I dont know where this advice originated and I have heard variations of it over the last quarter century. It has a level of common sense to it that cant be argued against very easily by anyone. It does, however, create a formidable argument against the glibly spoken and oft repeated idea that all religions point to God. In the middle of the night, a mother hears her child, a little girl beginning to cough and sniffle as if she is coming down with a cold. She waits to see if the child will go back to sleep and she does. Later the child wakes again and this time is coughing and wheezing more than before. The mother rises instinctively and while still nearly half asleep she stumbles to the medicine cabinet where she pulls out a cold remedy in a bottle. She goes to the childs room where she gives a couple of spoons full of the medicine to the child then returns to her room and sleeps soundly for the rest of the night. In the morning she is shocked to see that her child is dead. She examines the bottle of medicine she left by the bed only to find that it was not a cold remedy but a very powerful adult medicine, and it is what took the childs life. The mother was very sincere when she gave the medicine to her child. She could hardly be faulted for anything. But she was very mistaken about the medicine she inadvertently chose for the child because after all it was deadly. The point here is clear, her sincerity was no substitute for the truth, and the truth was that it was the wrong medicine. People blindly accept the common notion that all religions point to God. The idea that even if your religion doesnt point to God if you are sincere somehow your ignorance is covered is also mindlessly accepted by millions of people. This notion is more than a simple error when viewed against the Bible, it is an outright deception. Christ and the Apostle Paul spoke against this notion and the foolish and universal acceptance of it in the following passages. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. John 10:1 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. John 10: 7-9 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. Acts 17: 30-31 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:10-12 Christ didnt come to give the world another religion, he came to give men life. Religion seems to be our thing, we are the builders and purveyors of all the old traditional and ancient religions as well as the new cults and heresies. Christ takes no credit for any of them. In fact what is not known by most people is that the Arch Deceiver (Satan) has religion at the top of his list to deceive men. He full well knows mans penchant and proclivity for religion and he also knows the efficacy of the old adage if you cant beat them, then join them. The God of this world (Satan) provides many poisons for us to grab as we stumble in the night and then sincerely administer them to our children or ourselves thinking we have dealt with an oncoming infirmity. How many millions will awake on a judgment day only to find out then that Sincerity is no substitute for the truth? |
