Is One Religion as Good as Another?

It sounds very liberal and open-minded to acknowledge all religions as equal and good.  But if we are realistic and even scientific in our investigation, we begin to discover that not all religions produce the same results.  We might begin by asking, "What is the purpose of religion?"  Even with this question, we begin to find huge differences in religions.  And then, once we have defined for ourselves the purpose of religion, we find great differences in the results.

One good place to begin a search for the Truth is to read Iran: Desperate for God --An oppressive Islamic state drives its people into the arms of Christ, a book published by the Living Sacrifice Book Company in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.  This book is told or written by Islamic believers who all devotedly practiced Islam, to the point of depression and suicide.  They did all and more that their religion required of them, and became more and more oppressed and depressed.  Some even attempted suicide, for they had no hope at all.  All of their constant prayers and penances and self-denials led to despair. 

It seems that the point or purpose of Islam is to control people, not to release them into the freedom of the Children of God.  They are so fearful of Allah and his displeasure.  One girl reported her fear that if any of her hair would show, she would be hanged by her hair in "heaven," or if she did not cover her hands and wrists, she would hang by her hands for all eternity.  Fear is the over-riding emotion of faithful Islamic practice in Iran.  (I cannot report about the Islamic experience in America or other countries, for I know nothing about that, except for the students I taught who were Muslim men and women, and I know only a very little about their experience.)

In every story in Iran: Desperate for God, the writer tells of an experience of Jesus Christ, either from having been given a book, a New Testament, or of seeing a movie about Jesus.  Here is a quotation from a young boy who had begun in 5th grade earnestly searching and reading all about Islam.  But someone had given him a booklet about Jesus:

From the moment I read that Jesus booklet, I started to search for this God they're all talking about.  First of all, I read the Communist books again.  But now all I found was a lot of emptiness in them.  I discovered that when Lenin wanted to swear, he said, "To God, I swear."  Then I went to the other religions to search, starting with historical beliefs in the books of Iran, Japan, India, Lebanon, China, and Brazil.  I read all about the religions so I could compare them.  then I started studying space and stars, hypnotism, spirits, and telepathy......I tried to write these down in a notebook.  I wrote notes especially about Islam during the heat of this religious revolution ....Nobody was able to answer the questions I recorded to ask them.  There are so many problems even ayatollahs cannot give an answer.

Finally, this 13-year old boy was able to get his hands on a Bible that an old man lent him, even though it was forbidden to own a Bible in Iran at the time.  The Bible was in English, but the boy struggled to read it, and he decided to go directly to the mullahs with his questions.  The first question he asked was from the Koran, chapter 3, verse 3:  If anyone wants to have salvation and enter heaven, they have to believe in Torah and also in the Bible and in the New Testament..  Then the boy quoted other passages regarding Jesus Christ from the Koran, as well as passages from the Bible.  The mullah got red in the face and said, "Your ideas are not interesting; I can't talk to you." 

The boy continued his search for the truth:  I always believed the real God should have noble characteristics.  The God I wanted couldn't like bad things for His children.  He should know everything and know how that person wants to live in the future.  This God in my mind would always care for His children.

In every one of these stories, when the searcher discovers Christianity, they also find freedom, joy, peace.  Their experience is such that they immediately want to share their joy with members of their families and with their friends, even though doing so might bring imprisonment and death.  I downloaded this book on my Kindle for $1.99, I think, and I have read it through more than one time.  Experiences like these prove to anyone who thinks about it the truth of Jesus Christ:  You shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free. 

The purpose of religion is not a rule, but a relationship.  If we look at the relationship of believers to their 'gods,' we will inevitably discover the real God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  His brothers and sisters will come into the same relationship with the Father that Jesus Christ Himself had, for this is His purpose for us -- to make us sons and daughters of the Living God.