scientology
Out of context: Reply #57
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- discipler0
*reluctantly breaks vow of silence from PVN posting and enters discussion...
I believe people embrace religion for a number of reasons: for a sense of identity, to deal with past pain, to eradicate the fear of death, etc...
I, personally, have never felt any need for "religion" as it is generally understood. What I have experienced is a sense that there is something more to this life than the natural world has to offer. I believe everyone experiences this deep longing of the soul, but most people look in the wrong places to try and satisfy it. I believe that the missing puzzle piece is found, not in "religion", but in a relationship. A relationship with the one who created this hunger within us.
As for truth, I believe that logic dictates that it, by definition, is exclusive. There cannot be "my truth" and "your truth". Truth is either absolute, or it is not truth. Because it demands that there be non-truth... it requires that there be error. There are consequences to being wrong, we see this in our day to day experience.
The relationship that is Christianity, unlike world religions, is historic and evidential. The testimony of Christ's life, death, and resurrection happened to come to us by way of eyewitness accounts (2 Pet. 1:16; 1 John 1:1-4). Christianity therefore is a historical faith, and its truth claims can be evaluated by examining the facts and testimony of history - its a faith based in fact. None of the other religions of the world can claim this kind of historical support.
Another unique feature of Christianity is that its founder claimed to be God. Of the great religious leaders of the world (Buddha, Moses, Zoroaster, Lao Tzu, Mohammed) only Jesus claimed to be God in human flesh (John 8:58). And this is not an empty claim because it is supported by Christ’s historically verifiable resurrection from the dead (1 Cor. 15:3-8). Other religions like Buddhism and Islam claim miracles in support of their faith, but unlike Christianity, these miracles lack historical verification.
Also, Christianity is a faith relationship that is not earned thru "religious" performance or human efforts. When Jesus said, "It is finished" on the cross, he meant it. He did the work... we choose to accept his work by faith, or reject it.
An additional feature which sets Christianity apart from religion is that its beliefs system happens to be coherent. Some Christian doctrines may transcend logical categories — and even appear paradoxical — but unlike the religions of the east, they are not irrational or absurd. Oh, and before I forget, the Christian faith is unique in that it can account for the vast array of phenomena which we encounter in life — things like the laws of science, the universal laws of logic, ethical norms, love, meaning in life, and, of course, the problem of evil.
Christianity’s unique distinctions are very good reasons to embrace it, IMO.