Same Core Message?

Excerpt from Ed Stetzer post:  Multifaith and the Global Faith Forum, Part 2

Let's take a closer look at the four world religions that represent approximately 75 percent of the world's population. (Recent population surveys indicate that there are 2.1 billion Christians, 1.5 billion Muslims, 900 million Hindus and 376 million Buddhists in the world). Do these religions actually have the same basic core message?

Most Americans think they do. In a study of about 1500 adults, who have not been to church, synagogue, or mosque for anything other than a wedding, holiday or funeral, they expressed the views of many. Among unchurched adults, 58% of younger adults (ages 18-29) believe "the God of the Bible is no different from other gods found in world religions" as compared to 67% among older adults (30 years and older) who believe the same. But, does that make sense? If it did, it would be the basis for interfaith cooperation. But, if it is not, we must consider a different approach.

Let's start with the most basic message of each religion--the definition of "God." If all the world's religions are at their core the same, certainly they would at least be able to agree on the definition of God. So, what does each religion teach about God?

Within the various streams of Hindu thought, there are multiple answers to the question, "Who or what is god?" Hindus can believe that there is one god, 330 million gods, or no god at all. The Vedas, the most ancient of Hindu Scriptures which are accepted by most Hindus as normative, teach that "Atman is Brahman," or "the soul is god" meaning that all that is is god--god is in each of us and each of us is part of god. This belief is reflected in the common greeting "Namaste" which has been interpreted to mean the god within me recognizes and greets the god within you."

In his apologetic for the Buddhist faith, Ven S. Dhammika, a Buddhist and the author of several popular books on Buddhism, writes, "Do Buddhists believe in god? No, we do not. There are several reasons for this. The Buddha, like modern sociologists and psychologists, believed that religious ideas and especially the god idea have their origin in fear. The Buddha says: "Gripped by fear men go to the sacred mountains, sacred groves, sacred trees and shrines" (http://www.buddhanet.net/ans73.htm). So, for an Orthodox Buddhist, the concept of any god at all is considered to be a negative superstition.

What about in Islam? According to the sacred scriptures of Islam, the Quran, in sura 112 ayat 1 through 4 we read, "Say: He is Allah, The One and Only. Allah, the Eternal, Absolute. He begets not, nor is He begotten. And there is none like unto Him." This is further explained in a primer for Muslim children as follows:

Allah (SWT) is absolute, and free from all defects and has no partner. He exists from eternity and shall remain eternal. All are dependent on Him, but He is independent of all. He is father to none, nor has he any son (Islamic Reader Book 2, p.10).

Christians believe that there is one God who is the creator of the world. He is a personal God, meaning he is not a force, or idea, but a conscious, free and moral being. And he is not only a personal God, but a God of providence who is involved in day-to-day affairs of his creation. He is a moral God who expects ethical behavior from each of us. He expects His followers to live out their belief by loving Him with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. Second only to that is the command to love their neighbor as they love themselves. God, while being One in essence, reveals Himself in three persons--Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

So, according to the four largest world religions God does not exist, God is one with creation and takes on millions of forms, God is one, and God is trinity--One God in Three Persons.

If we cannot even agree on the basic definition of "God" and his character, how can we say that all religions teach the same thing? Pretending that we all believe the same thing does not foster dialogue, but, in fact, prohibits it.