If there's only one God, how can the doctrine of all religions be right?

Question

Each religion's holy book provides "rules" to live by, yet they are all so different! How is it that one holy book is right and all others are wrong (depending on your chosen religion).

A good place to start is:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/

There is only one God - why can't we all love togther in peace?

Answer 1

Hindus don't claim their sacred texts to be the only right books (and most Eastern religions agree with them on this point). Hindus also don't believe that their way is the only right way, but they do believe there is only one God.

"There is only one God, though humanity calls It by many names." Rig Veda 1:164.46

There is a great story in Hinduism that highlights how Hindus view this very subject.

There are six blind men who each live in a different village. Each of them decide to go for a walk in the forest. While each is walking on the path an elephant passes by them. Each of them reaches out to briefly touch the elephant. The first man reaches out and is able to briefly touch the trunk. The second man reaches out and briefly touches a tusk. The third man reaches out and is able to briefly touch one of its flapping ears. The fouth man reaches out and is able to touch a leg. The fifth man reaches out, but can only touch its tail. And the sixth man reaches out and feels the body. Each of the six blind men make their way back to their respective villages where they tell the locals about their experience. The locals have never heard of this creature and listen to the men as they each tell of their experience. So, whose description of the elephant is right?

Hindus say that each of us are like those blind men and God is like the elephant. God is so big and vast and infinite and we are in finite bodies and minds and thus our finite selves can only grasp a small portion of the infinite whole. Thus, each of us is touching a different part of God. None of us are wrong, we just have a different perspective on God. Each of us is experiencing God from a different angle and it would be wrong of us to declare our perspective, our angle, the part of God we are touching to be the only true part of God, the only right perspective. It invalidates the real experiences of everyone else.

Because of this there is not only a lot of different religions, but within each religion there are a lot of different denominations, sects, subsects, and groups.

It is because of this belief that Hindus advocate living harmoniously with other religions. And Hindus often will look at other holy books from other religions and find the same wisdom and truth that they understand and know from their own tradition.

Thanks for the link to the website. It is actually one of my favorite websites online. I also enjoy http://www.sacred-texts.com as well, it is very informative, too. The BBC's website on religion is also very well done http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion and of course I visit other websites like http://www.beliefnet.com as well.

Peace be with you.

Answer 2

If you look at every religion there are many similarities. I hold the belief that all religions actually do believe in one spiritual being. God just came to different cultures in different ways.
All of the key monotheist religions have the same morals and values. Who actually told people what is right and what is wrong. It was god, and if you look at the world as a whole god just didn't tell one religion he told everyone.
If you study your religion Judaism, Christianity, and Islamics are all the same religion.
The one key thing that separates these religions is the belief in Jesus.
Judaism=, Jesus is not the son of god and he does not exist.
Christianity=, Jesus is the son of god. He is godlike.
Islamics=, Jesus is a Prophet, not the son of god.
Mohamed is also a prophet. In the other two religions he is not recognized.

Answer 3

You've answered your own question. Each religion is extremely different, and each person has the right to worship in the manner they choose. For me personally, I believe in God, but I don't believe everything in the bible. I am more spiritual than religious, and do believe that I will answer to GOD and GOD alone for my choices in life. We also have the ability to punish and or reward ourselves by way of guilt and happiness. We know right from wrong through the values and morals which we hold dear.

In my opinion, I believe that as each person comes before the "TRUE GOD", whomever that is, he will pass judgement upon us for the beliefs that we have held, the rules we have chosen to live by and the choices we've made, be them good, bad or indifferent.

Answer 4

You are absolutely right when you ask this question. Only one religion can be worshipping God in the way He approves. Jesus said "You will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." He also said that no one can come to the Father except through Him.

I believe that I have found the Truth, but everyone is welcome to their own opinion of what The Truth is.

Many people don't like Jehovah's Witnesses. I didn't like them either, but they proved all my questions from my Bible, and eventually, I became one.

I would suggest to you that you go to www.watchtower.org and fill out the online form and someone will come to your house to give you a free home Bible study once per week. You can also ask any Witness you see or call up the kingdom hall locally. I studied with them for 26 years, and I believe it is the Truth because I checked out all the Bible Scriptures for myself. I did NOT take their word for it, and that is what I would suggest to you. They have a book called Mankind's Search For God, and that book describes mostly all of the religious groups in the world.

I hope you have success in finding the truth that leads to everlasting life. That is the book I studied with them first.

I took a tour of the factory where they print books, and they work so hard there and only receive 20 dollars per month for personal things. I was amazed at the place, and at a convention that I went to, my son got burned by my coffee and a complete stranger helped us to get medical attention and she stayed right with us until his burn was taken care of, and seeing people of all nations getting along also proved to me that they had the truth, but I suggest that you check out religion and see if they follow everything you read in the Bible and decide for yourself.

Answer 5

There is One God and all religions were right, and one is the right one now. For every generation of man and people, a message as come w/ a messenger to remind of the truth and lead to the true path. As man kind spread and matured, so did the message advance for his expanded capacity of intellect. With every new message, the previous one became voided, but those who took advantage of religion to their personal benefit, did not want to succumb to the new renewed message of God and made exaggerations in their beliefs. Over time saints and prophets became angels and sons/daughters of God, until it became some thing it was not. The current message is Islam through the final Prophet Muhammad (SAW) who is mentioned in the Bible in Genesis and other prophesies and other religions including Hindu.

Answer 6

First of all , to start , you have to believe in something . Roman 10:17 The proof lies within 2nd Timothy 3:16-17 . How can this book be wrong ? It doesn't say to go around murdering , it says to love your neighbor like yourself . The proof is all through the Bible . Read all of the book of John . Jesus is real and awaits those that seek Him . All other is false doctrine and from the father of lies . Believe in the gospel . God bless you and your whole family .

Answer 7

Religion is man's answer to God. Although I attend the church of one denomination, I believe some 'doctrines' or biblical basics that are not taught by my church. I prefer to think of myself as non-denominational Bible-believing. For example, I grew up believing that wearing pants was wrong until my sister made it clear that the trousers are different for male and female.When I lived in massachusetts, I was happy to wear pants in the winter. especially when it was below 0 Some denominations do not allow jewellry; but in some cultures, there is no choice if you are married.I believe God goes along with the program because He created us with different tastes.He wants to reach us to the uttermost.One time I went into a bar to share literature and realized that they were hungry for God too. As a literature evangelist in New York, I worked alongside a Muslim.In Massachusetts I lived with a vegetarian Muslim who enjoyed my inspirational poetry. People are human; and God looks at man from the inside.The rituals and formats do not impress Him.He constantly seeks to commune with man and teach him how to love.There is no peace or togetherness without the ultimate- love and respect for each other.That's why we are instructed to love our neighbor whom we can see. To do otherwise is to be a liar.

Answer 8

Well, it's certainly true that all religions think that they are correct, but since they're all so different and contradtictory, they can't all be. The best thing to do is find the religion that really speaks to you and that you feel in your heart is true. Pray that God leads you in your search.

Answer 9

They cant. God wasnt always peacful. If you arent a child of God then citys like soddom and gamorah were destroyed, exept for one family that believed in God, because of there unrepentence to sin. God destroyed Jews because of their unrepentence to sin in the old testiment. In the new testiment, God gives all so many chances to become a Christian until people harden their hearts so much that they cant be saved.

Answer 10

There is only one God... after that, man has taken it upon himself to fashion Him into what they think makes sense. Im sure God looks down here at all the different accounts of Him and gets angry. How many people are really interested in knowing Him how He REALLY is and not how they wish He was?