Dear Not_Now.Soon,

Please calm down: of course there is good and evil, right and wrong, but what you seem to be looking for is a simplistic verbal/written formula that can tell between the two under all circumstances without fail. I'm afraid it doesn't work like this. Human words are necessarily limited and imperfect.

Being alienated from God is the disease and religion is the cure. There are gross and obvious cases where practically all religions prescribe the same - this is because in the human condition we generally face the same common enemies: lust, greed, envy, pride, etc., for which religions offer generic remedies. Yet the exact optimal medicine can vary between individuals and in different times and circumstances, so no simple formula can address all conditions at once to the last detail.

So of course it is "ok" to be Christian because you can find the generic instructions in the words of Jesus: "Love God with all your heart", "Love thy neighbour as thyself", be humble, be patient, be selfless, forgive, etc.: these are the obvious ingredients, this is the essence, there is a lifetime of work to get there before you should start being concerned about finer details, so this is what you need to teach and spread by your personal example.

Now in comparison, the specifics of what particular legends to believe in, are secondary, almost like the colour of the pill: their roll is to remind and encourage you to take the pill!
Suppose in your area, the medicine which you find so helpful is sold in blue pills: when going abroad, would you keep preaching "take the blue pill, take the blue pill", even if over there this medicine is sold in green pills?

Here is something to preach: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVEyrHiSm6Y

"There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, there is one God who is Father of all"

But please be careful: some people had an abusive father who did not present a positive example - for them the metaphor of "Father of all", is inappropriate and unhelpful.

To Yuyutsu.

I'm sorry if I've come off as harsh, however I am defending my views from several different perspectives. Some people not even counting my words before going on a different track against Christianity, or God, or specifically against me. I have gotten angry and impatient. Forgive me because I'm not perfect, and have some limits.

You said:

[Being alienated from God is the disease and religion is the cure.]

Religion serves many good purposes, but only religions that are from God can be counted as a means to come back to God. Even then the religion might not get all the credit. God gets the credit, not the religion. This is a point I disagree with you about that all religions are the same. Just different color or different legends to the same beliefs. However That's not the 2 points I want the address right now. It's just worth noting that we don't agree on this.

(Continued)

First point. There are a lot of ideas and philosophies out there. We swim in ideologies and pet ideals everywhere we go. If a person looks into any subject matter without enough knowledge to discern which ideas are creditable, and which ones are not, often they can leave that subject with a hodgepodge of good insight and deeply flawed direction. We do this with brief interludes in politics, in medicine and our own health, in relationship advise, and in spirituality. In everything we do, this is the case. With religion too the details matter. However I concede to the point to there being a bigger picture as well as the importance of the details of each religion. Big elements like loving your neighbor, the importance of justice and mercy, as well as building communities are great. The details matter though too.

In my journey through Christian understanding, I've gone through this soup of ideas. Not all of them from a Christian background but still influencing Christian world views. Big things like who God is, our place, our salvation, or even what is expected of us is is shrouded in nonchristian foundations(not from Jesus, nor in the bible). In order to get through all of that muck and philosophy there needs to be a solid foundation people can rely on. The bible, our experiences, and wisdom from more mature Christians are great elements for anyone looking in to Christianity. Regardless if they are new to the subject or not. The bible Iwould venture to say is the most important though because it is the standard you can put everything else to to see if it stands or falls apart.

When you hold multiple religions to the same scrutiny the result is that the details of one make it incomparable with the details of another. One has to be right and the other man made. Or both potentially man made and not of a divine origin. Does this make sense? Not all religions are from God. That's just how it is.

(Continued)

Second point. If Christianity holds merit and is a path to God. Then there is one detail that needs to be addressed. The events that occur nowadays point to us being in something called "the last days," "the end times," or a more scriptural term, nearing the "Day of The Lord." These are apocalyptic in nature, but ring true with current events. If I were to place my finger on it we seem to be in a place where peace is removed from the land, but not yet to the point of famine that is mentioned after that stage. If Christianity holds merit then the end of the world as we know it is right around the corner. Maybe in our lifetime, maybe in our children's lifetime. Maybe tomorrow or before the end of today. In order to save people from much suffering (or eternal suffering) it is a widely heard idea to try and save them and help them find Jesus. If Christianity holds merit this isn't a multiple lifetimes thing to find God, it potentially is a now or never scenario.

I don't expect you to agree with me on these points. But I figured I should share them with you. It might help explain some of my reactions to ask for accountability in our beliefs (1st point) and on the need to keep teaching and spreading biblical understanding (2nd point, being nearly out of time). I wish I could go into more points but these two points are enough to contemplate for now.

Dear Not_Now.Soon,

«Religion serves many good purposes»

Incidentally it can, but this is not what religion is for - religion is for coming closer and eventually reuniting with God.

«only religions that are from God can be counted as a means to come back to God.»

Can you possibly conceive of anything that is not from God?!?

The ultimate test for a religion is neither how it was originated, nor whether it's teachings are consistent with the objective material existence, but whether it leads to God.

Any path that does not lead to God is not a religion; any path that leads some people to God, but not others, is a religion for those it leads to God.

Nevertheless, a path is more likely to be a religion when it is transmitted down the generations by a lineage of pure souls who lived with God or at least as close to God as possible. We can rightly suspect such paths that were transmitted by people still immersed in lust, greed, envy, pride, etc.

Jesus was one of those pure souls who were constantly with God. Jesus did not teach the old-testament (which was not yet finalised at his time), nor the new testament (which was not yet written): Jesus taught his disciples how to reach God, and he had to make adjustments for them due to both their individual circumstances and their Jewish culture and environment.

Buddha was another such pure soul, but he himself predicted that his lineage could not maintain the purity of his teachings for long and will become sullied after 500 years.

Nothing can compare with direct personal contact with pure-souled sages and prophets. In its absence, one still can progress a long way by following the teachings of any of the various religions to overcome the gross obstacles, then to succeed in overcoming the finer obstacles, personal instruction is needed.

[continued...]

[...continued]

First point:

It is the nature of the mind to be restlessly jumping between thoughts and ideas like a wild horse. The mind should be disciplined and for that you need to control its coarse movements first, avoiding the major temptations and sins, only then you can start training it in the finer details. Controlling and placing in check one's gross and base sinful instincts can already be considered a great victory!

Religion is REAL, not a thought: ideas and philosophies are not the foundation of religion, but rather the cement that helps to hold the religious practices together.

Second point:

A sense of urgency is useful, especially when we slack and keep saying 'mañana'. This however applies at all times and practically every generation believed that theirs is "the end times", like mistaking weather for climate. See for example how a few months ago we were convinced that a nuclear war was at hand - who would believe then that Trump will meet Kim? Yes, the end of the world as we know it occurs every moment: the world never stays the same, only our intellectual concepts ABOUT the world remain intact a little bit longer than the world itself.

Yet you believe that the end of the world is near, and assuming that this belief keeps you alert and focused on God, please continue to believe so.