God is the Creator of this world, not part of it. Accordingly, we can know and know God most fully only from His Revelation of Himself (supernatural Revelation). More abstractly, God is known from the world around us (as creator by creation), which leaves ample room for human imagination (hence the numerous religions of human origin).
The word “religion” can literally be translated as “reunion,” a reconnection with God. In Christianity, the goal is communion with God, and the Church’s main Sacrament of Holy Communion is union with God the Creator. The true God is not a despot, not an indifferent being, not an abstract energy, but a Loving Father. Christian love is not just an emotion; it is sacrificial, active, and unselfish.
Truth is one; there cannot be several contradictory truths. The walls of religions do reach to the heavens. The most common religions differ fundamentally in the most important theses of doctrine–the idea of God, the world, man, and the purpose of human life. It is absurd to claim that all religions essentially say the same thing. God cannot contradict Himself: it cannot be that to the prophets Moses, David, Isaiah He foretells the same thing, the gospel of Christ says the same thing, Christ and His apostles testify to the same thing, and 600 years after Christ, Muhammad is born and turns everything inside out.
Even common features of doctrine or religious practice should not lull our attention. As Chesterton wittily observed, “Christianity and Buddhism are very much alike, especially Buddhism. The colorless crystals of potassium cyanide look a lot like sugar, but sugar gives us the energy to live, while potassium cyanide brings death. Such questions as who God is, what he created the world for, how far man is from God, and how to reconnect with God, rather than rituals and moral standards, are the fundamental difference between religions.
Is religion a universal religion or is it a system of cultural and national traditions. Religion presupposes a person’s living communication with God (personal conversion in prayer and union in the sacraments), not just a set of rules and rituals. Do the doctrinal principles of religion contradict a person’s conscience and moral principles? Does religion recognize free will?
The figure of the founder of religion:
From whom did he receive revelation, did he communicate with God personally?
What was his self-esteem?
Was he a role model?
Did his worldview change over the course of his life?
Were there any sins or mistakes in his life?
What did he leave and bequeath after his death?
In every other religion in the world, the personality of the teacher is secondary to the teachings he preaches. Even if the person who brings the doctrine to others is the direct author, the doctrine still comes first and the author second. If we imagine that for some reason the name of the founder of a particular religious tradition has been forgotten or is not known at all, this fact would not affect in any way the very essence of that tradition. The most important thing is what this or that religion preaches. And who preaches it is a matter of secondary importance.
In Christianity, it is just the opposite. The main place in the life of the believer is occupied by Christ Himself, and His teachings and commandments are a kind of guides to show the right way and help to take the right route, at the end of which stands the person of our Divine Teacher.
A Christian, then, is one who believes in Christ. Or rather, the one for whom Christ is the pivot of his whole life. Without this essential condition, our faith becomes an empty formality, our worship services a beautiful performance, and our morality a mere game of beads. This is a very harsh and harsh statement, but it is true: without Christ, Christianity becomes a mere philosophy, which can give a great deal to man. What philosophy does not give is Christ Himself. And without Christ it is impossible to be saved.
If the Gentiles talk about what sacrifice people should offer to God, the Gospel speaks about the sacrifice God offered to people: the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28); For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Christianity is based primarily on love and gratitude for God, not on the fulfillment of laws and ceremonial standards.
The best representatives of the religions compared (saints). What fruit did their faith produce, how did they influence those around them, what was their self-esteem. Were the qualities they acquired “unmortal,” derived from God, or were they the result of human effort: physical or mental training?
In objectively examining religions, it is important to separate the historical course of religion from its later deviations and not to confuse the sins of certain followers of a religion with its doctrinal statements.