If you're standing on the South Pole, how many different ways are there to get to the North Pole? You could say that there's only one way - north, and that all other ways are wrong. Or you could say there are many different ways and one can get to the North Pole (through different countries, oceans, etc.) and that they each have their good points and bad points, but in the end they all reach the North Pole. Now imagine that you are a person who sails a passenger ship from the South Pole up the Atlantic to the North Pole. You would want everyone to use your services, so you might say that yours was the best. And you might also try to discourage the use of other routes - this would take away from your business, after all - so you might say that no one has ever survived the journey on those 'other' routes. But secretly you know that as long as the person goes north, they'll get there... I don't believe I've ever seen a religion, Christian or otherwise, say that another religion will also work. Religions always want to be the one and only way to achieve heaven/nirvana/immortality /valhalla/etc. And since they do that, by extension they must say that anyone who uses any other religion must be damned. I like to think of it as the 'Ghandi test' - find a non-Hindu religion that says that Ghandi won't be damned. I don't believe that you can - it's just part of religion. However, you can remember that there's more than one way to get to the North Pole.
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Name : John-W, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 33, City : Cleveland, State : OH Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, For a while I have been questioning my faith. I have studied the ancient religions of Greece, Rome, Japan, Egypt and other countries. Though we classify those ancient beliefs as 'myths,' ancient civilizations lived and breathed their beliefs as much as people do today. Why do I have the right to say those peoples were wrong? How is Christianity right? If Christianity is true, then the billions of non-Christians in the world are wrong and doomed. If Christians are wrong, then the millions of Christians are misguided. I don't accept either. I don't consider myself atheist; maybe agnostic, but I don't like that label, either. I would like to hear some thoughts on this. I can't really talk about it with my family.
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Name : Gerald A., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Catholic, Age : 24, City : Grand Prairie, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 4 Years of College, I think there are three main directions that you could take. You could, like so many do, ignore the logical and intelligent thoughts that you are experiencing. You could decide that all religious people are "wrong" and be an athiest, as I am. I believe that humans have evolved a need for some kind of spirituality or purpose to their lives, but that it comes from within their minds and not from outside the universe! Or you could, like my partner, develop your own, perhaps more liberal, view of your own faith. He believes that all religions are all essentailly worshipping the same god or supernatural force. And that none are better than each other, just different. He sees it as natural that people from different cultures will have different forms of worship. Of course these thoughts don't sit well with all religous beliefs, but in looking at the world as a whole and thinking about our cultures from past times to the present (as I think you are), I think it makes more sense than interpreting every religious text literally.
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Name : Maddy, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 25, City : Birmingham, State : NA Country : United Kingdom, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, Christians donot define how we will reach God, Christianity is about God reaching down to man. God is the One who defines how He will be reached. If you reject what He says, you are rejecting Him. How can we possibly think that there is anything we can do to get God to accept us on our own merits? God is the One who says that only by accepting the death of His Son as the only acceptible payment for our sins that we can be saved. It's your decision to accept this or reject it. But remember, He is the One who says what's the right way or the wrong way. Why not take the way He has made available?
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Name : Mark22090, City : Hastings, State : NE Country : United States, I have struggled with similar questions about religion. I do not believe in the Christian concept that everyone who is not a Christian is automatically going to hell. I do not believe that God would send good people to hell just because they have a non-Christian belief system. I believe that all religions in the world are different ways of worshiping the same god. Religion started because people have a basic need to know why we are on Earth and what comes after death. Because people do not know the answers to these questions, different religions developed to give people the answers they need. There are so many different people in the world that one religion is not sufficient to give everyone what they need. So many religions have developed. Over time some religions have dominated. Political leaders have used religion to gain power over others, etc. But the basic reason for religion is so that people can have something higher than themselves to believe in and help them through hard times.
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Name : Lucy-H22656, Gender : F, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Age : 25, City : San Jose, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, It is certainly possible to be a Christian without having to believe that all the non-Christians, both before and after Christ, are damned for all eternity. Some Christians, for example, believe that people must live 'according to the light that God has given them', and that if they did not have the opportunity to experience God's fullest revelation (in Christ and in the Bible) it is not their fault, and they will therefore be judged based on how well they live up to that light that they did have. I am a student of Religious Studies and there are several practising Catholics in my program. They study the beliefs of other civilizations, whether that be the ancient Egyptians or the modern Buddhists, because they are all illustrations of man's search for God. Christians believe that God came to man, in the person of Jesus Christ, and that knowing Jesus is the closest we can be to God in this life.
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Name : CP19358, Gender : F, Age : 22, City : Montreal, Quebec, State : NA Country : Canada, I have also struggled with the same types of ideas. I mean, to a certain extent you might be able to understand the concept of certain things being referred to as myths. For example, we know that the sun doesn't rise and set because of the sun god riding his chariot across the sky. As far as questions regarding Christianity (or any other religion), I think people always believe that their religion is the one true way of thinking. Personally, I was brought up in a completely religion-free household, but over time did my own research. I have found that I identify more with Judaism than any other religion (although I haven't taken the "plunge" and converted...). To me it's a very personal decision, and I think that you don't have to believe another's beliefs but at least respect them.
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Name : Danielle Koukos, Gender : F, Race : X, Age : 24, City : Lakehurst, State : NJ Country : United States, Occupation : Systems Analyst, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, I say go for it! The whole point of your faith is that you have faith. (Duh!) You have to believe in the message. If the message doesn't make sense to you, personally, then you should look for a message that does. The ancient Greek and Roman beliefs are not popular today, but if that's what works for you, then do it. My only caveat is to make sure that you really understand the whole message before making any decisions.
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Name : Jesse-N30794, Gender : M, Religion : Jewish, Age : 40, City : Herzliya, State : NA Country : Israel, Occupation : Engineer, Ultimately, what you want to know is Truth. You want to look beyond Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and other belief systems to know Truth. (Before we get there, you can see the absurdity of the aphorism "Well, billions of people can't be wrong." Either way, in multiple ways, billions are.) To evaluate Truth, you need to measure the outcome of each system. (1) What civilizations have excelled? (2) Where do people exhibit the greatest love? (3) Where are people the least selfish? (4) Where do you see the greatest changes for the better when a person has converted from one belief system to another? You will arrive at the conclusion that no system is perfect. As a Christian myself, I can see that the system of Christianity has its flaws. Too rigid in places, too lax in other places. Even "Christ is the answer" is an empty aphorism until with your own "eyes" you can see that "we are not what we were made to be," and "He took my/our punishment that I/we could live." God wants a relationship with you. God loves all men and women. He doesn't want any to go to hell. (John 3:17 "...that the world should be saved through Him.") "Come to Christ" is an invitation to all.
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Name : Ronald-V29678, City : Edmonton, State : NA Country : Canada, John: Actually Judaism teaches that all righteous people have a place in the world to come. Jews are obligated to abide by the 613 commandments that Judaism traditionally teaches are found in the bible, but non-Jews are obligated only to follow the 7 Noahide laws (given to Noah). 1) to establish courts of justice; 2) not to commit blasphemy; 3) not to commit idolatry; 4) not to commit incest and adultery; 5) not to commit bloodshed; 6) not to commit robbery; and 7) not to eat flesh cut from a living animal. (For more information, see http://www.jewfaq.org/gentiles.htm from which I plagarized shamelessly to write this answer.)
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Name : susan, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 39, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : attorney, Social class : Upper middle class, I struggle daily with the same dilemma. I was a history major in college and enjoy studying about past and present societies. There are many questions I have about Christianity and what happens to the soul after death. I firmly believe in God ( I like to believe that there is a purpose in my life), but there are some facets to Christianity I just cannot accept. I also believe in the concept of individualism---therefore, it's up to each person to make his choice.
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Name : Kimball W., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Disability : cerebral palsy, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 46, City : Lamesa, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : unemployed, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, A philosopher once said, "If God did not exist, it would be necessary for man to invent Him." I think that says a lot. There is no proof whatsoever that any higher being or God exists. However, I have never seen a black hole in space or the tiniest particle of an atom (or even an atom for that matter), but I believe these things exist. It's the same for religion. It's whatever you choose to believe and what makes you comfortable and gets you through the rough times of your life. Do what feels right for you.
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Name : Cheryl S., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 51, City : Atlanta, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : Technical, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, You are obviously a very intelligent individual, and one who is on the road to enlightenment. You are beginning to recognize that Christianity, like all other religions, is a sham. As Bertrand Russell wrote, all the 'great' religions of the world - Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, and Communism - are untrue and harmful. Logically, since they disagree, not more than one of them can be true. With very few exceptions, the religion a man accepts is that of the community in which he lives, which makes it obvious that the influence of environment is what has led him to accept the religion in question. And think of this: there is something a little odd about the ethical valuations of those who think that an omnipotent, omniscient and benevolent Deity, after preparing the ground by many millions of years of lifeless nebulae, would consider Himself adequately rewarded by the final emergence of Hitler, Stalin and nuclear bombs. One would think such a God could have done much better. The stark truth of the matter is this: Look at human history objectively, and you cannot fail to conclude that if there IS a God, he is the most vile of sadists and is therefore worthy only of human scorn and derision, not worship.
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Name : Jitpring, Gender : M, Age : 28, City : Los Angeles, State : CA Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Gerald, I deeply admire your passion to discover truth. You are clearly an open-minded individual in search of becoming more informed--I respect that in people. One thing that helped guide me in my faith journey was when I contrasted the sting of death across the religions. You can find the grave of Muhammed, Joseph Smith, Buddha, and many others, but not Jesus Christ. He is the one, still-living (in Spirit form) God. His single life on earth has so magnificently altered society (morals, legislature, calendars, etc.) that I had to take a deeper look at who He was and what He stood for. His message of grace, unconditional love, and eternal life in heaven set Christianity even further apart from other religions. He taught that attaining heaven was based on believing in His love/sacrifice on our behalf whereas other religions teach a salvation based upon the accumulation of 'good deeds' of the certain individual (you and me). I find great comfort and an amazing sense of peace knowing that God has reserved a place for me in heaven. That assurance comes from what God has done for me, not on how many good things I do. Since I am far from perfect (and always will be) I have placed my hope and faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. And you are right, if His life and teachings are false then my faith is indeed empty and worthless (and I've wasted the last 10 minutes in writing this). But if what He said is the Truth then my eternity is secure. I encourage you to investigate deeper into the life of this man we call Jesus. Read His words, examine His life, and you might find a new perspective in your personal journey.
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Name : Michael, Gender : M, Age : 24, City : Olathe, State : KS Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, As a Christian, I believe that when Christianity and Religion X differ, Christianity is right; but I don't believe all other religions are bunk. My perspective is: to decide on Christianity, decide whether Jesus Christ is who he claimed to be. If not, Christianity is so flawed you might as well go elsewhere. If so, he's too good to do without. Good luck!
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Name : Saxifrage28174, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 36, City : Atlanta, State : GA Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
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