Is there any religion that does not say theres is the own way to heaven/enlightenment/God etc.

Is there any religion that does not say there the own way to heaven/enlightenment etc.

Most religions say that theirs is the right way and the rest are wrong is their any religion that says there is not the only way to God or there are many ways.

Originally posted by jatsc
Is there any religion that does not say there the own way to heaven/enlightenment etc.

Most religions say that theirs is the right way and the rest are wrong is their any religion that says there is not the only way to God or there are many ways.

It's a business.


Noone owns a restaurant, and when customers comes through the door they say "hey, well, the restaurant across the street actually has better food, for a better price"

It doesn't happen.

So why wouldn't they make it exclusive?

Probably the Hindu religion. I think there are others, but not ones I can name off the top of my head.

reply to post by jatsc


I don't know, but it seems to me that if there were such a religion that it would not be called a religion.

Originally posted by RuneSpider
Probably the Hindu religion. I think there are others, but not ones I can name off the top of my head.

You mean like scientology?

Arent they going into space with some aliens or something. I dunno, these cults these days are just full of fruitcakes

Look up "Hades". The Romans had a very cheerful outlook. You were going to Hades no matter what you did, IIRC. They're gods were useful for helping them get along in this world, but really didn't care what happened to them afterwards.

Ah, ive had buddhist monks and shaolun disciples tell me that different religions are just different routes that we all take to get to the same place, even their own. That place being, experience of the divine.

oh, hey, i just thought of one. The JEWS!! they dont believe in hell or an afterlife at all. Their philosophy is "worship because god said so." no reward. No compensation.

You could say we Native Americans are like that.. but were not really religious... spiritual yes, very much so.... but no real religion... then again Heaven is a christian concept we believe we get to go hang out with our ancestors and help those left on earth to get by in life...

but then we don't teach either we just hand out comp tickets to jackpot night at the nearest casino

reply to post by jatsc


Always remember. There is spirituality, and then there is the Religious Institution.

Few religions embrace a notion of the individual's 'natural ascendancy' to bliss, whatever manner of bliss they choose to accept as meaningful.

Religious institutions, on the other hand, must see to their own survival in the community. Or they have no social, and thus no political, relevance. We have found that we have created a world (between men) that relies on wealth and social power to achieve and hold on to political relevance. Thus, inevitably, the organizational model of the 'church' cannot avoid having to 'participate' in the construct. People being people, the leaders often fails to resist the allures of the glamor of 'celebrity leadership'. All else is just theater.

I suspect there could be many religions in the collection of human faith that assert you are not subject to the whims whether boons or curses, of others, be they gods or demons, and that "the path" is purely internal, and not subject to the fantasies or perceptions of others, be they men or saints.

But really, why obsess over them? If you can sense your own heart, ANY of them (well, perhaps most of them) may just be as important as the other. I mean to ask if it isn't possible that rather than focus on finding the 'right' path from the start - you must acknowledge that you are going to 'just stand there'.

Start walking, and you will find that it isn't really so much taking a specific path that begins the journey..., it starting to walk that begins the journey. Be prepared to steer yourself, no one else can, or should try to do it for you.

Convert yourself into Pastafarism

It's the only way to be saved....


Not

reply to post by pexx421


Oh, hey, not really.

What about the Christians who believe in predestination? What makes them any different?

While some religions may acknowledge that there are other ways to heaven/enlightenment/God, they obviously believe theirs to be the best way, otherwise...what is the point of their religion?

I think I posted this recently:

Surah al-Maidah, Verse 48
To every one of you We have appointed a right way and a traced-out Way. If God had willed, He would have made you one nation; but that He may try you in what has come to you. So strive as in a race in all virtues; unto God shall you return, all together; and He will tell you of that whereon you were at variance.

Also:

Surah Al-Baqarah verse 62
Those who believe (in the Qur'an), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians,- any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.

[edit on 17-4-2009 by babloyi]

reply to post by jatsc


"Is there any religion that does not say theres is the own way to heaven/enlightenment/God etc."

Every religion has it's own story and of course, they believe it is THE story and the other stories are all false. None do it better or in a more fun way than the "born again" Christians. Why do they try so hard? That's what people that lack confidence do. It's a mass of people that lack confidence.

Some day these fools will understand that there is just God and that is all there needs to be. I say that with confidence. I live it every day.

God is cool!

That' a very good question. But it actually has 2 answers.

First based on the bible almost everybody that has lived and died throughout history 99% of people regardless of belief is in the same spot, as there is not multiple realities like multiple religions.This is fact that people must accept. Doesn't matter what you believe what religion you are, if you you were good or bad everybody is in the same spot.

There very existence is stored within God's memory there DNA and developed personality. Much like a computer program stored on a computer to be recalled at the owners request. And there are billions, perhaps 30 billion this includes young ones that were aborted or died as premature babies. All these, again 99% of humanity. I am not going to talk about the 1% because that's a different subject but I will tell you this we won't being seeing any of them again.
Either they are the very few special ones chosen to reign with Christ or they have been judged by God as not being worthy of any life anymore, they simply don't exist, he terminated there soul either directly, or when they died they aren't in his memory.

The vast majority 99% of people are waiting to be recreated as resurrected physical souls, for them it will be like they went to sleep. And now they are waking up. All memories and good and bad will come back, and they don't know how long they were sleeping for. Of course they weren't sleeping, they were dead, but that's how they will feel. This process will apply to those that live and die right up until, Judgment hour.

Second, in a day/hour which is ahead of us Jesus will look into the heart of every human soul on this planet and judge us all, for good or bad on what we are doing in the present. If he finds us to be good we get to survive Armageddon, if bad our life will be terminated, to a state of non-existence.
No hell, no torture, no future possibility of life. It will be like he is evicting all undesirable humans from this planet, as God gave it to him to look after and restore to perfection. Basically he will be evicting all the bad tenants and keeping all the good ones. Good ones get to stay, bad ones must go, and go permanently.

Those that have died get a second chance because death pays the price of sin, all sin. This applies to all of humanity, for example a Native Indian that lived 1000 years ago in North America never even heard of Jesus or the message, so he couldn't even react to the gospel message either way. Or a Chinese person 1500 years ago, they can't be judged on ignorance, can they?

So I can say honestly that no one religion has had a monopoly to life and enlightenment throughout history. For example that pagan Egyptian Pharaoh that lived when Joseph was in Egypt, both get resurrected despite having very different belief structures. Sure there are those that were favored by God, but they lived and died just the same as there contemporaries that didn't believe in him, there both in the same spot, both have the same hope.

Some might be upset by this and say whats the use of trying then, well the time we live in, we all need to have our act together by the time Jesus judges humanity.

reply to post by Blue_Jay33


Couldn't have put it any better.

Although we must not make the example you set for the Pagan Egyptian Pharaoh that was amongst Joseph's time sound as a co-existing ground for both high faith believers of this kind of enlightenment to exist in a realm with people who practice worshiping the fallen angels that the very Creator you speak of cast out of heaven gets to go there in the end also.

I think your theology regarding the pagans makes Satanic worship sound okay basically because your still going to Heaven regardless of the fact in which they will actually be amongst those you refer to as being evicted.


Especially Masons and other Occults who rely their study and faith on that of demons to invoke them but as far as those who go into such study to oppose such forces then I believe they would get the fair-deal judgment you speak of.

In a way the ones who study to oppose those forces and not praise them It would seem to me given their judgment would be that of a plea bargain where they know their wrongs but they only did such to help mankind thrive against such evil...not necessarily speaking for the Wiccans, considering a lot of their rituals seem to make things worse when it comes to supernatural encounters with evil spirits.

[edit on 20-4-2009 by hezekiah]

reply to post by hezekiah


I used the Pharaoh that existed as a contemporary to Joseph as an extreme example of polar opposites of belief structures. However if you read the account, he believed in Joseph's God in addition to all the other God's of Eygpt,
because only he could interpret his dreams that God had gave him.

From Genesis 41

15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it."
16 "I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires."...........
25...God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.....

37 The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. 38 So Pharaoh asked them, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?"

39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you."

41 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt." 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, "Make way !" Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.

This Pharaoh had a respect for Joseph's God, and he promoted him to basically first prince of Egypt.

Compare that to the evil Pharaoh of Moses time
Exodus 1
8Now a new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph.
Exodus 5
1 Afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said to Pharaoh, "This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, 'Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.'" 2 Pharaoh said, "Who is Yahweh, that I should listen to his voice to let Israel go? I don't know Yahweh, and moreover I will not let Israel go." 3 They said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to Yahweh, our God, lest he fall on us with pestilence, or with the sword."

And you know the rest of the story
Here is the difference between respect for God verses contempt for God, we all know how God reacted to contempt in the past, the ten plagues, and Pharaohs army drowned in the Red Sea.

Here is an example one King that will be resurrected, and one that probably won't because of his defiant disrespect for the Almighty God, yet they had a similar belief structure.

Attitude is everything, and this is a strong warning for the growing hordes of atheists that disrespect God every chance they get.
In many ways they are like that ancient Pharaoh who say "Who is Yahweh, that I should listen to his voice.....I don't know Yahweh"

Originally posted by pexx421
Ah, ive had buddhist monks and shaolun disciples tell me that different religions are just different routes that we all take to get to the same place, even their own. That place being, experience of the divine.

Most Buddhists accept that different faiths can be valid and do not consider their own to be the only way (the major exception is Nichiren Buddhism...there might be other branches that are exclusivist, too). There is an old Zen saying: "Many paths, one mountain." Buddha himself taught the doctrine of Expedient Means, claiming that many different outward manifestations of faith and practice could be valid depending on time, place, etc.

Shinto, too, allows for different faiths. In Japan, most people (although in reality rather athiestic) at least nominally consider themselves members of both faiths, and engage in to both Shinto and Buddhist practices and ceremonies. Many Buddhist temples in Japan have small Shinto shrines or prayer areas set aside (although, interestingly, the opposite seems rarely to be true). In the middle ages there was a strain of religion called "Shinbutsu Shugo" that was a combination of Shinto and Buddhism, but its no longer practiced.

Some Christians claim their way is not the only way, as well. Increasingly so. I believe the Vatican declared not too long ago for the first time that Catholicism was no longer officially considered the sole path to salvation. And many if not most Christians have made room for the validity of Judaism to some extent in their thought. More and more you can see Christians accepting the simultaneous validity of other forms of worship, but this is still the minority opinion.

I think the religion of Jesus meets the OP question, but not the religion about Jesus(organized Christianity). The religion of Jesus is all about actions and so forth, so that can apply to anyone.

And while Christians may make such claims, Jesus did not.

John 14
24He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.

25These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.

Jesus is the "truth, the way and the light", and it is only by those things that you can find the father. If you aren't seeking truth, if you aren't trying to find the right way and looking towards light rather than darkness, you can't find the father. Because you won't hear him.

Understanding and truth is universal for all. The way people express those things and call certain things is different. It's like you have a word for "tree", and they have another word for it. But in the end, both are still talking about the same tree.

Check out Buddhism, I believe the Buddha mentioned that if you have read his teachings and did not agree with any or all of them, don't practice them.

I'm not a Buddhist but I think Buddhism is one of the more peaceful and less invasive guides for enlightenment seekers compare to some religions.