ARE ALL FAITHS EQUAL?

Transcription

1 ARE ALL FAITHS EQUAL? TRUTH SOURCE: CHRISTIANITY: The Bible 66 books, including both the Old and New Testaments (Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek) Written by 40 different individuals, in 3 different continents, over a period of 1,500 years Yet this book has an unbelievable thread of unity: One central: Salvation One central character: Jesus All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, - II Timothy 3:16 It is the most published book in human history with billions in print. SCIENTOLOGY: Dianetics by L Ron Hubbard The Way to Happiness: A little booklet written in 1980 by L. Ron Hubbard listing 21 moral precepts. The Church of Scientology is very secretive and holds that at the higher levels of initiation mystical teachings are imparted that may be harmful to unprepared readers. Story of Xenu: 75 million years ago Xenu brought billions of people to Earth in spacecraft resembling a huge airliners, stacked them around volcanoes and detonated hydrogen bombs in the volcanoes. Official Scientology scriptures hold that the essences of these many people remained, and that they form around people in modern times, causing them spiritual harm. The Xenu story is part of the church's secret "Advanced Technology", considered a sacred teaching, which is normally only revealed to members who are ready and have contributed large amounts of money. The most famous person in this faith is Tom Cruise MORMONISM: Book of Mormon: In 1823 an angel, Moronia, appeared to Joseph Smith and told him where to find some gold plates. These led to the book of Mormon published in Doctrine of Covenants: Contains 138 revelations from God. Certain church leaders today can add/delete from this book. Pearl of Great Price: Book of translated Egyptian writings that Joseph Smith received.

2 TRUTH SOURCE: JEHOVAH S WITNESS: Watchtower and Awake magazines. - JW have a massive publishing company that distributes hundreds millions pieces of literature each year. The Bible (New World Translation Only) - Was created by only JW scholars. Watchtower publications claim that doctrinal changes and refinements result from a process of progressive revelation, in which God gradually reveals his will and purpose. ISLAM: (Followers are called Muslims.) Quran/Koran: Muhammad received this book from the angel Gabriel Five Pillars 1. No god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet 2. Five prayers a day facing Mecca (where Allah revealed the Quran to Muhammad) 3. Money to the poor (Alms) 4. Fast one month a year. (This is called Ramadan.) One pilgrimage to Mecca during the course of your lifetime. HINDUISM: Bhagavad-Gita: The most precious jewel of Hindu literature. It is an epic poem/philosophical dialog between the god Krishna and the warrior Arjuna. (Required reading for anyone interested in Hinduism) Vedas: Primary text - written to explain how to appease the gods Upanishads: The most important parts of the Vedas - mediation, as well as the doctrine of Karma There is no concept of forgiveness (Our most open door to conversation if you will) According to Hindu tradition in Bhagavad-Gita, the religion is timeless and was spoken to the Sun god by Krishna roughly 120 million years ago and transmitted to human society in various steps.

3 WHO IS GOD: CHRISTIANITY: He is the creator of the universe. In the beginning God created - Gen 1:1 He is three in one: The Father, Son and Holy Spirit (known as the Trinity) He is the author of the Bible. 2 Timothy 3:16 He is all-powerful and yet, He is very personal. SCIENTOLOGY: They do not define God. Everyone is a Thetan: An immortal spirit with unlimited power over your universe. No Trinity MORMONISM: God was once a man, then he evolved into God. (There is not one God in way Christians understand.) Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, "I wish to declare I have always and in all congregations when I have preached on the subject of the Deity, it has been the plurality of Gods" (History of the Church 6:474). Brigham Young, the second prophet and president of the LDS Church, said, "How many Gods there are, I do not know. But there never was a time when there were not Gods..." (Journal of Discourses 7:333). No Trinity - Triad. If you ask a Mormon person if they believe in Father, Son and Holy Spirit, they will say, Yes. Articles of Faith: We believe in God the eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost." This is not the whole truth. What they do not say is that their belief is these are THREE SEPARATE gods.

4 WHO IS GOD: JEHOVAH S WITNESS: One God called Jehovah No Trinity ISLAM: God in the world of Islam is called Allah and he is one. No Trinity Islamic people are very monotheistic. HINDUISM: Brahman: Very, very powerful, impersonal and aloof. In the Hindu religion there are many gods emanate from Brahman - they are called avatars. People worship these manifestations of Brahman. Between 30, ,000 gods in the world of Hinduism Polytheistic

5 WHO IS JESUS: CHRISTIANITY: He is the one and only Son of God. For God so loved the world that he sent his only son. - John 3:16 The second person in the Trinity. Father / Son / Holy Spirit He was born of a virgin. Virgin be with child and call him Emmanuel - Matthew 1:23 He lived a perfect life on this earth. He who had no sin became sin for us - II Cor. 5:21 He died on the cross but three days later he arose. I Cor. 15:3 Jesus is the long awaited and predicted Messiah and Savior of the world! Jesus is the only way to Heaven. I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. - John 14:6 SCIENTOLOGY: Jesus is rarely mentioned. He did not die for our sins. MORMONISM: (This gets very, very complicated and controversial.) Doctrine of the Covenants: Jesus is the first born of all spirit children. Jesus is one of God s many, many children of which there are millions. He and Lucifer were brothers. Mormon doctrine deviates significantly from the Bible, which teaches that Jesus is eternal and not procreated. Although Mormons teach that Jesus is eternal, what they mean is that He existed as a spirit child prior to His incarnation. To support their view, Mormons appeal to John 3:16, which states Jesus is the only begotten. The Greek word used there is monogenes, which means unique or one of a kind. It does not mean procreated, but emphasizes uniqueness. Mormons also appeal to Colossians 1:15, which calls Christ the Firstborn over all creation. The Greek word for firstborn is prototokos, meaning first in rank, preeminent one. If you ask some Mormons if they believe salvation is only through Jesus Christ they would say, Yes. But what they mean is that, according to Mormonism, everyone who ever lived will be raised from the dead physically because Jesus atonement restored immortality (lost by Adam s fall) to all people, whether they are Christians or Mormons or anything else. Mormons teach that salvation comes through faith in Jesus plus baptism in Mormon Temple plus works.

6 WHO IS JESUS: JEHOVAH S WITNESS: Jesus was the first created son of Jehovah. Jesus is not God. He did come to earth and lived a perfect life and then died on a stake, not a cross. Jesus has already returned invisibly in he defeated Satan in an invisible mystical battle. Jehovah's Witnesses teach that Satan and his demons were cast down to earth from heaven after October 1, 1914, at which point the end times began. Jesus next return will be to destroy all non Jehovah Witnesses. They are only true believers. Jesus is not the only way to heaven. ISLAM: Jesus is one of the many prophets but not God. Jesus did not die on the cross. God made someone else to look like Jesus and he died. (Look alike, switch made, deception) Therefore Jesus did not die or rise from the dead - Jesus ascended to Heaven without dying. He is a great prophet but certainly not the only way to heaven. HINDUISM: Jesus is one of many sons of Brahman god an avatar that can be worshipped. Jesus did die but his death does not atone for sins because he did not rise from the dead. Jesus is not the only way to heaven - there are quite literally many thousands of ways.

7 ETERNITY: CHRISTIANITY: Salvation is obtained by accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9 Those who have placed their faith and trust in Jesus will spend eternity in Heaven. Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. - Matthew 10:32-33 SCIENTOLOGY: Salvation is freedom from reincarnation. (No real need to repent - auditor free of engrams we call sin.) People, Thetans, are reborn time and time again in new bodies through a process called "assumption" which is analogous to reincarnation. Scientology similar to Hinduism, in that both ascribe a causal relationship between the experiences of earlier incarnations and one's present life. Hell is a myth and people who get clear of engrams (sins) become operating Thetans. Mormonism: Resurrected by grace but saved and exalted to godhood by good works. These works include things such as diet, tithing, Mormon baptism, mission work, temple rituals Telestial, Terrestrial, and Celestial: 3 levels of heaven - people go to levels of glory not hell. Proxy/vicarious baptism: Baptism for the dead happens in certain temples, people on earth right now can be baptized for those who have already passed away. I personally know a young man who was baptized a 100 times one day for those passed. Mormons spend hundreds/thousands of hours tracing family trees - go back and be baptized for relatives. When you are baptized for the dead you become the savior of that person.

8 ETERNITY: JEHOVAH S WITNESS: Spent in one of three places The 144,000 anointed will reign in heaven with Jehovah for eternity. The rest of the faithful Jehovah Witness will live forever on a paradise earth. Those who are not Jehovah Witness will be destroyed by Jehovah and cease to exist. No concept of Hell - something that Satan simply made up. ISLAM: Eternal paradise for those who believe in Islam. Eternal Hell for those who reject Islam. Allah weighs your good and bad deeds based greatly on the Five Pillars in the Quran ILL. Scale good bad whichever is more wins out and determines your destiny There is no certainty of salvation. (Greatest appeals of Xnty - you can be certain!) HINDUISM: Each person goes through infinite stages of reincarnation. Karma concept soul migrates - goes up and down the life scale depending on deeds. In other words if you have done lots good things up; Bad things down Most Hindus believe they have many, many more lives to live. The goal is to eventually merge in to the Brahman one day and escape this endless cycle reincarnation. The goal is not to enter into heaven.