Other religions

edited December 1969 in Faith Issues
I'm trying to grow my faith and belief that Jesus is God, but still have doubts that God exists.

I find that when i hear about other religions, i get even more confused. and when i see people arguing about other religions. eg. Christianity vs. Islam, i lose even more interest in religion. i get turned off by it.

is it wrong not to care about other religions as i try to just focus on Christianity?

I mean, i want to get to God, but in a closed and sheltered way.

Comments

  • Focus is good when you are focused on God who is Love which is Christianity.
    There was a sermon in church about how the Holy Trinity was in the beginning, from genesis, but people didn't understand until the Epiphany, when Jesus was baptised, which the church had yesterday! So, our faith as Orthodox Christians is of God from the beginning.

    Also, the history of our Orthodox Church is thousands of years. After that you get different branches and different...
    It'll only get more confusing with different religions; know and add to your faith first (ask abouna for prayers, too!)

    2 Peter 1: 5-7
    ... Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindess love.

    Unless i'm mistaken, didn't St.Peter waver in his faith toward Christ when he denied Him? After that he was martyred upside down (full of faith)?
  • I don't know how to say this in a nicer way, but other religions are made up, ours is not. Although they may have some truths, like the fact that muslims also believe in one God, we have the fullness of Truth.

    I don't think there is anything wrong with just focusing on your religion because it's the right one. If you were not an Orthodox Christian then I wouldn't advise to just focus on your own.
  • Keep praying that God can give you more faith, and He will do it. He said himself- ask and it will be given to you.
    God is like the wind...you cant see the wind, but you can feel it.
    Yah i experienced that religion thing last year in world history, but just think about it...Islam has no miracles like Christianity...it is a corrupt religion. Judaism proves christianity. There are so many verses in the old testament that prophecy many things in the new testament. Keep growing in your relationship with Christ, and you will grow stronger in Him and be able to not care about the other religions.
  • Like you, I go through these doubts ALOT.
    The thing with me tho, is I love religions, learning about them, what people believe in, how they worship etc... As a result I'm always reading into/researching diff religions [from a purely education stand point].  I personally believe that the more you know about other religions, the more you'll be satisfied with the right one, Christianity.  However, b/c I'm not really a good practicing Christian the devil sometimes tempts me, and implants in me these doubts.

    i learned that hte best way to get over them, is too pick up your Bible, Pray, and Read any spirtual book [like HH's many books] for a couple days, and just indulge yourself in them, until you find that your ready to continue reading about others.

    But as many said, its definitely not wrong to only care about your religion.
  • i have had many discussions with people from many religions and i found there was no grace, no forgiveness, no peace, no way to stand in the presence of God apart from through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.
    i would advise anyone with doubts to focus on Bible reading, prayer and going to church and don't worry about the other religions, hundreds of Christians have studied them throughout the ages without then turning to them. there are enough books about other religions, we don't need to wrote one ourselves. so it is best just to focus on Christianity, and to know Jesus, who is the way the truth and the life.
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  • [quote author=Ashamed link=topic=8720.msg109463#msg109463 date=1264032421]
    I'm trying to grow my faith and belief that Jesus is God, but still have doubts that God exists.

    I find that when i hear about other religions, i get even more confused. and when i see people arguing about other religions. eg. Christianity vs. Islam, i lose even more interest in religion. i get turned off by it.

    is it wrong not to care about other religions as i try to just focus on Christianity?

    I mean, i want to get to God, but in a closed and sheltered way.


    I had this same problem my friend. It is best to focus on your belief and your salvation. Maybe sometime later you will become more interested in comparative theology, but for now stick to Orthodoxy itself.
  • Here is the answer:
  • I like what Mabsoota said--try finding the grace, forgiveness, and so on elsewhere.

    I understand the whole questioning whether or not God even exists.  Stephen Hawking, world-renowned physicist asked, "Why does the Universe go to all the bother of existing?"  Even if we understand all there is to understand about Dark Energy, Dark Matter, and we can go to the furthest reaches of this Universe, would we yet have an answer for WHY it all is, to begin with?  It does not make sense to me to think that all this exists--these billions of galaxies, each made up of billions of stars--without a reason.  And if there is a reason, then it follows that (to my mind), that consciousness is also very aware of EACH one of us and some of us are drawn to look for meaning.  Funny, yesterday in Bible Study, we were reading the 6th chapter of John where Jesus says, "No one can come to me unless the Father draws him to me."  And how the actual word, the verb for "draw" is more like "drag"--that no one comes to God unless God drags us toward Him.

    To look at other religions does not mean you have to say that they are all rot or that they are evil...and of course, each religion will say, "Yes, but where we differ, our religion is right and yours is wrong."  They ALL say that, including, obviously Christianity.  For goodness' sake, not only that, but it goes further: The reformed thinkers say, "We are both Christians--you orthodox believers and we reformed Protestants--but where we differ in our theology, we have it right and you have it wrong" and the orthodox say the same thing, the other way around. 

    But how do we get transformed hearts and minds?  And is the point of believing merely "Believing" as though, "oh I believe thus and so" means we have accomplished something?  Isn't the point an actual relationship that transforms us and that quickens our spirits--weren't we dead spiritually?  How do we find life in the spirit?
  • your last question is a big one!
    a good place to start is proverbs 3:5-6
    trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.

    many people say ' i want to get close to God'. they turn the Bible and find all sort of advice and then don't take the advice because it's too hard.
    people say, 'i go to church and pray, so i should 'feel' close to God, surely i don't need to smile and my grumpy neighbour and forgive my harsh parent(s) as well!'
    rather, it is by starting to follow Jesus that the way ahead becomes more clear.

    jesus said 'he who hears my words but does not obey them is like a man who build his house on the sand'.
    take note! i am not saying we must be perfect before we can get the courage to go on.
    but we need to put into practice what we already know, and then God will guide us.
    it is not simple, but these are some ideas to start with.
    may God guide us all.
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