According to stats from religioustolerance.org, there are 19 major world religions. These can be subdivided into a total of 270 large religious groups. and many smaller ones. No doubt with all these avenues, we are living in a world full of people trying to find truth. Truth about life, truth about eternity.
Let's take a look at beliefs about life, and the afterlife, from several popular world religions. Information was taken from religionfacts.com
Islam: The object of life is to live in a way that is pleasing to Allah so that one may gain Paradise. It is believed that at puberty, an account of each person's deeds is opened, and this will be used at the Day of Judgement to determine his eternal fate.
Jehovah's Witnesses: The
purpose of life is to earn the right to participate in God's future
Kingdom on Earth, and to help others to do so. Witnesses therefore focus
on living a moral, acceptable life before God and witnessing about their
faith to others.
Hinduism: There
are four purposes of human life. 'Dharma' - fulfilling one's purpose.
'Artha' - prosperity. 'Kama' - desire, sexuality, enjoyment. 'Moksha' -
Enlightenment
Judaism: The Torah and Talmud alike focus on the purpose of earthly life, which is to fulfill one's duties to God and one's fellow man. Succeeding at this brings reward, failing at it brings punishment. Whether rewards and punishments continue after death, or whether anything at all happens after death, is not as important.
The
Torah and Talmud alike focus on the purpose of earthly life, which is
to fulfill one's duties to God and one's fellow man. Succeeding at this
brings reward, failing at it brings punishment. Whether rewards and
punishments continue after death, or whether anything at all happens
after death, is not as important. - See more at:
http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/beliefs/afterlife.htm#sthash.DH6mYHvs.dpuf
Buddhism: After death one is either reborn into another body (reincarnated) or enters nirvana. Only Buddhas - those who have attained enlightenment - will achieve the latter destination.
For
a Muslim, the object of life is to live in a way that is pleasing to
Allah so that one may gain Paradise. It is believed that at puberty, an
account of each person's deeds is opened, and this will be used at the
Day of Judgment to determine his eternal fate. - See more at:
http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/beliefs.htm#sthash.XFdl3uwI.dpufF
For
a Muslim, the object of life is to live in a way that is pleasing to
Allah so that one may gain Paradise. It is believed that at puberty, an
account of each person's deeds is opened, and this will be used at the
Day of Judgment to determine his eternal fate. - See more at:
http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/beliefs.htm#sthash.XFdl3uwI.dpuf
For
a Muslim, the object of life is to live in a way that is pleasing to
Allah so that one may gain Paradise. It is believed that at puberty, an
account of each person's deeds is opened, and this will be used at the
Day of Judgment to determine his eternal fate. - See more at:
http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/beliefs.htm#sthash.XFdl3uwI.dpuf
Notice a common trait in every belief system? Work righteousness. Each description carries with it a responsibility put on the believer to perform in order to earn salvation of one kind or another. It makes sense! Isn't it natural human tendency to want to take things into our own hands? To take responsibility for ouselves, and rely on our own deeds to ensure something as important as our salvation?
How does all this differ from the beliefs of Christianity? Let's take a look at a few verses:
1 Timothy 2:3-6a This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.1 John 2:2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
The truths of the Bible differ so greatly from the beliefs of other world religions because of their source. Salvation through Christ alone isn't a human idea, it's God's idea. How amazing we have access to a book not written by man, but God Himself who assures us our salvation is secured through Him! There is freedom and relief in that. We can rest assured the work is done. May Christ's love compel us to share this Good News with a lost world.
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