How would you like to worship a god who is greedy, jealous, violent, vindictive, and sexually promiscuous? If you are religious and are neither a Christian nor a Jew, the chances are excellent that you do.
Virtually all pagan religions incorporate into their belief system a variety of gods whose main purposes are to torment humans and make their lives as miserable as possible. Most of us are aware that in China it is considered a dangerous thing to compliment a couple on their “beautiful” baby because the gods might hear and become so jealous that they will harm the child. Instead, one is supposed to loudly declare that the child is ugly and pathetic. Thus, the gods will be appeased and not kill the baby.
We who have studied the major world religions have ample evidence that when man creates gods, he creates them in his image. Humans attribute to their gods the same qualities that they possess as part of their most sinful human natures. Thus, those involved in pagan religions concentrate on trying to live their lives unnoticed by their gods in order to escape their wrath. They fear that their material goods will be taken from them, their loved ones will die, and they will find themselves the target of every sort of calamity. In short, their pagan gods treat humans exactly the way that unsaved humans treat each other. They rule through fear and intimidation.
Besides all of that, pagan religions teach that their gods need to be constantly appeased. They must be given gifts and sacrifices that take an enormous toll on the faithful. I saw a young Buddhist monk on television who was required to run more than 100 miles in a specified time period while fasting and wearing stiff sandals. He said that if he were unable to complete the task, he would be put to death. This was not an anti-Buddhist piece; it was simply meant to be informative.
Is it any wonder that Christianity has impacted the world as nothing else ever has? First, it teaches that God created us in His image, and through Jesus Christ, He gave us the power to overcome sin and destruction, not only in our own lives, but in the world in which we live. Jesus rules through the power of a love so great that He gave His life so that we could live forever with Him.
Second, Christianity teaches that because God loves us and cares deeply about every nuance of our lives, Jesus wants us to live in fellowship with Him as His “friends.” (John 15:14)
Third, Christianity teaches that salvation is free. We cannot earn it, and we cannot deserve it. It is the free gift of God. All we need to do is receive it.
Pagan religions are simply a reflection of man’s sinful nature as evidenced by what men would do if they were god. Christianity stands in direct opposition to everything that the unsaved value because it reflects the world as it should be and as it is seen through the eyes of a powerful loving God.
Some say that Jesus’ promises to us are just “too good to be true.” I say that what Jesus Christ has done for us is so far out of the realm of human understanding that no human could have conceptualized it. After careful consideration, I have concluded that where Christianity is concerned, you just can’t make this stuff up!
For books by Joyce Swann, visit her website at http://www.frontier2000.net/.
No comments:
Post a Comment