Religion vs. truth

If religion were horses, we wouldn't need cars. The world is awash with religious people - that is, folk who believe in a supernatural spirit being or spirit beings. By contrast, truth is on the endangered list, as is amply proved by the utter confusion of beliefs to be found among the religious (not to mention the irreligious). Truth is truth, and whenever you are presented with two non-harmonious ideas, at least one of them must be wrong. If Allah is God, Yahweh is not, and vice versa. Only one set of beliefs can possibly, logically, be correct. Undoubtedly, not a single person has the complete suite, though some folk, such as Richard Dawkins, are confident they have.

We all like to think we "have the truth". However, one inconvenient truth stares us in the face - religious belief is almost universally bankrupt of truth; the array of religious beliefs beggars belief and logically they must almost all be wrong. (I inserted the word "almost" in there for a reason; truth exists "out there" somewhere. And, taking it as our starting point that Jesus Christ was a repository of that truth, we can take heart in knowing that some folk must "have it". After all, He did say that the gates of hell would never totally exterminate His little flock, whatever form it may take.)

Did Mohammed really fly on a winged horse to meet Allah? If he did, then you can be sure Elijah was not whisked away in a horse-drawn chariot of fire. And vice versa. The two stories come from two non-harmonious religious writings, and therefore at least one of them just didn't happen. If Ganesha, the pot-bellied, elephant-headed god of the Hindu pantheon really is riding around on a mouse somewhere out there, then you can be sure that Yahweh doesn't exist, because Yahweh claims He's the only one (Is. 45:6). Possibly neither deity exists, but one thing is for sure - they can't both exist. Ah yes, lots of religion out there, but precious little truth. (Lest any misunderstand, let me state clearly that this author believes Elijah was taken up in

a chariot, and that Yahweh is the only God.)

Tragically, the philosophical belief system that worships the Son of Israel's God has become disastrously tainted by religion. Christendom long ago drank deep from the poisoned chalice of religious superstition. I grew up in the Presbyterian Church. Maybe it didn't actively teach that Santa Claus stood by Jesus' crib, but it sure didn't tell me otherwise, either. Father Christmas regularly visited our Christmas fetes. Harmless stuff? Stop and think. The Holy One of Israel, otherwise known as Yahweh (or just plain "God") was willing to enter flesh in a staggering manner - as a helpless baby. He was willing to walk among us, cast out demons, heal us of our diseases and then writhe in agony as we beat Him to a pulp and crucified Him. He was willing to do all this to atone for our sinfulness. Yet we think it's just fine to trivialize one of our Creator's mightiest acts by adorning it with tinsel and fairy stories.

Christendom adds insult to the injury it causes by embracing man-made religious rites by largely deriding God-given (and therefore "truthful") religious rites associated with the Jerusalem temple. It rejects the window into the mind of God provided by His laws. It rejects the "truthful" holy days given by God which Jesus Christ Himself observed. Surely, what Jesus did is truth just as much as what He said is truth. Surely what was good enough for Him should be good enough for us.

So much religion. So little truth. Oh that the salt would regain its savor, that the light would once again shine. That truth would flourish and religious superstition would blush red with embarrassment. Oh that Jerusalem would prosper (Ps. 122:6), the temple in which Jesus walked and taught (and will walk and teach again) would rise once more on the Temple Mount. Oh that mankind would fear and worship the One True God - the Creator of all things, maker of mankind, the Holy One of Israel, and Father of Jesus Christ - and seek His face evermore. One day. One day. One day.