How do we know that Christianity is the only religion to follow for Heaven?

[SJASaint]

My whole life up until a year ago I did not know of my faith in God. The world is full of many and different religions, so I had the choice of religion that in my opinion seemed “right”. But aren’t all religions “right” in their own sense? And if all religions are right then why does each of them say only their religion and their belief system will get you into heaven-nothing else and no other faith. People of the wolrd like Gandhi, who were not Christian and good people in general who aren’t Christian, where do they go after death. My point in this thread is, how do we know Christianity is truly the “one” religion, and if I were a good person my entire life but did not have a strong relationship where would I be headed?

-Samuel

 

[Ronsatron]

I would say that no-one knows. You either follow the religion and god you were born into, or you pick whichever religion suits you best, or you can decide to live your life as best as you can without the need for a god. There have been thousands of gods throughout history, each with their own claim to everlasting life.
No doubt there will be lots of replies claiming the bible is the proof, or their relationship with god etc, but in reality, it is based of faith, and large chunk of circumstance. Those in other religions make the exact same claims with the exact same level of belief, there is nothing special about christainity as such.

 

[JonNC]

My whole life up until a year ago I did not know of my faith in God. The world is full of many and different religions, so I had the choice of religion that in my opinion seemed “right”. But aren’t all religions “right” in their own sense? And if all religions are right then why does each of them say only their religion and their belief system will get you into heaven-nothing else and no other faith. People of the wolrd like Gandhi, who were not Christian and good people in general who aren’t Christian, where do they go after death. My point in this thread is, how do we know Christianity is truly the “one” religion, and if I were a good person my entire life but did not have a strong relationship where would I be headed?

-Samuel

Samuel, welcome.
The simple, perhaps simplistic, response is that Jesus tells us that no one comes to the Father except by HIm. Was He right? Well, Chrstians are certain He is right, so we are certain that Christians come to the Father by Grace alone through faith in Christ.
Of course, we can’t limit what God does. So is it possible that, in some way we don’t understand, Christ brings Muslims, for example, to the Father by Him? Sure it is possible.

Jon

 

[wisdomseeker]

My whole life up until a year ago I did not know of my faith in God. The world is full of many and different religions, so I had the choice of religion that in my opinion seemed “right”. But aren’t all religions “right” in their own sense? And if all religions are right then why does each of them say only their religion and their belief system will get you into heaven-nothing else and no other faith. People of the wolrd like Gandhi, who were not Christian and good people in general who aren’t Christian, where do they go after death. My point in this thread is, how do we know Christianity is truly the “one” religion, and if I were a good person my entire life but did not have a strong relationship where would I be headed?

-Samuel

it is specially for those who dont have a strong relationship that one must make sure he is following the Truth. i understand the confusion we found ourselves in now and days. so many claiming to have the Truth. there is only One Truth and not many this we know.

seek and you shall find.

the only way to know the false is to know the real one.

 

[Lancer]

Actually it is quite simple and without flaw – because it is not based on our mind, heart, will or intellect…reasoning or science…it is based on something God has done (Divine Revelation) and given us (Grace) to respond to Him in obedience…it is called:

FAITH

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
SECOND EDITION

(CCC)

142

By his Revelation, "the invisible God, from the fullness of his love, addresses men as his friends, and moves among them, in order to invite and receive them into his own company."1 The adequate response to this invitation is faith.
143 By faith, man completely** submits his intellect and his will to God**.2 With his whole being man gives his assent to God the revealer. Sacred Scripture calls** this human response to God**, the author of revelation, “the obedience of faith”.3
150 Faith is first of all a personal adherence of man to God. At the same time, and inseparably, it is** a free assent to the whole truth that God has revealed.** As personal adherence to God and assent to his truth, Christian faith differs from our faith in any human person. It is right and just to entrust oneself wholly to God and to believe absolutely what he says. It would be futile and false to place such faith in a creature.17Specifically…regarding Christianity:

To believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God
​

151 For a Christian, believing in God cannot be separated from believing in the One he sent, his “beloved Son”, in whom the Father is “well pleased”; **God tells us to listen to him.**18 The Lord himself said to his disciples: "Believe in God, believe also in me."19 We can believe in Jesus Christ because he is himself God, the Word made flesh: "No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known."20 Because he “has seen the Father”, Jesus Christ is the only one who knows him and can reveal him.21

​

So…if you read these words from the CCC and don’t believe that Christianity is the one true religion…it is because of one or two reasons:God** has not** given you the GRACE to possess the virtue of FAITH
OR
God has given you the GRACE to possess the virtue of** FAITH**…but by your own FREE WILL you have chosen disobedience…versus the first response to God’s GRACE which is** obedience**.

Faith is a human act

154 Believing is possible only by grace and the interior helps of the Holy Spirit. But it is no less true that believing is an authentically human act. Trusting in God and cleaving to the truths he has revealed is contrary neither to human freedom nor to human reason. Even in human relations it is not contrary to our dignity to believe what other persons tell us about themselves and their intentions, or to trust their promises (for example, when a man and a woman marry) to share a communion of life with one another. If this is so, still less is it contrary to our dignity to “yield by faith the full submission of. . . intellect and will to God who reveals”,26 and to share in an interior communion with him.http://javascript<b></b>:openWindow('cr/155.htm');

**
155** In faith, the human intellect and will cooperate with divine grace: "Believing is an act of the intellect assenting to the divine truth by command of the will moved by God through grace."27

In my simple “pea sized” brain…it is that simple…God does all the “heavy lifting”…all I have to do is be obedient.

Lastly, “…there is genius in Catholicism…”. (Matthew Kelly–Aussie author, speaker)

Pax Christi

 

[aborodki]

My whole life up until a year ago I did not know of my faith in God. The world is full of many and different religions, so I had the choice of religion that in my opinion seemed “right”. But aren’t all religions “right” in their own sense? And if all religions are right then why does each of them say only their religion and their belief system will get you into heaven-nothing else and no other faith. People of the wolrd like Gandhi, who were not Christian and good people in general who aren’t Christian, where do they go after death. My point in this thread is, how do we know Christianity is truly the “one” religion, and if I were a good person my entire life but did not have a strong relationship where would I be headed?

-Samuel

There is no such thing as all religions being right. If you believe that, then you are committing a logical fallacy. Either there is one god ( monotheistic—abrahamic religions) or many gods ( hinduism). Both cannot be true.
Either Christ was the Savior ( Christianity) or He was not ( everything else.) Both cannot be true.
Also, the monotheistic faiths are the only faiths that are concerned with objective standards of right and wrong. Christianity is especially concerned with it, which is why it is often attacked in the press and in the media. There is no live and let live philosophy that you find in the eastern faiths, no “searching inward” for what is right and what is wrong. You have a God that was concerned with the well-being of his creation.
Now Christianity is the only faith that can make the claim about a God that so loved the world that He took human form and carried the sins and sufferings upon his back so that his creation may not perish. Christianity is about the worth of a human being.
hope this helps,
alexsandra

 

[Leonius]

Because God has revealed it.

Without Faith it is impossible to please God,(Hebrews 11:6) Ghandi committed many sins, you have to understand none of us, not even the Saints deserve heaven, God owes us nothing, everything He gives us is a gift from Him not a right we deserve.

Truth is one and so the religion that is True can only be one religion.

 

[chaunceygardner]

Could there not be more than one name for God?

Could there not be several paths that one could take to attain Heaven?

Is Gandhi with God now? He was more Christian than 90% of those who have called themselves Christian, he followed the teachings of Jesus better than most Christians that I know, so why not?

And Jesus, over and over again, recognizes the faith of all kinds of people: Roman Centurions, Greeks, Pharisees, Caananites, Samaritans, etc. All “non-Christians”.

 

[Leonius]

Could there not be more than one name for God?

Yes.

Could there not be several paths that one could take to attain Heaven?

No there could not be, truth is one.

Is Gandhi with God now? He was more Christian than 90% of those who have called themselves Christian, he followed the teachings of Jesus better than most Christians that I know, so why not?

You did not even know Ghandhi!

And Jesus, over and over again, recognizes the faith of all kinds of people: Roman Centurions, Greeks, Pharisees, Caananites, Samaritans, etc. All “non-Christians”.

Yes He recognised their faith in Him, their faith in Christ, not their faith in Mars or Jupiter.

 

[ljubim]

Welcome to CAF!!

I’d say you need to evaluate all religions, keeping in mind who’s been consistent and who is all over the world, even in places where they’re persecuted. You’d have to throw out religions that are either easy or self-serving or just plain weird.

 

[wisdomseeker]

Could there not be more than one name for God?

Could there not be several paths that one could take to attain Heaven?

Is Gandhi with God now? He was more Christian than 90% of those who have called themselves Christian, he followed the teachings of Jesus better than most Christians that I know, so why not?

And Jesus, over and over again, recognizes the faith of all kinds of people: Roman Centurions, Greeks, Pharisees, Caananites, Samaritans, etc. All “non-Christians”.

Good? how do you know he was good? did He? when? why do you think He said: "go to the whole word and preach the Gospel, if He recognized them as true?

how about the Pharisees? did they not believe in God? but they became a stumble block because they did not believe in Jesus. the key is to believe in Christ and follow all His teachings through His Church. the Gospel says, if you do not believe after hearing the Word, you are already condemned. do you think Gandi heard about Christ?

 

[LegoGE1947]

Good? how do you know he was good? did He? when? why do you think He said: "go to the whole word and preach the Gospel, if He recognized them as true?

how about the Pharisees? did they not believe in God? but they became a stumble block because they did not believe in Jesus. the key is to believe in Christ and follow all His teachings through His Church. the Gospel says, if you do not believe after hearing the Word, you are already condemned. do you think Gandi heard about Christ?

Gandhi heard about Christ but by his own admission chose not to follow.thinkexist.com/quotation/god_has_no/156873.html

 

[a_priori]

My whole life up until a year ago I did not know of my faith in God. The world is full of many and different religions, so I had the choice of religion that in my opinion seemed “right”. But aren’t all religions “right” in their own sense? And if all religions are right then why does each of them say only their religion and their belief system will get you into heaven-nothing else and no other faith. People of the wolrd like Gandhi, who were not Christian and good people in general who aren’t Christian, where do they go after death. My point in this thread is, how do we know Christianity is truly the “one” religion, and if I were a good person my entire life but did not have a strong relationship where would I be headed?

-Samuel

The problem arises when one uses the word “know”. How do we “know”? We don’t, at least not with the absolute certitude that the word requires. This is the problem of creatures swimming in time & space claiming to discern the intentions of God who has His “being” outside of the spacetime “fishbowl”.

This is where faith does its thing.

 

[wisdomseeker]

Gandhi heard about Christ but by his own admission chose not to follow.thinkexist.com/quotation/god_has_no/156873.html

well then this is settled. if God did not spare the Jews His chosen people, how much more do you think he is going to do to us the gentiles?

 

[SpiritMeadow]

To answer simply, no one knows. We all find ourselves in some religious affiliation and we all believe that it helps us to relate to God the best of any we have found so far. Anyone who tells you there can only be one way is afraid, and thus reduces God to choosing one group over another, and he/she is afraid they may have chose wrongly, so they claim there can only be one way, theirs.

All faiths by and large teach the same basics. Love God and love each other. The Golden rule is found nearly everywhere.

Most of us end up in the general area of faith that we were born into. But ultimately we find that we resonate more with one than other, and that is where we personally may belong. No one can speak for anyone else.

If there is one God, as I believe (Note I said BELIEVE), then he is God of all peoples, in all places under whatever man made religions they have created. All religion is created by humans as their best ability to quantify and codify God into some entity they can talk about and relate to.

No book can claim to be “the only” answer, because plenty of books claim to be that, and there is no objective way to define one from the other. It all comes down to what makes you feel close to God.

The best advice, do what works for you in your journey with God and bless all others who chose a different path. You cannot disprove theirs, nor they yours. We can all live and let live.

 

[Leonius]

I know. What you describe is not Faith but mere indifference and relativism which is utterly worthless.

 

[SJASaint]

Thank you for all your answers, this is just one topic that has come across my mind during times where I have trouble accepting the truth. In one of the first comments someone referenced that Muslims who do not know the Father have reached him through Christ. Well, there have been many who have been Christian and have found a peace in Islam.

In a good majority of your replies alot of the answers have been something along the lines of, “We know the Truth, and there is only one Truth.” If when you say the “Truth” do you mean the beliefs of Christianity or God as a whole, being the man who came to Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed?

Some posted scripture which stated to us, the followers of God, that there is only one truth. Well the words of the Holy Bible can be resembled to the words of the Koran and the Torah. And in all three holy works they will state that they are the one truth.

If a boy is born and raised in Muslim faith, does the Father expect him to question the faith he was given to accept the teachings of a faith such a Christianity that is unknown to him. That young boy will probably pass away a believer of Islam, but what is his destiny. If our God is the “truth” then at some point in that boys young life shouldn’t Christ show him the way? I just graduated from a Catholic middle school a year ago, and when ever we talked on the subject, it was always the same answer that ya’ll are giving to me right now. And that is, “it is the one and only Truth”, and I dont feel satisfied to hear people give me that answer. Please, with all due respect to anyone that thinks I am some how favoring other religions-I’m not. All I want is someone to give me a strong answer that uses reason and faith to explain this topic to me.

Thank you,
-Samuel

 

[Sagefrakrobatik]

There is no such thing as all religions being right. If you believe that, then you are committing a logical fallacy. Either there is one god ( monotheistic—abrahamic religions) or many gods ( hinduism). Both cannot be true.
Either Christ was the Savior ( Christianity) or He was not ( everything else.) Both cannot be true.
Also, the monotheistic faiths are the only faiths that are concerned with objective standards of right and wrong. Christianity is especially concerned with it, which is why it is often attacked in the press and in the media. There is no live and let live philosophy that you find in the eastern faiths, no “searching inward” for what is right and what is wrong. You have a God that was concerned with the well-being of his creation.
Now Christianity is the only faith that can make the claim about a God that so loved the world that He took human form and carried the sins and sufferings upon his back so that his creation may not perish. Christianity is about the worth of a human being.
hope this helps,
alexsandra

Since when was religion based on Logic?? LOL What do you mean exactly by Eastern Faiths? That could include; Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Sufism, Cao Daoism, Taoism etc. Many different traditions. It is not as simple as you make it out to be.

Because God has revealed it.

Without Faith it is impossible to please God,(Hebrews 11:6) Ghandi committed many sins, you have to understand none of us, not even the Saints deserve heaven, God owes us nothing, everything He gives us is a gift from Him not a right we deserve.

Truth is one and so the religion that is True can only be one religion.

We may not "deserve’ heaven but i dont think we deserve to burning in eternal hell either. why does the afterlife have to be so dictomous? The criminal justice system is filled with nuances depending on the nature of the crime and other circumstances. Why are our only choices eternal bliss or everlasting suffering? Sure there is purgatory but the majority of non-catholic doctrine teaches otherwise. We may not perfect saints that does not mean we are tyranical demons either.

Good? how do you know he was good? did He? when? why do you think He said: "go to the whole word and preach the Gospel, if He recognized them as true?

how about the Pharisees? did they not believe in God? but they became a stumble block because they did not believe in Jesus. the key is to believe in Christ and follow all His teachings through His Church. the Gospel says, if you do not believe after hearing the Word, you are already condemned. do you think Gandi heard about Christ?

So now your comparing Ghandhi to the bloodthirsty jews in Mel Gibson blockbuster film?

Well luckily I still have some of Ghandhi’s quotes i saved on my computer that i took from a political philosophy book i bought years ago for a humanities course:

Tell what do you think Christ would say to this;

“*For what appears to be truth to some may be error to others. And patience means self suffering So the doctrine came to mean vinidication of truth not by inflction of suffering on the opponent but on one’s self.”*or how about this

*“…even men who have been considered religious have committed grievous crimes.” *

The ends dont justify the means

*“I am not likely to obtain the result flowing from the worship of God by laying myself prostrate before Satan.” *

Check out these lines:

*“Two brothers quarrel; one of them repents and re awakens the love that was lying dormant in him; the two again begin to live in peace; nobody takes notice of this.” *

What does Ghandhi say about Christ;

*“Christ died on the cross with a crown of thorns on his head defying the might of a whole empire. And if I raised resistances of a non violent character I simply and humbly follow in the footsteps of the great teachers anmed by my critcs.” *

This is what Ghandhi said about religion in general;
“It is not the Hindu religion, which I certainly prize above all other religions, but the religion which transcends Hinduism, which changes one’s very nature, which binds one indissolubly to the truth within and which ever purifies. It is the permanent element in human nature which counts no cost too great in order to find full expression and which leaves the soul uterless until it has found itself, known to its maker and appreciated the true correspondence between the Maker and itself.”*

 

[Sagefrakrobatik]

Thank you for all your answers, this is just one topic that has come across my mind during times where I have trouble accepting the truth. In one of the first comments someone referenced that Muslims who do not know the Father have reached him through Christ. Well, there have been many who have been Christian and have found a peace in Islam.

In a good majority of your replies alot of the answers have been something along the lines of, “We know the Truth, and there is only one Truth.” If when you say the “Truth” do you mean the beliefs of Christianity or God as a whole, being the man who came to Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed?

Some posted scripture which stated to us, the followers of God, that there is only one truth. Well the words of the Holy Bible can be resembled to the words of the Koran and the Torah. And in all three holy works they will state that they are the one truth.

If a boy is born and raised in Muslim faith, does the Father expect him to question the faith he was given to accept the teachings of a faith such a Christianity that is unknown to him. That young boy will probably pass away a believer of Islam, but what is his destiny. If our God is the “truth” then at some point in that boys young life shouldn’t Christ show him the way? I just graduated from a Catholic middle school a year ago, and when ever we talked on the subject, it was always the same answer that ya’ll are giving to me right now. And that is, “it is the one and only Truth”, and I dont feel satisfied to hear people give me that answer. Please, with all due respect to anyone that thinks I am some how favoring other religions-I’m not. All I want is someone to give me a strong answer that uses reason and faith to explain this topic to me.

Thank you,
-Samuel

the Truth is that nobody…ect for maybe Emanuel Swendenborg HEHEHE JK> Knows who the real God is.

Is there only “one Truth” meaning one true story that reveals who God is all other religions simply mthoylogies put together by false prohets? Its certainly possible. But if God is a compassionate God as most religions say he is, would it be fair of him to throw millions of people to hell who were decieved by a false prohet who knowingly mislead them?

This is a question I grappled with for sometime now. I think we should look outside of what religion says to find out the truth;

Is there any archaelogical evidence to support religious claims?

Are there any verifiable miracles that have taken place in modern history?

Does modern science agree with its scriptures?

Does it contain prophecy?

What about the historocity of the main characters? What do ancient historians and philosphers have to say about the main actors in different religions?

ETC.

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

Thank you for all your answers, this is just one topic that has come across my mind during times where I have trouble accepting the truth. In one of the first comments someone referenced that Muslims who do not know the Father have reached him through Christ. Well, there have been many who have been Christian and have found a peace in Islam.

In a good majority of your replies alot of the answers have been something along the lines of, “We know the Truth, and there is only one Truth.” If when you say the “Truth” do you mean the beliefs of Christianity or God as a whole, being the man who came to Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed?

Some posted scripture which stated to us, the followers of God, that there is only one truth. Well the words of the Holy Bible can be resembled to the words of the Koran and the Torah. And in all three holy works they will state that they are the one truth.

If a boy is born and raised in Muslim faith, does the Father expect him to question the faith he was given to accept the teachings of a faith such a Christianity that is unknown to him. That young boy will probably pass away a believer of Islam, but what is his destiny. If our God is the “truth” then at some point in that boys young life shouldn’t Christ show him the way? I just graduated from a Catholic middle school a year ago, and when ever we talked on the subject, it was always the same answer that ya’ll are giving to me right now. And that is, “it is the one and only Truth”, and I dont feel satisfied to hear people give me that answer. Please, with all due respect to anyone that thinks I am some how favoring other religions-I’m not. All I want is someone to give me a strong answer that uses reason and faith to explain this topic to me.

Thank you,
-Samuel

How about if we mind our own business instead ? ISTM that the question that matters for practical purposes is what each person thinks - so that we needn’t bother asking about groups, but should ask individuals what they think only if there is a need to do so; and most of all, what each of us thinks. But what A thinks about B or Y about Z, may very well be the sort of question that shouldn’t, because it needn’t, be asked. ​