Why Christianity?
Aren’t All Religions True?  Don’t All Faiths Lead to God?

No, for several reasons.  First, religions involve more than just having faith in something or someone.  They also involve claims about truth – claims that can be investigated, and put to the test.  If you dig deep enough, you’ll find that all religions “claim” to have a lock on exclusivity to truth. 

For example, eastern religions (Hindus) and many New Age believers claim that the universe always existed – always was.  Christianity, Judaism and Islam claim that the universe had a beginning – that it was created by God, the All-Powerful Creator.

• These claims are mutually exclusive.  Both world views can’t be right – one view is correct, the other is not.  Either the universe had a beginning, or it did not. 
• The exciting thing is that we can – with the help of science – investigate whether the universe had a beginning.  If the evidence supports a creation scenario (which it does), then we can reasonably conclude that the other world view is mistaken.

Another example is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

• Christianity maintains that Jesus died, was buried in a tomb, and rose again the third day. 
• Muslims, on the other hand, believe that Jesus never even died, much less rose again.  

These claims are contradictory — they cannot both be true. Either one is true, or the other is.  They cannot both be true!

Either Jesus died, was buried, and rose again, or He did not.  One world view is correct, the other is not.  One cannot reasonably claim that “all religions teach basically the same things”, and make the same essential claims. How can we know which is true?  We can examine the historical record, we can examine the evidence — then make our decision concerning which record is the most credible.  Photo by Sam Willis on Pexels.com

The first commandment includes loving the LORD with “all of our mind” — if we examine the evidence, and use the powers of reason that God gave us, we will ultimately conclude that one faith — Christianity — it the most well supported, most consistent, most reasonable faith. 

Other religions have elements of truth, to be sure. But ultimately there is but one Truth, one Way.  And that Way is the Person of Jesus Christ.  

Only Jesus made such astounding claims as this:

“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life —
no one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6).

Let’s consider the core beliefs of Christianity, then compare and contrast the beliefs of the Christian faith with other religions.  

And please remember, Jesus did not come to start a new religion.  He came to:

• Fulfill all the prophecies in the Bible about a coming Messiah, a coming Chosen One, the “Holy One” of God.
• Since the Fall, all we like sheep had gone astray.  All “have fallen short” of God’s standard, for all have been stained by Adam’s transgression, and are spiritually dead as a result
• The only solution to this sin problem was that God should come down, become one of His creatures, live among us, and fulfill the Law like no human being stained by sin could do. Then give His perfect, sinless life, which was of ultimate value, for all the sins of human kind – past, present and future. 
• Thus God the Creator was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself
• He came to show us the “image” of the Father
• To pay the ultimate price for all of our sins, and to make a way for us to be reconciled back to God and have eternal life.
• He who believes in Jesus the Christ has life, and he that does not believe has not life.  For He is “the Way, the Truth, and The Life”. 

The basic difference between the the Way of Jesus, and all other religions is this.  Religions have you practice rules, traditions, burn incense to idols, and do other things to try to reach up to God and somehow connect with Him, justify yourself, and make yourself “acceptable” to God.  This will never work, as we are all by nature fallen creatures. “As in Adam, all die” says the Bible.  That is, all have spiritually died. The Good News (ie., the Gospel), is that in Christ all can be made alive.

Rather than depending on us to try to keep to God’s standard and reach up, God reached down in the form of Jesus, and saved us from  our fallen nature.  So that ANYONE who would believe in Him should not perish, but have life everlasting (John 3:16). 

Christianity is about relationship, not “rules”.  When one believes in Jesus as Lord and Savior, and invites Him into their heart to become Lord of their life, they are “born again” into new life.  The Law is still good and valid, but a believer is made alive in their spirit, and God gives him/her His Holy Spirit to be in them.  So rather than struggling to keep the Law, and produce good works, these good things come naturally – as fruit that is produced from a healthy tree.  (Gal 5:22-23)

For it is by grace that we are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God – not of works, lest anyone should boast (on earth or in heaven).  (Eph 2:8). 

Here for your consideration are some comparisons:

Core Beliefs of Christianity
Mormonism vs. Christianity
Judaism vs. Christianity
Atheism vs. Christianity
Islam vs. Christianity
Buddhism vs. Christianity
Baha’i Faith vs. Christianity