False Religion

What is False Religion? This sounds like a loaded question. My prayer is that you catch something of what the Lord wants to speak into this. Some of these things are going to be strong. I pray that you read with an open heart and weigh what’s being said against what the Bible teaches.

We live in a pluralistic society. The watchword of the day is that you can believe what you want to believe. No right, no wrong. The notion that there may be such a thing as false religion doesn’t sit particularly well. It was not the message of love, forgiveness, grace and mercy that caused the early believers to be locked up, beaten up, whipped and killed! It was the message of exclusivity. One way to salvation through Jesus. One of the costs of following Jesus revolves around what He says about himself.  

As we approach this subject the posture of our own heart in this is of vital importance. Every single person, irrespective of where they stand in regard to faith, is a person created in the image of God and therefore has the utmost value and importance to Him. He died for them as much as He did for us. The most important thing here is to ask for God’s heart, not to come from a perceived position of superiority.

Jesus states in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” He is the way, not a way. He is the truth, not a truth. He is the only way to eternal life.

Why does this matter so much to God? Exodus 20:3-5 says, “You shall have no other gods before me … You shall not bow down to them or serve them for I the Lord your God am a jealous God.”  

God is always righteous, proportionate and just in the expression of His emotions. The jealousy of God is not the green-eyed monster, or insecurity that comes of being usurped by somebody else. It’s actually a measure of His love for us. It is a righteous zeal for His people and for His glory. It is a protective love that demands exclusive devotion to Him and Him alone. God’s jealousy for us is rooted in His holiness and desire for a loving, covenant relationship with humanity. One of the reasons for God’s jealousy is that He knows full well the damage that is done to us in the worship of false gods.

We need to guard our own hearts and ask whether or not we have inadvertently set up a spiritual idol in our hearts that has supplanted the place of Jesus in our affections. One of the signs might be our attitude towards people who have a different view to us. Do we find ourselves moving into pride or superiority, harbour bitterness, unforgiveness or a sense of anger that people don’t see things the way we do? We need to be careful with the things that have an appearance of the spirit, but the enemy is using to gain a foothold. It’s about being alert to the sort of things that gain an ascendance in our thinking and so become a spiritual idol that dominate our thoughts.  

Isaiah 45:5 states, “I am the Lord and there is no other; besides me there is no God.” We live in an era where people think that all religions are basically the same. Isn’t it just God and He is the same for every religion? The answer is no. Not only is God not the same in all religions He is not the first among equals either, He is the one God. He is utterly and totally unique. Yahweh stands alone and there is no other.

If other religions are not worshipping the God of the Bible, who are they worshipping? Isaiah 14:13-14 says, “You said in your heart I will ascend to heaven above the stars of God. I will set my throne on high. I will sit on the mount of the assembly in the far reaches of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.” We hear the repeated refrain, “I will, I will, I will.” God has clearly said besides Him there is no God, so who is being worshipped elsewhere is counterfeit, of the enemy, the devil. The devil craves the worship meant for almighty God. It is what got him thrown out of heaven in the first place, but it has not lessened his appetite to receive the worship that is meant for God. He doesn’t come with a big arrow saying, “I am the devil”, he comes as an Angel of light, the Prince of lies, the deceiver. As unpalatable as this will sound to modern ears other religions are worshipping the enemy, Satan, the devil. One of Jesus’ temptations in the desert was Satan saying, “If you worship me, I will give you all of this”. He still craves worship.  

Isn’t it arrogant to say that we’ve got it right and everybody else has got it wrong? You believe what you believe, and I’ll believe what I believe. No, the truth is true because it’s the truth, not because I feel that it’s true. We don’t have faith because we have the best argument, it is true because this is truth.

Those involved in false religion may well be sincere in their beliefs, but sincerity is not the truth. There is a thought that religions are all fundamentally the same and superficially different. The reality is that they are fundamentally different and superficially the same. Someone once said that all religions could all be wrong but it’s a logical impossibility for them all to be right.

How can we engage with those from other religions? We need to come with humility, love and compassion.  

What about those who don’t believe that there’s a God at all? There’s the question about suffering. There is so much suffering in the world there can’t be a God. There is a fundamental weakness in this premise, if you take God out of the equation the problem is still there, the suffering is still present, the question still requires an answer. We worship the God who enters into man’s suffering and who Himself suffers. November 2023, Ayaan Hirsi Ali posted an article on Unheard entitled “Why I am now a Christian.” She states, “I would not be truthful if I attributed my embrace of Christianity solely to the realisation that atheism is too weak and divisive a doctrine to fortify us against our menacing foes. I have also turned to Christianity because I ultimately found life without any spiritual solace unendurable — indeed very nearly self-destructive. Atheism failed to answer a simple question: what is the meaning and purpose of life? Bertrand Russell and other activist atheists believed that with the rejection of God we would enter an age of reason and intelligent humanism. But the ‘God hole’ — the void left by the retreat of the church — has merely been filled by  a jumble of irrational quasi-religious dogma. The line often attributed to G.K. Chesterton has turned into a prophecy: “When men choose not to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing, they then become capable of believing in anything.”

There are fundamental differences in religions in relation to the nature of God, the person of Jesus and the means of salvation. 

First, the nature of God. He is creator. In the beginning, God. He is eternal. He has always been. Mankind was created in His image for relationship with Him. Due to the fall, death enters man’s experience. However, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 He has made Himself known to us. He speaks to His people. He is Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. “Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 He lives in us. He is our Father.

What is the nature of God in Islam? Islam is an Abrahamic faith; however, Allah is certainly not the same as Yahweh. First of all, there is no Trinity. Allah is so transcendent that he is not personally knowable. He doesn’t speak directly but through angels. Although he did speak to Moses. There’s no personal relationship, no intimacy. Allah is in control of every detail, so no free will. Allah does not love those who sin.  

What about Hinduism? There’s not one God but multiple, millions of them. Some benevolent, some malevolent. Creation itself is an illusion. It just came into being so you can’t really trust it. The gods came later. There’s no such thing as evil. What you work towards is self-actualization.  

In Buddhism there is no creator, no afterlife, there’s nihilism. If you achieve Nirvana, you get absorbed into nothingness. There’s no personality. Whereas God says to us, “I have called you by name.” Suffering is an illusion because all of the problems that we have stem from desire and therefore enlightenment comes from overcoming desires.  

What about the person of Jesus? He is God with us, Emmanuel. He came in flesh, born of a virgin. Jesus said he who has seen Me has seen the Father. He is the name that is above every name, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. The gospels describe His scourging, His crucifixion, the spear thrust into His side, His last breath, His burial and resurrection three days later.  

In Islam Jesus is known as Isa. He is considered a highly revered prophet of God but not the son of God, merely a messenger. They believe He was born to the Virgin Mary, performed miracles and that He will return to earth before the day of judgement. Muslims advocate that Jesus was not crucified. The Quran says, “they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but another was made to resemble him.” Some consider that Judas was put in his place. In Hinduism Jesus is just one more god of the millions that exist. In Buddhism he is considered a compassionate teacher and a wise guide. A bodhisattva or highly realised being but not as a divine figure or the son of God.  

Finally, what about the means of salvation? Within Islam it is through works. The five pillars - the declaration of faith, the prayers, alms, fasting and pilgrimage. Deeds are weighed in a balance with the hope that the good deeds outweigh the bad. Within Hinduism they’re looking for a liberation from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. This is achieved through self-realisation. In Buddhism the hope is your good deeds will allow you to be reincarnated better than you were before until you reach a place of enlightenment. The Bible says, “man is to die once and then face judgement.”  

The common factor in all three is salvation by works or self-effort. As a result, there is no assurance. Romans 5:8 says, “While we were still sinners Christ died for us.” John 3:16, “God so loved the world that He gave His only son that whoever believes in Him may not perish but have everlasting life.” Acts 4:12, “Salvation is found in no one else for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Ephesians 2:8-9, “It is by grace you have been saved through faith this is not from yourselves it is the gift of God. Not by works so that no one can boast.”  

When we consider those from other religions we need to come with a heart of compassion. We want Jesus to reveal Himself to them. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. I don’t believe anyone is argued into the kingdom, but plenty are loved in!