There is a popular analogy used to show that all religions are valid ways to describe god. They are demons and deceivers and the way to test all claims to truth in religion is jesus christ. What are the top ten religions and what is the holy book. Some say all religions are basically the same or equal, or that all religions are true. Others think all religions say the same thing, that jesus message of love is the same as every other religions.
In all these religions, believers call out to god differently. This religious group holds that all of these are of divine origin and are facets of one truth. Many have developed various religious traditions in order to try to please god in different ways, whether through wearing round pieces of cloth on their. I had only a passing knowledge of many of the religions discussed in the book and really enjoyed finding out more about them. And the world is surely safer when rivals arent fuming and proclaiming, our god is greater than. The actual identity and makeup of the religion has been debated for centuries and has resulted in a number of. A narrower definition of monotheism is the belief in the existence of only one god that created the world, is allpowerful and intervenes in the world a distinction may be made between exclusive monotheism, and both inclusive monotheism and pluriform panentheistic monotheism which, while recognising various distinct gods, postulate some underlying unity. As stephen prothero, religion scholar and author of the bestseller religious literacy, reminds us in his latest book, god is not one, all the preaching about tolerance for other. Other christian religions, including unitarian universalism, jehovahs witnesses, mormonism and others, do not share those views on the trinity. The pure religion is a book of revelation given from god to reveal anew the deeper heart and meaning of the worlds religions and the power and presence of god, which seeks to speak to all people of all faith traditions in the world at this time the pure religion is the timeless path of awakening, redemption and return to the creator, initiated by god at the beginning of the separation and. This is a seductive sentiment in a world in which religious violence can seem as present and potent as god, prothero wrote in a wellcirculated oped piece. Judaism is one of the ancient monotheistic religions and was founded over 3500 years ago in middle east. Author stephen prothero on why the idea that all religions are.
Religion professors especially love this analogy, because it equalizes all religions, making all religions equally true in their description of god. Delving into the different problems and solutions that islam, christianity. Its not about saying one religion is better than another, but looking at how each of the 8 most popular religions approach the problem of. The basic categories are congruent, the articulation of those categories is not.
The answer to the first question is, therefore, no. Stephen prothero, god is not one the eight rival religions that run the world and why their differences matter new york. In a monotheistic religion, there is only one god to take on such responsibility, so it is logical that he or she becomes responsible for everything. Judaism was founded by moses, although jews relate their history back to abraham. God is god, and the different religions are but different cultural express. One god the lord is our god, the lord is one shema, hebrew prayer allah is one koran, 112. My conclusion from the bible is that there are real supernatural beings behind other religions, but they are not the true god. The belief that people of all religions worship the same god, just in a different way, seems to be the cultural norm today. You can believe in anything as long as you are sincere. One world, many religions covers the history, beliefs, and practices of judaism, christianity, islam, hinduism, buddhism, confucianism, and taoism.
The way of islam offers clear and comprehensive knowledge about islam for readers curious about islam, and willing to move past barriers to mutual understanding. In his new book, god is not one, boston university scholar stephen prothero attacks the naive notion that all religions are essentially the same. In a conversational style geared toward nonbelievers, green compares christianity, buddhism, islam, and other religions to help spiritual seekers navigate the multifaith maze. God is not one challenges an idea thats become synonymous with religious tolerance, the idea that all religions are just the same underneath. Various religions offer a variety of theories about life, death, and eternity. They are alike in believing in gods existence and that hisherits will is that we love one another. List of world religions and founders, religious books, place. Religions of a single god is like no other introductory textbook on the. As such, monotheistic deities are generally allpowerful, allknowing, and everpresent. Judaism has a rich history of religious text, but the central and most important religious document is torah. Jesus christ is the worlds creator, and its only true redeemer. Jan 02, 2020 there is no doubt that some sort of oneworld religion under the false prophet will be a part of the end times, perhaps made up of a number of different religions, sects, and isms that are around today. Written as a series of philosophical aphorisms, william blakes exquisite pamphlet is a statement of his views on the very nature of existence, which would inform his vast corpus of work for the rest of his artistic career.
The three major monotheistic religions that accept a single, monotheistic god. What are the top ten religions and what is the holy book for. Apr 22, 2016 all religions are one 1788 is a relief etching by one of the worlds most mystical poets ever to have lived. All religions are just different ways to reach god. One of the biggest issues that i had with christopher hitchens book god is not great is that he lumps all religions into a pile and hurls his attacks at the entire pile. Boston university religion scholar stephen protheros new book, god is not one. The religions book by michael coogan, eve levavi feinstein. All have had a deep effect on the laws and customs of every country. Aug 04, 2017 my conclusion from the bible is that there are real supernatural beings behind other religions, but they are not the true god. From the astonishing number of religions in the world, the most recognizable beliefs are only twenty. Ten teachings shared by all religions from the book. As expected, it teaches both the basics of judaism, christianity and islam, presenting the trajectories of their development over time, their main theological debates and claims, sacred writings, and their common practices and holy days. The view that all theists actually worship the same god, whether they know it or not, is especially emphasized in the bahai faith, hinduism and sikhism. The bible teaches that the gods of other religions are not mere names.
All religions are one 1788 is a relief etching by one of the worlds most mystical poets ever to have lived. These christians also do not believe that one of the three divine figures is god alone and the other two are not but that all three are mysteriously god and one. In other words, though the various religions of the world do have many different and even conflicting teachings about god, spirit, salvation, the afterlife, and so on, when it comes to the practical fundamentals of how to actually live our religion as taught by jesus, all of the major religions are in agreement. The most popular system is that man makes his own way to god and does various works to please him, to be accepted by him or her, or it. They may all push the golden rule, as progressives like to point out, but no religion. All religions are one is a series of philosophical aphorisms by william blake, written in 1788. For example, theism is any religion that contains gods, and polytheism is a form of theism.
Behind this is the idea that all beliefs should be tolerated and that any claim to ultimate truth is arrogant. Otherwise wed be left with the weird scenario that god is either hindu, muslim, christian or whatever, and that is of course nonsense. In the very first paragraph of his book, prothero says that smith is wrong, because the worlds major. One god, but people choose to worship him in their own different ways. We can think about god, but we cannot comprehend him. With three of them having over one billion believers. This sacred text is divided into two main sections, the old testament and the new testament which are then further divided into various books. By showing the range and potential of a common conviction that god is one and unique, makes demands upon mans social order and the conduct of every day life, distinguishes those who do his will from the rest of humanity and will stand in judgment upon all. Jul 15, 2002 one of the biggest issues that i had with christopher hitchens book god is not great is that he lumps all religions into a pile and hurls his attacks at the entire pile. One god and one salvation for all the nations desiring god.
If theres one god, why all the different religions. Many think differently, feel differently, seeking god or meeting god in different ways. The big picture of all religions involves a god, or gods, loving their god or gods and living a life of loving one another, being a genuine good person, loving our fellow brothers and sisters, being caring, thoughtful, doing good deeds and making the right choices. The eight rival religions that run the worldand why their. The eight rival religions that run the world, new york times bestselling author of religious literacy and religion scholar stephen prothero argues that persistent attempts to portray all religions as different paths to the same god overlook the distinct problem that each tradition seeks to solve. Theses religions all have radically opposing views on sin, the afterlife, the nature of god, the will of god, gods plan for humanity, the purpose and meaning of life, moral accountability, how to have a relationship with god, selfconduct, salvationliberation, atonement, and the nature of the soul. The eight rival religions that run the world and why their differences matter harperone, which hits bookstores today, argues that the globes eight major religions hold different and irreconcilable assumptions.
And yet, as different as all religions are, they share one common characteristic. Truth be told, many religious people take the lords name in vain throughout their depraved lives. Religions of a single god is like no other introductory textbook on the western monotheistic religions. The absolute claim of the god of the bible on all persons and all religions is a spiritual threat to religious pluralism in that it does call for repentance from all false religion and faith in the one true god through his one and only son, jesus christ. All religions are not alike bu today boston university. In this crowd, in this range of religions, there is only one certainty that we have for all. This may be a good indication that stephen prothero is on to something. The author directed the office on christianmuslim relations for the national council of churches for nearly 30 years. Some say, just be sincere in your worship, and god will be pleased. For good and for evil, religion is the single greatest influence in the world. Items in lower case italics are classes of religion and not actual religions.
Buddhism 376 million followers tripitaka pali canon 5. Theyre not mere myths but are, in fact, supernatural beings who love to be worshiped and want to deceive the world and receive a claim and take the place of the true god. In gods of religion no shortage of choicebut one god for all religions that would be nicethe gods of the universe trouble create. There is no mere religion in all the world like this. In this highly acclaimed book, mary pope osborne introduces readers to the six major religions of the world. He is the final and decisive revelation of the one true god. Its not about saying one religion is better than another, but looking at how each of the 8 most popular religions approach the problem of life and what solutions they offer. Join the book club discussion on this book a recent gallup poll indicates that about 95% of americans believe in god, but that our definitions of who or what god is differ markedly. Monotheists believe that there is only one god, and may also believe this god is worshipped in different religions under different names. God is not one highlights the unique aspects of the worlds major.
For example, the bahai faith has carried this view to the point of adopting into its beliefs the nine principal religions of the world. But dont all religions lead to god navigating the multi. To ask other readers questions about god is not one, please sign up. Aug 12, 2018 in a monotheistic religion, there is only one god to take on such responsibility, so it is logical that he or she becomes responsible for everything. For example, theism is any religion that contains god s, and polytheism is a. The only people who make such a claim are those who are ignorant of the teachings of the major world religions. In this insightful and compelling book, michael green invites readers into a relationship with jesus christ, the divine revelation and only pathway to the one true god. The eight rival religions that run the worldand why their differences matter, bluntly refutes the notion that all religions share a fundamental goal. Jun 09, 2010 after all, religions seek similar truths. One god the lord is our god, the lord is one shema, hebrew prayer.
Jan 11, 2016 many think differently, feel differently, seeking god or meeting god in different ways. As such, monotheistic deities are generally all powerful, all knowing, and everpresent. After all, its easy to find honest, moral people who do not follow yeshua or god at all. Pope francis says all major religions are paths to same god. Sep 06, 2017 while the worlds religions may all point you in the direction of heaven and tell you that you can save yourself, christianity teaches that jesus has come, not just as a moral leader to show us the path to god, but to be our way, our truth, and our life john 14. But if this was true jesus was the greatest liar and the bible the most deceiving book. It is simply impossible to list all varieties of religion 1 as we as a species have created an almost infinite variety of religious and transcendental ideas. The holy books of world religions sacred texts in world. Its been stated there are only two religious systems in the world, though there are thousands of religions. God is not one by stephen prothero makes the point that all religions are.
952 1338 37 1499 1284 233 1240 1119 530 575 1304 1058 41 1114 547 219 1034 1508 1421 1156 965 649 728 460 805 1298 721 1104 1168 873 641 537