I believe it is very important that we understand this question. A false religion is one that comes to you in the name of Jesus but does not teach you the whole truth as taught in the bible, or one that comes to you in the name of God even though that "God" is not the one true God. Let's take a look a few of the major religions and explore the real doctrine that they teach and see if we think they are part of the true church of Jesus Christ. I think you will agree with me that not all religions worship the same God as the promoters of Interfaithism are trying to make us believe.
But, let me say one thing before we start. I do realize and am very glad that there are some people in the religions listed below that truly love and truly want to please God. And I realize that some "churches" or factions or affiliates of these religions don't necessarily teach the same doctrine that was originally taught by these religions and may even approach the truth in some ways. Some, like the Mormon church, have broken into different pieces that teach different doctrines, and some, like Islam, have many factions that vary substantially in beliefs and doctrines. The Catholic church also has some variations within it's organization, although it does have a leader, the Pope, and doctrinal guidance from that leadership. What I am stressing most in this study is that the root of these religions and their beginnings are what you are buying into by being part of that organization. If it did not begin with truth and/or began with a false prophet or false God, it is not of God. If it is not of God, we should not be a part of it even if our particular church or organization teaches doctrine that differs from the original teachings of that faith. We should come out of that and give ourselves to the one true God and follow Him and seek His truth with all our heart.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
This passage is speaking of the Great Whore, the false church of the end time, and God is telling his people to come out of her! This is a good indication that there are indeed those who truly love Him within those religions, but it's also clear that if you do not come out of them that you will be considered a part of the whole and will be a partaker of the sins it has committed. Please remember this!
The Catholic religion and her daughters
The Buddhist / Hindu religion and other Universal, Scientology, etc...
I had to ask myself this question: who is the God of Islam? Is it really the same God that Abraham worshiped as they want us to believe?
It is asserted by Muslims that the Meccan Arabs are descendants of Ishmael, the son of Abraham. They also claim that Ishmael settled in Mecca where he, along with Abraham, built the Kabah and passed on the religion of the true God to his offspring. It is believed that throughout time the Ishmaelites perverted the worship of the true God, not by abandoning their belief in him, but by adding other gods in their worship, thus perverting the religion of the God of their father Ishmael. It is actually provable that this is not true, as I will show you.
In the Old Testament, near Israel's beginnings, worship of a false God called Baal began, and consisted of worshiping the heavenly bodies, of which the moon is the largest in the sky. The Biblical and historical evidence shows that the Moabites worshiped Baal. The pre-Islamic and Muslim sources show (a) that the Meccans took over the idol Hubal from the Moabites and (b) that Allah and Hubal are actually identical. Thus, whether the Meccans are Ishmaelites or not, the evidence is still strong and sufficient to conclude that Muhammad's Allah is actually Hubal, i.e., the Baal of the Moabites and thus not the God of the Bible. Muhammad incorporated the characteristics and names of various other gods into his new monotheistic message about Allah, but he apparently started the construction of Allah with Hubal, the chief god of the Meccans.
The pre-Islam pagan Arabs worshiped the Moon-god Allah by praying toward Mecca several times a day; making a pilgrimage to Mecca; running around the temple of the Moon-god called the Kabah; kissing the black stone; killing an animal in sacrifice to the Moon-god; throwing stones at the devil; fasting for the month which begins and ends with the crescent moon; giving alms to the poor, etc.
If you have read the news in recent months, you know that modern day Muslims practice these very rituals.
The Muslims are worshiping the same false god that people have been worshiping since early times as far back as Israel's beginnings.
Most importantly, Muslims say you don't need to believe in Jesus Christ to be saved! Muslims will admit that Jesus Christ was a true prophet, but deny that He was the Messiah (although some Western Muslims will say He was anointed), they will deny that He was God manifested in the flesh as of the Son of God (John 1:14), and they will deny that He died on the cross and rose again. Does that make sense? Absolutely not. That belief cannot be truth because Jesus Christ Himself said He was the Messiah, and said He was the Son of God!
John 4:26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
John 9:35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? 36 He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? 37 And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.
Mark 14:61 Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? 62 And Jesus said, I am
That would make Him a false prophet according to the Muslim beliefs! How twisted is that? But it's a lie believed by one and a half billion people. We absolutely must believe that Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh, was crucified for our sins and rose again. This is the gospel!
John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
There is no salvation in any other name but Jesus! Not Mohammed, not Buddha; no other name...
Islam goes even further than simple disbelief, and says that the name of Jesus is "the most awful name".
Hadith Sahih Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 73, Number 224: Narrated by Abu Huraira
Allah's Apostle said, "The most awful name in Allah's sight on the Day of Resurrection, will be (that of) a man calling himself Malik Al-Amlak (the king of kings)."
Now, according to the Word of God: 1 Tim 6:15, Rev 17:14 and Rev 19:16, Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
This means that Muslims are instructed to hate the Jesus of the Bible.
The word Islam means "submission". Not only in the sense of submission to Allah, but in the sense of making everyone submit to the rule of Islam. Islam is about subduing the world and making it submit. The Muslims believe that Mohammed is the exemplar of right conduct. They aspire to be like him in the same manner that Christians aspire to be like Jesus. Mohammed said to spread, through warfare, the rules of Islam. Mohammed became increasingly violent during his career and spent 10 years in Medina creating an army to overthrow his homeland, Mecca, after he was ran off by the pagans in 622 AD. He killed thousands of people and subdued Arabia through war. Muslims are encouraged to commit acts of heroism in combat. They are promised that those who kill and are killed will be rewarded with paradise. This is the basis for suicide bombers. They believe that since they are killing while they are killed that the sin of suicide is covered by the martyrdom of their action and, as such, they will be rewarded in heaven. Islam is a religion of political rule, a system of government. It is not about a personal relationship with Allah, it is about bringing the world under submission to its rule.
The Quran (Koran) was written over time during the life of Mohammed (conveyed or recited by him). He started as a peaceful man, but as time went on he changed many of his values. As he became increasingly violent, his writings matched his attitude. The correct interpretation of the Quran is to take any conflict in doctrine, of which there is a whole lot, and replace an older verse with the latest one, supplanting it's meaning with the more recent version in a process called abrogation. The problem is that the Quran is compiled from the longest Sura to the shortest, so it's nearly impossible to know which conflicting verse to believe or obey. The Muslims have a whole committee of scholars to interpret the Quran and decide which verses were written first and the succession of them to the last.
If you think Islam is a religion of peace, as they claim, just look at all the wars they are involved in today, in Europe, China, Africa, etc., and the mindset of Muslims as a whole as they chant "Death to Israel, Death to America", while they are working toward their goal of subduing the world. Islam is a religion of peace only when they have conquered the world and subjected it to the rule of Islam. Also, if the son of the ruler of Hamas says that Islam has no moderates, then I believe him.
Now, on a side note, Mosab Hassan Yousef (the son of the ruler of Hamas) made the point that there is no moderate Islam in those that truly adhere to their faith, but this does not include the phony Muslims.
The three types of moderate Muslims:
See this page to read more: Is Islam a violent religion?
Do they really expect us to believe they worship the same God that we do?
Now, should we hate Muslims because they worship a false god and hate the lord Jesus?
Absolutely not.
It is our job to try to help those Muslims who think it's a peaceful religion to understand the truth of it. This does not mean we should be ok with a false religion by any means, but that we should talk to any who are willing to listen and help them to understand, if at all possible.
For more information, see: Islam in the Bible
I always thought that the Mormon religion was a little off from the truth, but wasn't really sure what really went on inside. It's a very enlightening study, to say the least. Here's a quick summary that will blow your mind. If you want more information, I recommend a DVD by Jeremiah Films (www.jeremiahfilms.com) called "The Secret World of Mormonism".
The Mormon Church originated in the early 1800's. A boy named Joseph Smith claimed he was visited by celestial beings when he was 14 years old. His story changed a few times but finally settled on it being two beings who ordered him to organize a new religion. The Mormon Church today claims over 10 million members world wide and is currently the largest business corporation in the western United States. It is very rich and very powerful with billions in revenues from tithes and from business profits, and many members in high offices of the US government, the CIA, FBI, and other entities.
The Mormon Church presents itself as a "Christian" religion, but it violates nearly all of the tenets of true Christianity. They have vast door to door missions as most of us have experienced, and they have many adds on TV, radio, etc. that promote "family values" and other heart warming messages. They say they are preaching the gospel, but don't teach the gospel as taught by Jesus and the Apostles of the early church by any stretch of the imagination. They talk about Jesus when they are trying to convert you, but they have a completely different view of our Lord than we know from the pages of the Bible and they don't tell you that up front.
Here's the story:
There are trillions of planets ruled by countless Gods who used to be humans. Long ago an unknown God and one of his many wives had a spirit child named Elohim. This child eventually was elevated to Godhood. Mormons believe that Elohim is "God the Father" and that he has many wives who have lots of spirit children who await to inhabit a physical body so that they may one day be elevated to Gods as well.
Jesus and Lucifer are Elohims first born sons. Mormonism teaches that Jesus and Lucifer were involved in planning mankind's eternal destiny. In order to attain godhood like their heavenly parents, the spirit children needed to leave the presence of their heavenly father, inhabit a physical body, and live a worthy life. Elohim knew that mankind would sin and thus require a savior to pay for sin and show us how to return to our heavenly father. At the heavenly council, Jesus and Lucifer proposed their plans. Lucifer offered to go to earth and be the savior but he wanted to force everyone to be saved and do everything himself. Jesus desired to give man the freedom of choice. The Father chose Jesus' plan. Angered by the decision, Lucifer persuaded one third of the spirit children to rebel and a war in heaven took place between Satan's forces and Jesus and His followers. Lucifer was defeated, cast out of heaven, and denied the right to inhabit mortal bodies. Without the ability to attain physical bodies, exaltation to the Celestial kingdom is impossible. He became known as Satan and his followers became the demons who now exist on earth as spirits opposing God's work. Those who remained neutral in the battle were cursed to be born with black skin. The faithful spirit children who fought most valiantly for Elohim are born into the light skinned peoples in the Mormon Church.
Elohim came to the earth and had sex with Mary to provide the physical body for Jesus. Jesus had 3 or more wives and birthed many children of whom many people claim to be "descendants" today. After the resurrection of Jesus, he came to America and preached to the Indians who are really Israelites. There was a race called the Nephites who fought the Indians but were defeated by them in 421 AD. They left their history inscribed on golden plates that were buried and later "found" by Joseph Smith. The book of Mormon is supposed to be this historical record translated by Joseph Smith.
Joseph Smith calls the book of Mormon "Another Testament of Jesus Christ". We know for a fact that it is false and entirely not true. It contradicts and conflicts with the words of Jesus Himself, and we're taught in the Bible that there is no other truth and that if someone tries to preach another besides what is taught in the Bible, that he is accursed. Gal 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. There is no other gospel but what we read in the Holy Bible. Not the book of Mormon or any of the other works of Joseph Smith.
The book of Mormon alone has over 4000 changes since its original writing to cover the doctrinal contradictions, the historical and archeological errors, and to hide the prophecies that have been proven false. No archeological evidence has ever been found to corroborate any of the supposed places or races described in the book. In stark contrast, the Bible has been proven with more than 25,000 archeological digs to be accurate history.
The Mormon religion has a very rigid code of both financial and moral laws. If you keep those laws, they teach that you can become a god and will be rewarded with endless celestial sex with thousands of wives and a planet of your own to rule. This is exactly what Satan used to tempt Eve in Genesis 3:5, promising her that she could be as gods. If you fail to keep those laws you will be castrated upon your entrance to heaven. There are only a few actual Mormon temples and to enter one you must be a devout Mormon, go through elaborate rituals, and wear the "sacred" underwear (that you are donned with in one of the rituals) all day, every day. You have to swear an oath that if you reveal any of the secret words and/or gestures used in the temple that you agree to be killed by the priesthood. The highest satanic symbol, the inverted pentagram, is displayed in Mormon churches and temples, but nowhere will you see a cross. They claim to be Christians, but the testimonies of ex-Mormons reveal that they practice sorcery and witchcraft in the temples and have had actual apparitions appear in the temples. Joseph Smith was a crystal ball gazer and was arrested for the practice at one time.
Again, the Bible tells us that this is an abomination. Deut 18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, 11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD:
The Mormons use baptism for the dead as a recruitment tool, but that practice is totally against what the Bible teaches and is another lie. We cannot get baptized for a dead person to save their soul. Orthodox Mormons practice Polygamy, arrange the marriages of the their daughters for their own personal gain, and believe that some sins are not covered by the blood of Jesus and teach that you must die to shed your own blood for forgiveness of some sin, committing "charitable" murder in order to save your soul, and many other abominations. Of course, when they come to your door they don't tell you any of this, and many Mormons don't even know the whole truth.
Joseph Smith says that he will be the one sitting on the throne to judge you come judgment day. He claims that he has done more for you than Jesus Christ himself by dying a martyr and shedding his blood for you.
Mormons have a higher rate of sex crimes, adultery, and teen suicide than the national average.
All of the above information can be proven in the books that Mormons use every day (Book of Mormon, D&C, etc.), and by studying the facts, but most Mormons have never read all their books and don't even know what their religion really teaches and what they are subscribing to when they join that organization. Here are some proofs of just a few of my statements. All of them can be proven, but I am not including all of them because it would take a lot of room in this little book. It's not that hard to find and you can certainly research it yourself if you are interested.
On the subject of Mormons believing they can become Gods: D&C 132:20 Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them. 21 Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye abide my law ye cannot attain to this glory.
Lorenzo Snow, a famous Mormon prophet gave this famous quote: "...as God is, man can become."
On the subject of polygamy: D&C 132 deals with this subject and the teaching is very plain. Some Mormons are taught that polygamy was introduced many years after the founding of Mormonism, but Joseph Smith wrote this section in 1843.
Descendants of Jesus: D&C 113:1-6 shows that Joseph Smith himself claimed to be a descendant of Jesus. Ask any LDS missionary unto which descendant of Joseph does the priesthood and the keys of the kingdom rightly belong? Joseph also blessed several of his close associates and told them that they were descendants as well. This is where the notion of people being descendants came from.
God had sex with Mary: Orson Pratt wrote this in The Seer. Page 158.
Joseph Smith will be our judge: This is clearly LDS doctrine. Brigham Young taught that: ...no man or women in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith. From the day that the priesthood was taken from the earth to winding-up scene of all things, every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith as a passport to their entrance into the mansion above where God and Christ are - I with you and you with me. I cannot go there without his consent.- Journal of Discourses, v.7, p.289
LDS "prophet" Joseph Fielding Smith taught: [There is] no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith...No man can reject that testimony without incurring the most dreadful consequences, for he cannot enter the kingdom of God.- Joseph Fielding Smith, DOCTRINES OF SALVATION, v.1, p.189-90
In the official Melchizedek Priesthood Manual, we are told: If we get our salvation, we shall have to pass by him [Joseph Smith]; if we enter into our glory, it will be through the authority that he has received. We cannot get around him.- 1984 Melchizedek Priesthood Manual, pp.126-132
Joseph Smith was a false prophet: According to Deuteronomy
18:20-22, it only takes one false prophecy to make a prophet false, just as it
only takes one murder to make a person a murderer. As proven by what is now
history, Joseph Smith made over 50 false prophecies.
Click here to see a list of Joseph Smith's false prophecies
The Lamanites and the Nephites: There has never been found one single piece of evidence that the peoples or places that Joseph Smith wrote about ever existed. The fact is obvious given this knowledge. They never did exist.
Doctrine has changed in the Mormon Church as many Mormons will point out. Is this a good thing? The bible has not changed and does not change. Only false religions change. Even many "Christian" religions have changed because they are false and do not teach what was taught by Jesus and the Apostles in the early church.
I asked myself this question when I learned who the Great Whore was (See Chapter 7). What could possibly be so bad that a term like that is used to describe her?
And didn't the "daughters" (Protestant, Methodist, Lutheran, etc.) actually drop away from the Catholic church because they disagreed with the Vatican?
The Roman Catholic church was founded in 325 AD. They taught (falsely), and still do, that the Bishops of the church were "spiritual successors" to the original 12 apostles, in particular the Apostle Peter, and that they had the right to discern true or false doctrine. At that time, they changed many of the doctrines taught in the Bible, making Mary a deity, empowering the "church" as your salvation instead of Jesus Christ being the one and only way to salvation, changed the baptism taught by Jesus and His apostles, including Peter, and indoctrinated many false concepts and rituals, including many pagan rituals of the Roman culture and false religions of that day. They even say that the mother of Jesus is the only way whereby you may receive grace. It's true that Mary was blessed to carry and give birth to Jesus, but she was simply a Jewish woman, not a God. They made it a crime punishable by death to attempt to actually read the bible for yourself and/or contradict the Roman Catholic church during the Dark Ages, and they have killed an estimated 68 million Christians over the years for refusing to bow to the false doctrine of the Roman Catholic church.
More information on the origin of the Catholic Church.
The following is a quote from a man who was raised in the Catholic church but left the church as an adult to pursue the real Truth.
On the question of salvation; "Unfortunately most Roman Catholics really don't know for sure what Rome's answers are. Most have a vague idea of a place called 'Purgatory.' They wander through life with an unfounded belief that, if their 'good works' outweigh their 'sins' then they get a ticket to heaven. Others believe that just being a Roman Catholic is all that is required to get to Heaven. Well, not directly to Heaven, but by way of an untold period of time in unmentionable pain and suffering in Purgatory. Its not a pretty picture of salvation. Not at all. One of the saddest laments of a priest friend ( Novus Ordo type) is that Catholics no longer know their own faith!"
Let's take a look at what the Catholic believer has to do today in order to "receive" salvation.
The Vatican teaches that salvation is through the church.
According to the Catholic church you must do all of the following in order to receive salvation:
Confess your sins to a Roman Catholic priest.
"Receive" all appropriate Roman Catholic sacraments.
Believe that Grace comes only via Rome's sacraments, and only through Mary.
Buy or earn as many indulgences as possible so as to avoid Purgatory.
Believe that Grace can only be distributed to you by Mary.
Attend the Roman Catholic Mass on all Sundays and holy days.
Obey all of Rome's rules (i.e., precepts of the Church).
Be a member of the Roman Catholic Church.
Submit yourself to the Pope.
The bible teaches that you must believe in Jesus and obey the Gospel for salvation, and that it's by the grace of God, not Mary or Rome, that we are saved. All of the above only make you subservient to the Roman Catholic church and do not ensure your place with God at all.
But, the Roman Catholic leaders today are even saying that you don't really need to believe in Jesus Christ to be saved!
Article #841 of the Catechism says: "The Church's relationship with the Muslims . 'The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day.'" This means that the Catholic church believes that the Muslims will be saved just like anyone else even though Muslims don't believe in Jesus, and that they worship the same God that we all do even though Allah was originally a pagan moon god.
Muslims say you don't need to believe in Jesus Christ to be saved! Muslims will admit that Jesus Christ was a true prophet, but deny that He was the Messiah (although some Western Muslims will say He was anointed), they will deny that He was God manifested in the flesh as of the Son of God (John 1:14), and they will deny that He died on the cross and rose again. That belief cannot be truth because Jesus Christ Himself said He was the Messiah, and said He was the Son of God!
John 4:26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
John 9:35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? 36 He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? 37 And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.
Mark 14:61 Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? 62 And Jesus said, I am
That would make Him a false prophet according to the Muslim beliefs! How twisted is that? But it's a lie believed by one and a half billion people. We absolutely must believe that Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh, was crucified for our sins and rose again. This is the gospel! And, Jesus Christ himself said we have to believe in Him!
John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
There is no salvation in any other name but Jesus! Not Mohammed, not Buddha; no other name...
Does the Catholic leadership read the same bible I do??? Sure doesn't look like it! No wonder God is angry with her...
More information on the origin of the Catholic Church.
And what about the "daughters"?
The Roman Catholic church is the self proclaimed "mother" of all churches. And this is actually true for most western faiths.
03 Sep 2000 (AP) VATICAN CITY (AP) - One of Pope John Paul II's closest aides has written to bishops worldwide declaring that the Catholic church is the "mother" of other Christian churches ... In the document, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger told the bishops that it was incorrect to refer to Christian churches, ranging from Orthodox to Protestant , as "sister" churches of the Catholic church ... stating that the term "sister" puts them on an equal footing and they are not "sisters" but the Catholic church is the "mother".
Most of the churches of western faiths broke away from the Catholic church because they knew the error of the Vatican. The problem is that most of them did not return completely to the truth as taught by Jesus and the Apostles. And since that time many have allowed compromise after compromise over the years that have taken them even further from the truth.
As stated above, the Roman Catholic church teaches that salvation comes through the church, changed baptism from in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins (done throughout the book of Acts), to be "in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost" (because they want you to believe your sins are forgiven through the church so they have to leave the name of Jesus out of it), and they indoctrinated the false concept of the "trinity" that had been invented around 200 AD but was never taught by Jesus or the Apostles, or taught anywhere in the bible. All of this happened long before the churches broke away. These points are discussed in detail in Book 2.
See proofs of the changes to baptism by the Catholic Church
More information on the meaning of Matthew 28:19.
The Catholic church also teaches that sin can be indulged and promotes the mindset that you can pretty much do anything you want as long as you obey all the precepts and confess to a priest. This mentality has unfortunately come away with many churches. While most do teach salvation through Jesus Christ, they do not baptize in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins, some teaching that baptism isn't necessary for obedience to the Gospel. And some even teach that we are saved by belief alone and that only the really bad stuff in our life needs to be changed because we are saved by grace, so that's somehow supposed to mean that it doesn't really matter what we do after "accepting Jesus". This is so wrong! That is NOT what the bible teaches us!
Rom 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
The bible teaches us to obey the Gospel by being Born Again, which is a truth that many churches miss the entire meaning of and teach falsely (also discussed in Book 2), but when we read the bible we find that it goes even beyond that. We should not have bitterness in our hearts toward any man or woman, we should be peacemakers and should strive for Holiness (purity)! Heb 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: How can we profess to have God in us if we do not love others!? The bible teaches us that we will not make it unless we're willing to follow Jesus and give up the things of the world that we desire. This means that we will begin to love even our enemies, we won't have hatred in our hearts, or pride. We won't make our "goals" of life in this world our Gods by making those things more important than God. The world teaches us to have a burning desire for the things we want and to go after them with passion and determination. That is not what God teaches us. If we love the world and the things in it, the love of God is not in us.
1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
I apologize if I'm insulting your beliefs but if you will take the time to read the bible yourself and really search for the truth, not justification of doctrine, you will find truth! If you read it with the intent of justifying your doctrine, guess what? You'll find that too. I realize this is a bit harsh and may be offensive to some, but I have to ask why did God call the Great Whore the Mother of Harlots? We know who the Great Whore is, and it's only a small logical step to find the daughters. I know that some people can read the bible and only find what they want to see. The mystery of God separates the truth seekers from the excuse seekers. If you don't love the truth and really want to follow the will of God, if you want to be saved but aren't willing to give up everything that you want and give it all to God, what are you really doing? I say these things to make you think! I hope to shock you into thinking really hard about what salvation means, who God is, and if you want to be with Him or not when this is all over! What, exactly, do you think is too high of a price for eternal life full of joy and peace?
I don't want to make anyone angry or insult your intelligence. I simply hope that you will seek God and His truth with all your heart and all your soul! Ensure your own salvation! Every person who believes there is a God is faced with one inescapable, ultimate question: "What must I do to be saved?!" All other questions pale to insignificance in light of this one. If you have not yet considered it, one day you will! But by then it may be too late for the answer to do you any good. Do you really know what you must do to be saved, to have assurance of a place in Heaven? Read the bible and seek the Truth! Please!
1 John 2:23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father : (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
You cannot have the Father without the Son. Can't. Doesn't even matter if you profess to worship the God of Abraham. If you don't love His Son, you don't have Him. If you don't believe in Jesus, you make God a liar.
1 John 5:10-12 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.11 And this is the record , that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
The Jews who practice Judaism today do not believe Jesus was their Messiah and they're waiting for what they call the Moshiach today. See my article on the Moshiach and Jewish prophecy
If you do not believe in Jesus as God Himself manifest in the flesh as of the only begotten of the Father, you do not have the Father.
Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism and they do not even believe in "God" like most religions. "God", to them is a basic "force" in the universe which has been harnessed by beings who are now "gods" of varying degrees, and we can attain godhood eventually, by harnessing that power.
This is exactly what Satan used to tempt Eve in Genesis 3:5, promising her that she could be as gods. Genesis 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Satan continues to use this temptation, that we can become gods, on men and women because it works so well on our pride. He has many, many religions that use this to lure us, like Scientology, Universalism, etc., and this is the basis for Hinduism and Buddhism.
To Hindus and Buddhists, god is formless but it manifests itself through Purusha and Prakriti. Purusha is consciousness and Prakriti is the material world. Purusha expresses itself through Prakriti.
They believe there are divine beings are called devas (gods). Devas are celestial beings that control forces of nature such as fire, air, wind, etc. But, they believe there is one supreme god.
Again, they do not believe in Jesus or even the true God of Abraham.
Universalism, Scientology and so many (thousands) of other religions are used by Satan to deceive and distract us. He uses some truth and basic human ideologies to promote the idea of how we can eventually achieve god-like power and/or universal salvation.
Scientology says we're all just aliens and can someday achieve unlimited power and be able to leave the physical realm to grow in power and might.
Satan continues to use human pride to convince us that we can elevate to gods of some kind through myriads of false religions.
Most of the false religions teach there is some kind of reincarnation that will eventually lead us to more and more power and enlightenment.
He still uses this basic lie that started with his very first lie to Eve, because it still works...
The "Golden Rule" and Co-Exist ideologies are tools he uses to mix lies with truth and appeal to human compassion and love without God. To lead us astray.
Universalism says that everyone will be saved, eventually.
If we do not believe the record that God gave us, and preserved for us in His Word, we will fall for these lies.
2 Thessalonians 2:10 through 12; And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.