Topic:  Are all religions the same?

Source of this posting: Moderator response

Date originally posted: August 2, 2004

Moderator who originally posted this source: Father Phillip

Question:  How do I become 'saved?' I don't want to go to hell, but I'm confused about salvation. There are just so many ways to go. How do I decide between Roman Catholic, Christian, or Jewish? Don't they all believe the same thing? And if they are not, what are the differences? My mom brought me up as a Christian, but a lot of my friends are devout Roman Catholics. Is there a difference? Do they both go to heaven? Does it really matter? But Jews are the Children of God. So, does that make Judaism right? Please answer swiftly. I am about to go out of my mind. Thank you for taking time to read my questions.*~*Sally*~* :-) :-) :-) :-) ;-)

Answer: 

Roman Catholicism teaches very clearly that Jesus Christ came to reveal to us the depth of God's love for humankind. Since I'm a Catholic, I can say that very confidently.

Somewhat more tentatively, I feel fairly certain that most Protestants would probably agree with the gist of the first sentence. But I would not want to speak for our Protestant sisters and brothers.

Judaism, which is the 'mother' of Christianity, is not a faith that I know as fully as I probably should. So, I would not venture to make a comment in that regard.

I do not think that all religions are the same. And I am rather confident when I say that all relgions do not believe the same things.

Moreover, I do think it matters how we approach God. I believe that each of us should get to know our own faith tradition very thoroughly before we make any move in the direction of 'joining' another way of being faithful.

Since you were raised as a Christian -- and by that I am presuming that you mean a Protestant Christian -- I would urge you get to know as completely as you can the faith tradition in which you were raised. That knowledge will provide you with a "baseline" by which to try to understand other faith traditions. But get to know your own first!

The Scripture teaches us that God is a God of peace. So I do not think that any religion -- and certainly not Catholicism -- would want you to be "about to go out of" your mind. God wants us to have peace, and religion is, I believe, one of the primary means by which God offers us that divine peace.

If you really feel as though you are about to go out of your mind, I would beg you to seek professional care and counseling. I am sure that your college or university has a "counseling and psychological services" agency or department. Go to them; seek professional help. God often brings us peace through the work of dedicated and well-trained professionals.

Blessings!