Are all religions different paths to the same destination?

Question

If this is true then why do the paths contradict each other?

Buddhism says there is no personal God and everyone can reach god-likeness on their own. Islam says Jesus was just a prophet and not the only way to God. Christianity says there is a personal God and the only way to Him is through Jesus Christ.

Does it seem to you that these paths are all headed in the same direction? Does truth contradict itself?

Answer 1

What is false religion?

Why does religion seem to be at the root of so many problems?
The fault lies, not with all religion, but with “false” religion.

False Religion...MEDDLES IN WAR AND POLITICS: How many religions can you think of whose members engage in war?

False Religion...SPREADS FALSE DOCTRINE: Most religions teach that the soul or spirit is some invisible part of a human that survives the death of the physical body. However, the Bible teaches a different doctrine. “The soul that is sinning, it itself will die.” Ezekiel 18:4 Jesus taught that the dead will be resurrected, an unnecessary action if humans had an immortal soul. Does your religion teach that the soul does not die?

False Religion...TOLERATES IMMORAL SEX: Church groups ordain gay and lesbian members of the clergy. What, though, does the Bible teach? It plainly states: “Do YOU not know that unrighteous persons will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be misled. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men kept for unnatural purposes, nor men who lie with men.” 1 Cor. 6:9,10 Do you know of religions that condone immoral sex?

How to identify true religion.

True Religion...PRACTICES LOVE: True worshippers are “no part of the world,” are not divided by race or culture, and display “love among themselves.” Rather than killing one another, they are willing to die for one another.

True Religion...TRUSTS GOD'S WORD: Instead of teaching “tradition” and “commands of men as doctrines,” true religion bases its doctrine on God's Word, the Bible

True Religion...STRENGTHENS FAMILIES AND UPHOLDS HIGH MORAL STANDARDS: True religion trains husbands to “love their wives as their own bodies,” helps wives to develop “deep respect for their husbands,” and teaches children to “be obedient to their parents.”

True Religion is available, search for it.

Answer 2

Jesus said that he was the way the truth and the life.....so all other paths aren't really heading in the same destination. Now because all take place on earth and all of earth shows God's glory it comes to reason that there will be some similarities between the religions...there has to be. now of course what Jesus said only holds true if you believe Jesus to be who he said he was and it would be too long to go into it here but I would recommend taking an ALPHA course (introduction to the christian faith where you can go have supper and watch a video and break into small groups for discussion in a non threatening environment where no question is too dumb or too hostile.) or you can pick up the book "Questions of life" by nicky gumbel (it's basically the alpha course in book form).

Answer 3

Superficially, it seems that certain religions are leading to the same destination, but when we look more closely at the causes being created, we can see the destinations are very different.

Phenomena are at once bothe effects and causes. Each phenomena is not a singular entity independent of other phenomena, but dependent-related in many ways, such as causes and conditions, it's parts, name, imputation by consciousness and so on. Because phenomena is dependent-related, it cannot be independent, thus it cannot be a random appearance from nothing. If it cannot be a random appearance from nothing, it depends on causes.

So, an effect, 'going to heaven to praise the lord' arises from its cause 'accepting jesus into our heart' is NOT the same as the effect 'attaining the 5 omniscient wisdoms of a Buddha' which arises from it's cause 'meditation on emptiness with the mind of meaning clear light having accumulated a vast amount of merit with the illusory body'.

There are many many differences when you begin digging below the surface. Unless you dig very specifically, you can't say with confidence and accuracy that all religions have the same destination. That is a fact!

Answer 4

If you're trying to get to the lake of fire in Revelation 20, I suppose so. Even the true religion can get you there, if you approach it with an ungodly attitude. Yes, there is a true religion! If one religion were not more true than others, what would be the point of being in that religion, rather than any other? '13“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."' - Matthew 7:13,14 (NIV) '23Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, 24“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to."' - Luke 13:23,24 (NIV) '6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' - John 14:6 (NIV)

Answer 5

This could be. Actually, it seems that all religious arguments go nowhere because they are all based on "interpretations." They're all right about some sort of singular life force that does exist. That doesn't mean that life force is a god, but the concept does pose for it to be some sort of higher power--maybe not a being--, which in turn could be made a god.

I believe that God is too big for one path. This of course, is in the assumption that a god does exist.

Answer 6

Well, they worship different God.
E.g. Christians worship the Father, the Son (Jesus), and Holy Ghost as God

While Muslims only worship one God: Allah. Islam considers Jesus only human. Not a God. In Islam God only One. God has no FATHER and has no SON.

This is a Big Thing Difference....

Answer 7

Unless there are going to be seperate destinations for diff people then yes it will be the same destination despite what you believe in.

Truth doesnt contradict each other. Different beliefs might. Truth doesnt change according to what you believe in.

Something is true and I guess we wont find out what until we die, but believing in diff things doesnt change whatever the truth actually is.

Answer 8

"Are all religions different paths to the same destination?"
Yes, they are. They all ultimately lead to God.

"If this is true then why do the paths contradict each other?"
Because each religion is merely able to touch a small portion of the infinite God. We exist in finite bodies and can only experience a finite part of the infinite God.

Hindus use a story about six blind men to explain this. In the story six blind men are walking in the woods when an elephant crosses their path. The first reaches out and touches a tusk, the second touches the trunk, the third touches the tail, the fourth a flapping ear, the fifth a leg, and the sixth feels the body as the elephant passes by. Obviously each blind man will come to a different conclusion about what an elephant must look like. So who experienced the real elephant? Who had the true experience? God is like that elephant and we are like those blind men. Each of us reaches out and experiences a part of God. Hindus say this is not only the reason there are so many different religions, but also why there is so many diverse denominations and sects within each of those religions. Each is experiencing a different part of the infinite God and then explaining their experience through a perspective and symbolism that best makes sense to them (religion is extremely full of symbols....probably much more than any other human action except for maybe the arts).

"Does it seem to you that these paths are all headed in the same direction? Does truth contradict itself?"
If you look deeply into each religions you'll find that while they appear to contradict each other on the outside, when you start to understand the layers of meaning in the symbolism that is used in the many religions you'll come to realize that they're all talking about the same thing, but have approached the subject from a different angle...a different perspective. On the surface they appear very different, and yet when you peer deeper into the mysteries of each religion you realize it's all the same mystery that they're talking about. While each describes these mysteries through different symbolism, has different teachers and founders, uses different rituals, they're all striving back to that original point of God...God the Ultimate Reality, God the ground of all being...etc. Only when you just look at the religions on the surface does it appear that they contradict each other. Read any of the mystics from the religions: Rumi from Islam, St. Theresa from Christianity, or Ramakrishna from Hinduism...just to name a few....and what you find is each of them describes in their poetry or writings the very same awakened reality, they begin to see God very much the same. Sure they call God by different names. Sure they use the symbolism from their religious traditions....but if you understand the symbolism then you begin to see how each of them came to experience the exact same God, began to see God all around them. As St. Theresa says in her writings "I looked around me and all I see is God. In every face all I see is Jesus. When I look into the mirror all I see is Jesus." If the religions contradict each other then how do explain how the many different mystics and ascetics from the many different religions living at various different times all came to experience the exact same thing? And each of them struggles with the language and symbolism of their religion to try to tell us, but usually each of them in their writings ultimately says something similar to Ramakrishna "words fail me because they do not do justice to explain to you what the Divine is like" thus showing their frustration that they cannot explain to us what they experienced and all they can do is just try to encourage us to strive to experience it for ourselves.

Answer 9

No, the paths are not all headed in the same direction. Only one path has a favorable outcome. Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."

Answer 10

I have thought about this question since I was able to question my christian beliefs.
My parents and pastor who are extremely commited to their beliefs, would definitely say that only christianity can take you to heaven. I have a hard time digesting this, knowing that there is someone exactly like me halfway across the world wondering the exact same thing about their religion, (Islam Judeasim, Budhism, etc)
Lets say that i was born in Iraq for example. I am 99.9999 percent positive that i am of the islamic faith. Why would God put me in that situation knowing that it would damn me to hell? unless there is more than one route to heaven.