Why Are There So Many Different Religions?

Have you ever wondered why there are so many religions in the world? I frequently hear that number being estimated at over 4000. Over 4000 religions in the world today! Have you ever thought about why there are so many?

The answer to this question will take some unpacking, so bear with me and think about the following for a moment… Objective beauty is something that, as an object, is beautiful. It is not just beautiful to the subject (or, to the observer), but is something that is beautiful in and of itself. Objective beauty is something nearly all subjects find beautiful because the object itself is beautiful. It does not need subjects to confirm its beauty in order for it to be beautiful.

1. If objective beauty exists, then God exists.

2. Objective beauty exists.

3. Therefore, God exists.

If there is anything at all (even if it is only one thing) that is objectively beautiful, then objective beauty exists. If there are things in the universe that are objectively beautiful, then there must something that transcends[1] the universe in order for the universe to contain objective beauty.[2] Think about the night sky, for instance. Do you know anyone who would say that a clear, night sky is not (objectively) beautiful? Do you know anyone who would not be awestruck at looking through the Hubble telescope? The night sky with all the stars, planets, comets, nebulas, galaxies, etc., is objectively beautiful. If you or someone you know would deny that the night sky is objectively beautiful, then perhaps you should observe it where there is little to no light pollution and then re-evaluate.

To get a better idea, it seems like the concept of objective beauty can be better understood by having a larger metaphysical picture; by observing something else from the perspective of transcendence: Objective moral values. Because there are objective moral values (e.g., it is always wrong in every time period and in every culture to torture babies for entertainment), there must be something that transcends all cultures and subjects from where these objective moral values come. Similarly with objective beauty, there must be something that transcends all cultures and people from where this objective beauty comes.

Now with all of this in mind, onto the question initially posed above, I submit to you that the reason there are so many religions is because…

Salvation Is Objectively Beautiful

Over four thousand different religions seek to save someone from something. Religion can itself be difficult to define. It seems that there are several aspects from which someone can define a religion. Winfried Corduan defines religion as a “system of beliefs and practices that directs a person toward transcendence and this provides meaning and coherence to a person’s life.”[3] Corduan goes on to say that “this definition may still need refining.”[4] I must agree with this. From another perspective, perhaps anthropologically speaking, it seems that all religions are systems which seek to eradicate guilt (to save someone from guilt!).[5] Perhaps this is a vehicle through which one discovers meaning. This definition comes from observing the similarities between numerous religions. In a sense, the term is in existence because of the evidence. The collection of world religions seeking to eradicate guilt naturally produces a need for such a definition. When observing the similarities across the religion board, a pattern that will continually arise is that religions teach a person how to be saved from guilt.

Another perspective of defining religion is that all religions seem to save people from something aside from guilt. Buddhism, for instance, seeks to save a person from suffering. Mormonism seeks to save a person from to the terrestrial heaven and even on to better levels of heaven. Jehovah’s Witnesses seek to save a person from annihilation. Post-modernism seeks to save people from insignificance. Even Atheism masquerades as something noble in seeking to save people from ignorance or false beliefs.

With all this in mind, that a religion both reaches beyond the current plane of existence and that a religion seeks to eradicate guilt and something even beyond guilt, it would seem that to those who perceive guilt, failure, suffering, falsehoods, or future demise, in their lives, or the lives of others, that salvation from any of these negative outcomes is objectively beautiful. Since there are so many religions, this testifies to the beauty of salvation in many forms.

This is not to say that all of these things lead to salvation, or that they are correct paths. Quite the contrary. Because all religions by their sheer existence claim exclusivity, there can only be one correct religion. The reason there are so many religions is because people are starving for salvation.

Not to lump this together with what we just discussed, but Jesus saves a person from his sin and saves him to eternal life. Not only does the Christian not experience the wrath of God, but he also is gifted with eternal life. A person is saved from his sins and death to righteousness and eternal life. Christianity, from the human perspective, recognizes the objective beauty of salvation as well.

Other Examples of Objective Beauty in Salvation

Not only in religion do we find that salvation is objectively beautiful. When a mother cancels her abortion appointment after hearing her daughter’s heartbeat, this salvation is objectively beautiful. This also happens quite frequently. Similarly, with Option Ultrasounds… We simply find salvation to be objectively beautiful.

When someone is saved from certain death from an accident one finds this objectively beautiful. Think about all the Marvel movies that portray heroes saving the world. Is it solely entertainment? It seems that Avenger’s Endgame grossing over two billion dollars is evidence that salvation is objectively beautiful. Honestly, every story that contains salvation of sorts in it appeals to the human desire to recognize the objective beauty of salvation.

Application

As stated above, If there is anything at all (even if it is only one thing) that is objectively beautiful, then objective beauty exists. If there are things in the universe that are objectively beautiful, then there must something that transcends the universe in order for the universe to contain objective beauty.

When an atheist, naturalist, or Darwinist gets blue in the face arguing with you about something, it is because they find something to be objectively beautiful, and they want to save you or others.[6] Frequently, what atheists indirectly find to be objectively beautiful is truth (why are they so attracted to what they think is true?). The heated arguments are there because truth itself is objectively beautiful (ask just about any philosopher), and he wants to save you (and others) from ignorance. In other words, atheists recognize the objective beauty of salvation because otherwise they would not mention anything at all. They would not defend what they believe to be true if they did not indirectly recognize the objective beauty of salvation.

An atheist cannot argue that they do not find truth to be objectively beautiful. By doing so, they are arguing that truth itself is in fact objectively beautiful (otherwise why are they arguing). By not arguing against such, they are agreeing that the truth is objectively beautiful. In either case, an atheist recognizes that truth is objectively beautiful. If anything is said about truth, then… the motivation behind such is to save. Salvation is objectively beautiful, which is why there are so many religions.

[1] To transcend something is to be beyond the limits or range of something else.

[2] This would be true even if the multiverse theory was a reality.

[3] Corduan, Winfried. Neighboring Faiths: A Christian Introduction to World Religions (InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, 2012), 27.

[4] Ibid.

[5] It seems that a good argument for the existence of God can also be made from the existence of guilt. For instance, you know that guilt exists because you have most likely experienced it. Because guilt exists, we know that morals exist. Morals exist because God exists. (The law of morals exists because there is a lawgiver).

[6] This is a common argument from atheists and such as to why they care to speak up against Christianity

Comments

How to Show a Mormon the Difference Between the Mormon Jesus and the Biblical Jesus

I find that Mormons frequently claim that they are Christians, and that they want to be referred to as Christians, and that they have even recently sought to distance themselves from the word “Mormon.” The problem is, they worship another Jesus, and here is how to show them the difference between the Mormon Jesus and the Biblical Jesus. Before we get to that, some clarifications are necessary. Specifically, that they cannot even distance themselves from being called "Mormons." The Mormon President Russell Nelson said, “What’s in a name or, in this case, a nickname? When it comes to nicknames of the Church, such as the “LDS Church,” the “Mormon Church,” or the “Church of the Latter-day Saints,” the most important thing in those names is the absence of the Savior’s name. To remove the Lord’s name from the Lord’s Church is a major victory for Satan. When we discard the Savior’s name, we are subtly disregarding all that Jesus Christ did for us—even His Atonement.” [1] ...

Objectivity is the Language of Heaven

NDErs (i. e. people who have claimed to have had a Near Death Experience ) often report that when they go to Heaven, they frequently see and recognize people such as friends and family members. It is often also reported that when they were communicating with friends and relatives, they realized that they weren’t speaking English, but that they were telepathically speaking to one another. It seems it would be impossible to have communication with others without learning every language that has ever existed under the sun, but since heaven is a perfect place, [1] then communication should be perfect as well. In other words, it seems unlikely that there are barriers to communication. So, I should be able to communicate with the Apostles, upon my arrival for instance, but how? I personally only really know how to speak English fluently. My Spanish, Japanese, German, Russian, Chinese, and Latin is like that of a child, and my Greek is only in reading and writing. If ...

The Dividing Line of Doctrine

How and Where to Make Divisions... Sometimes, I get asked “Why do you get so up at arms about other religions?” or, “Why do you pick on other religions so much?” I think the following will help you see where I’m coming from, before I spill the beans on such. We have difficulty sometimes in discovering where to make divisions when considering where to spend our money, and who to support, where to make purchases, and where not to do such. We also often have difficulty on how to know if a church or a congregation is a place where someone can actually become saved. Like, how can we know that a Mormon is likely not saved but we can know that a regular church attender at a gospel sound church is likely saved? What is it that would make my church attendance at a specific body no longer appropriate? Both answers to these questions deal with doctrine. If a company is pushing false doctrine using their influence and power to push a heretical doctrine or teaching, this is often when the red...

The Highest Virtue

A virtue is a trait of excellence. What is the highest virtue? It seems that based on the nature of truth, that truth itself is perhaps the highest virtue. For instance, I could say that love is the highest virtue, but then I could ask the question of whether that is true or not. If it is or isn’t true, this places truth virtuously higher than love, at least in some sense. The fact that I can question love through the lens of truth seems to place truth above love in height of virtue. On the other hand, if I said that truth is the highest virtue, then it seems that it would be loving to tell others the truth! Perhaps truth and love go hand in hand, but this also concerns the nature of what truth is. Truth is a requirement for love, which I argue here , but is love a requirement for truth? Love must contain truth in order to be true love. But truth does not have to contain love in order to be true truth. Take for instance, mathematics, or numbers in general… Sometimes, t...

Self-tests of Some of the World's Religions

It is fairly common for a religion of the world to give itself a sort of test for truth, since this is one question that is asked of any religion: “Why should I believe what you are telling me is true?” After all, the answer to such a question will ultimately result in followers of specific beliefs and doctrines, let alone religions, or will result in a lack of followers. If a religion can answer this question posed by seekers and thinkers, and therefore train its adherents to be able to answer why a religion is true, this will inevitably help people believe in such, even if the claims are false. If there is no answer, this is where a religion will perhaps find more trouble for itself. Many religions make an appeal to a higher authority, namely, God , for the veracity of their existence and as a result, no one can question the truth from such an authority. This is correct in a sense, that if in fact God is making such a claim, then what is said or stated is true ...

Who Made God? Identifying Categorical Errors

A category is simply a distinct class to which something belongs… A set of objects that can be treated as equal in some way. A Macintosh apple belongs to the category, apple, and not what we categorize as an orange. Similarly, colors are in a different category than taste. When we say, “apples and oranges” what we mean is that there has been a confusion of categories. Sure, they are both fruit, but when you examine both, there is an obvious difference. An apple is not an orange, and an orange is not an apple. Macintosh, Granny Smith, and red delicious are all apples. Navel, blood, and Valencia are all oranges. To mix the two, for instance, to call a navel orange an apple, would be a categorical error, sometimes referred to as a category mistake. How Identifying Categorical Errors can Help with Apologetics It seems that simply learning about or being reminded of categorical errors can help us be more aware of them. We have all heard or thought of ourselves, the...

The Evidence and Power of Testimony

What to say to People who Demand more Evidence for God. Why is there something rather than nothing? Glacier National Park. © Nace Howell, 2018. The question is, how much evidence do you require? Would Jesus have to come back and slap you in the face with evidence that He is God? It seems to me that there is a line we must draw. We do this in all other areas of our lives, so why would we treat theism any different? When a court convicts, they do so “beyond a reasonable doubt.” I would like to take a few moments to explore this a bit. But before we get to that, I want to pose a question, which is… why are you the standard? What makes you think He has to prove His existence to everyone individually? He already created the universe from nothing. In the beginning, there was a big bang. Seriously… do you believe your mom when she tells you a story about her day? Did you believe the reports of 9/11 when they were happening? Do you accept the testimony of anything you hear on social ...

The Two Systems: A Confused Definition of Love

A couple years ago I wrote an article called the Jehovah’s Witness training videos . The article was meant to be humorous in a sense, because there are likely not any actual training videos, but it seems that they have all watched them. We can suspect this because they all often have the same points of conversation. When you talk about the Trinity, they will use the Bible like a machine gun and shoot you with verses. The verses are always the same: Colossians 1:15, Mark 10:18… So, there is an implication that they all have the same information. There is one source from where they gather their patterns and behaviors. Similarly, I think we can see the power behind the system of the world as well. We can see what this power is like by the tracks he leaves behind. The contrast of the two systems is really seen in Revelation 14:8. “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.” John is using the word Bab...

Two Problems Jesus has with the Mormon Doctrine of Eternal Families

Mormonism teaches that those who are married in a temple can be married for eternity. In Doctrine and Covenants 132:15–20, we find the following: 15 Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world, and he marry her not by me nor by my word , and he covenant with her so long as he is in the world and she with him, their covenant and marriage are not of force when they are dead , and when they are out of the world; therefore, they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world. 16 Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory. 17 For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God for...

Baptism is Not Necessary for Salvation According to the Early Church

Let’s dive right in. The Bible says in Acts 2:37-41, Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. The phrase in Acts 2:38 that reads, “for the forgiveness of your sins” modifies the word repentance, not the word baptism. See more about this Here . What is interesting is that those who translate the above verse as meaning that baptism is a requ...

Apologetics and Evidence

Search This Blog