and writings and interpretations that you can find. There are a lot of Christians that do not believe that people who have never heard the Bible go to hell. My grandmother goes to the United Church of Christ, which is a very liberal denomination, where the local pastor has openly expressed that he doesn't believe that the spiritual message of Jesus doesn't jive with the idea of hell (which is virtually non-existant within the Old Testament, and seems to have sprung up sometime between that was codified and the New Testament was written) and so doesn't believe in the traditional Christian depiction of hell.

So even within Christianity, the are lots of differences, some of which others would say would condemn the others to hell.

Honestly, I'd say that if you have questions, go and research other religions. You might find that they have solid things that jive with what you believe, and things that don't. But there might be things that you agree with in them regardless. I believe the common Biblical phrase for such times is, test everything and hold fast to that which is good? Just don't do it via Christian resources, since I've found that more often than not they are incredibly skewed and full of misinformation about them. For Dummies tends to have well-written books by people who are familiar with the basics of what the basic beliefs are and present them in a decent, impartial way. Librarians should also be able to point you in the right direction.

Edit: You are also in the right mood to read Life of Pi. Great book. Has some tackling of religion and interfaith discussion.