Is there a right or wrong religion?

Question

I was raised Roman Catholic so I remain Catholic because I like the religion and also I do not want to go to hell. I study other religions such as Islam and Judaism. I kind of like Judaism a lot better but I am afraid of converting because what if Jesus is real then I go to hell? What if Islam is the true religion and I am going to go to hell because i am not a Muslim. How does one know which one is right? What if someone is raised in a Muslim family and stays Muslim their whole lives? Isn't it just natural for them to follow their family traditions.........Now let's assume that Jesus is real would Jesus send the Muslim to hell? What about a kid in Africa that has never heard of these religions and he worships a pagaen religion?

Answer 1

One thing is for sure, all of the religions can't be right. But, all of them can be wrong.

Mark 16:16 in the Bible clearly states that unless you believe and are baptized..you're going to hell. There are similar verses in other parts of the New Testament, the Qu'ran and other religions.

Paul says that people who are completely ignorant of Christianity won't go to hell.

Fear is not a good reason to believe anything. If you are basing your beliefs off of what you fear the most, then Islam might be for you because their hell sounds a bit worse than the Christian one.

Don't be a victim of religious terrorism:

Noun

* S: (n) terrorism, act of terrorism, terrorist act (the calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear)

Answer 2

Well... the answers to all these questions are relative... I mean, a muslim will tell you that catholisim is wrong as they will tell you the episcapalians are wrong as they will tell you that budism is wrong....
Firstly, asuming that ONE religion will get you into "heaven"... and that religion is the one you practice is MIGHTY concieted, wouldn't you say? I mean... there are MANY flaws in cathosim.. The idolatry, brazen images and all that... you know that's wrong, right? And the pope... yeah, you're not supposed to follow ANY man but CHRIST... speakin of ol popey, why was the "holiest" man on earth so afraid of death, he made his car able to withstand an attacc from a small occupying force?... seems strange... @ anyrate, confessions? The crucifixion ended that... man now has a direct link to God. And not to mention the practice of polytheism... you guys have like a thousand patron saints that you burn candles and say prayers to for petes sake... that don't sound a lil pegan?
But I digress....
Christianity is based off of human sacrifice and symbolic cannibalism.
Islam boasts that a womanizing blacc man in america was the son of God
We won't even discuss the Mormons...
And Jews don't like Jesus cuz he wasn't good enough for them... he should have be a warrior, not a carpenter.. So they killed him...
Yeah... so with all that said... I also say this...
Look @ the stories... in the bible, torah, koran, book of mormon and see the actions sanctioned by "god"... there is a common theme... its a certain type of person who makes it... not a certain denomination...
If you lived ya whole life being the best person you could, savin kids and feedin the homeless, but you never heard of jesus, mohomed, siddartha, or whoever, do you think you would be excluded from paradise?... but the better question is, if the answer is yes.. Would you still want to go?

Answer 3

There must be a right one, because most claim to be that right one and that all others are wrong.

You might start with reading the Word of God, the Bible. Though all those religions (Judaism, Catholicism, and Islam) claim to worship the God of the Bible, NONE of them do the things that it teaches, and all worship contrary to its teachings. If you read the Bible for your self, at least you'll find out that these don't know the God they claim to worship.

Now let's assume that you have read the Bible, then you'd know the answer to you other questions too. Such as, that God does not condemn people before they are judged; and he doesn't judge people until they know. If you had read the Bible, you would have found such answers in the Gospel accounts and Paul's letters and the Book of Revelation, as well as several books of the Old Testament.

Answer 4

This is an age old question and a very good one. After over seventy years of puzzling this one and having many friends in all the major and some of the minor religions, I am of the opinion that all the great religions offer security and peace of mind on the journey through life. The major religions, and I leave you to nominate them, offer a pathway that leads to God. There are many stages and some folk become stuck in them but the overall goal, which is reached by quite a number, is an understanding of the nature of the Godhead and one's place in the scheme of things. This may sound simplistic but the destination is not as important as the travelling for some. Once you fully take in the goal of Christianity or Islam or Judaism for example you realise that the stages are only stages and the reality is ALL.
My advice is to stay upon the path you have started and by thought, prayer and travel along the path, advance towards your goal. God bless you and may the Prophet, His Holy Name be Blessed, guide you. Shalom.

Answer 5

Ok, no offense to your curiousities and your current religion, but these complications prove that religion doesn't exist. If the concept of "One True God" really existed, then we would all be AWARE of such a thing-God would show us that he's really here and we'd be worshipping them with the knowledge of what God can or could do. If Jesus sent someone who was unaware of any other religion (like your African kid thing) then Jesus would be pretty cruel. I'll bet that there are lots of people that are isolated and don't know about the monotheistic faiths and probably unaware of any God at all!

Answer 6

I believe that whatever the person's religion is how their life is affected. Example: Some Christians might see it as a sin to have a child out of wedlock. So if the woman is shameful that she is pregnant but does not want to have an abortion (also shameful) then she is stuck between a rock and a hard place. If that is what she believes then she can think it is a sin. A Rastafarian would disagree believing it is ok out of wedlock to have a child.

Everybody thinks differently and if one religion was right or wrong for the person then think of all the things people are doing wrong. lol

Relax, if you believe in something else then go with that instinct. Don't pretend to believe in something you don't because you don't want to go to "hell."

Also, all religions are different but have some same qualities. You do not have to agree with everything the religion states. You can take peices from various religions to find a suitable place for you to feel secure.

Answer 7

Personally, I think there is probably truth in every religion. The fact is none of us will know the truth until we die. If you look at all the major religions, they all worship the SAME God...they just call him different things. I personally think religions just developed differently due to geographic differences in culture. I believe God allowed these differences to take place so that each religion fulfilled whatever was needed in that society.....and wouldn't that be like him? I mean, he DID allow us to have free will so wouldn't it also make sense that he'd allow religions to evolve freely? In my opinion, the religion you choose is usually based largely on geography. For instance, I was born in Korea but was adopted by an American family & raised in the south....therefore, I grew up Baptist. Had I grown up in Korea, I probably would've ended up Buddhist or Hindu but only because that's what is prominent in that geographic area. So, would I have been punished merely because I wasn't born in a predominantly Christian area and was never exposed to it? Think of all the tiny African villages where a person can live & die never hearing about Christianity. Do you really think God will condemn them to hell simply becuase they happened to be born in a place where there isn't a church on every block? I don't think so. Like I said, I believe God is in every religion and allows us to choose what will fulfill us individually.

Answer 8

I hear that an Orthodox saint said once : it does not matter if you have a right religion if your life is wrong and I think he pinpointed the difference . Other holy people tell us in their writings that we shouldn't look for what separates us but for what is good and for what we all have in common, admire the great things even if they come from pagans. I don't know why people have generally so many bigoted views and do not try enduring and showing patience and acting more like humans and less like animals. But I know that I and you can, at least , try it. Because we ask ourselves questions.

Answer 9

There is no right or wrong religion. To have religious belief is one of basic Human Rights. The same right also allows one not to have any religious belief. To change religion or choose another religion than one was born into is also elementary Human Right. I personally believe that if Jesus was real he would not send anybody to hell. He was promoting peace, love, tolerance and understanding but unfortunately some people have problem of realizing that.
More about my religion you can find on mind-body-spirit.fsm.org

Answer 10

God looks at the heart.

I don't believe He will send anyone to hell for following 'the wrong religion', as long as they had sincere intentions. You're right, it would be a pretty UNloving God who condemns someone simply for being born in the wrong country.

Jesus summed up the entire Jewish law with two commands - love God and love your neighbour.

If you can strive to do that with all your heart, you'll be fine - you'll be worshipping God not in any particular place but 'in spirit and truth' :-)