Do all roads lead to God?

[exnihilo]

All roads do lead to God, in the sense that we all will meet the true God eventually. We may not like the encounter.

There can be truth in other religions. This is to be expected. God gave man reason and through reason he can learn some things about God. But the unique claim of the Christian religion is that God set apart a people from whom he brought forth salvation through Himself being incarnated. Any other religion is missing a lot of good and necessary information about God’s nature and His will for us.

These other roads may lead toward God, but that is not the same as to God. And some religions actually lead you away from God.

There was one testimony I heard where the man was quoted as saying something along these lines - ‘I asked God which religion is the true religion, and God replied, whichever one brings you closest to Me.’

Even if true this would obviously be the Catholic Church. What other Church allows you to touch God in the sacrament of Holy Eucharist?

 

[Apache75]

Do all roads lead to God? Let me think about this. So God gave His only Son to die. But before He died he gave us His church. He is our salvation. So how can a religion that does not worship Christ and isn’t baptized reach God? My first vision God told me “You know my son died for your sins?” So how does one come to God when they don’t know Christ? I don’t think God just lets us run around believing whatever while denying His son.

 

[Luce7]

What’s the alternative then? That the abrahamic God is the one true God? What about the millions of people who don’t follow that God? They are innocent, the church does teach that culpability is reduced by ignorance or inability amongst other things. But it’s a bit…well…narrow, in my opinion, to think that they should all convert. I’m pretty sure God knows that is never going to happen.

But I find it very difficult to believe that, (considering ALL major Gods seem to claim to be the one true God,) we’ve been given absolute truth yet.

I think what we’ve been given is a series of spiritual tests particular to our culture.

It doesn’t necessarily mean he changes does it? Perhaps he was always those figures. To be fair, Hinduism (I’m pretty sure) and Judaism are both older than christianity. Didn’t the Jewish God claim to be the one true God too??

If he did present falsehoods and truth, it would give us all a good opportunity to exercise true morality. A good reason to do so, I think.

I don’t see a problem with God giving multiple moralities.

I don’t think you can say…he allowed them to be created LOL. That just seems like an explanation the church cooked up. And I say that because it’s too easy, and it’s not biblical, it’s an explanation someone settled on because it stops people asking questions.

And let’s say it’s so, and Yahweh is the one true god. Where was he for the hundreds of thousands of years of human existence before christianity? Was he just twiddling his thumbs or not tending his creation? Of course not. If God is God, then he must have been here. So what form did he take then? What would be the point in being God, if noone on Earth knows you exist?

Besides, if you take into account the idea that time can be non linear, you could argue he always was and always will be all Gods, and in that way he’s never changing.

You see it depends on how you look at it, which lens you use.

Ultimately it suggests a single point of creative energy that started everything, and maintains it. But how that creator feels about us and wants us to behave…another matter entirely.

 

[FollowChrist34]

Yes, I totally agree. I do think others experience God. American Indians as I recall have this idea of breath or wind as ‘spirit.’ Sound familiar? The wind as God’s breath. We call it the Holy Spirit. There are many many other examples too numerous to list out. I believe truth runs kind of like a stream through time - you reach your hand in for your handful you drink, then another does the same. I speak of religious souls, in communion with our creator, open hearts, minds. Receptive to reflecting witnessing God as he is revealed to that person. Christianity is the fullness of religion to me. But for a Hindu in the 5th century? What options does he have. But of course you have problems such as human sacrifice. Druids, etc. Would God ask for that. I get sick at the thought of animal sacrifices and I eat and drink the body and blood of Christ every week. To me, God is a merciful God. Loving.

 

[Kei]

You seem to hold some misunderstanding.
The God of Christianity is the God of Judaism. The God who revealed Judaism is the God of Christianity.

I reccomend checking the Abrahamic promise. That is, that God would bring all the families of the world out of this Abrahamic promise.
Fast forward to today. About half the population of the world is in an Abrahamic faith. Catholicism is quickly spreading throughout Asia (specifically China) and Africa. Those not in an Abrahamic faith are likely affected in some way by them. For instance, Japan is influenced by 50s American Christian morality.

Yes, YHWH is the one true God. Prior to Christianity, He brought about the Jewish faith and guided them to be a special peoples, one whose morals and good works would spread throughout the nations, and indeed they did, softening the hearts of the gentiles. Then Christ Jesus came, bringing the Truth to the Gentiles and Jews alike.

We do not know what happened prior to history, and prehistory is largely a mystery. But a high monotheism of some sort is not unknown. For instance, in China they used to believe in the “Emperor of Heaven” early in its history.

When I say He allows it, I mean He has allowed it to exist. If He had not, they wouldn’t exist. Similarly to how He allows sin as a free choice, though He does not like sin. Or like how He just allowed me to eat a chicken sandwich just now.