“Don’t All Religions
Basically Teach the Same Things?”
Rev. John Crimmins
Message given September 9, 2001
Like some 250,000 other Houstonians I make my way East on I-10 every morning on my way into our church offices at I-10 and Wirt Road. The first time I made the drive (if it is reasonable to even call it a drive), I noticed that there were an awful lot of car dealerships along the way. Apparently the thinking is that I will have plenty of time to window shop as I crawl my way to and from work each day. If I am stuck in traffic in a big SUV I can look over at the new car lot and see that new Honda sports coupe and think to myself, “Boy, if I only had that little dynamo I could weave my way through this nightmare and be at the office in 10 minutes.” And if I am already sitting in the little two-seater I can look over in the showroom window and see the latest Chevy Suburban complete with heavy-duty brush guards and think to myself, “Boy, if I only had that big sucker, I’d intimidate traffic so bad that the seas would part and I’d be home in 10 minutes.”
When we think like that we are already operating at a more sophisticated level in our thinking about automobiles than many of us exercise when it comes to religion. Several of our neighbors are recently arrived in the United States. Two families are from France. One is from China. The Chinese family moved in about the same time we did. They are all here working in energy-related fields. One day early on our Chinese neighbor was having a problem with her new mini-van. I offered to help. In the process I asked her, “Where did you get your car?” She said, “Oh, we bought it at the car store.” I said, “Which one?” She said, “I don’t know. Too many choices. So confusing.” Welcome to marketing in America. Last year my neighbor was looking for four tires and a motor. I suspect by the time they buy their next car they will know whether they are two-seaters or SUVers and whether they want the optional CD changer mounted in the trunk or in the console.
My goal this morning is to help some of us move along a similar path when it comes to religion in general and several major world religions in particular. We are going to begin at the level of an uninitiated drive-by look at religion and then we are going to go into the showroom to see what they offer and finally we are going to get under the hood to see what makes them go.
I. The
Drive-by Look: all cars have four tires and a paint job.
a goal
a plan
a community
II. The
Showroom Visit: recognizing the distinctives
|
|
Hinduism |
Buddhism |
Islam |
Judaism |
Christianity |
|
a goal |
Moksha |
Nirvana |
Allah, God |
Yahweh, God |
Yahweh, God |
|
a plan |
Vedas, Upanishads |
Tripitaka |
Koran |
Old Testament Scriptures |
Christ and the Bible |
|
a community |
ethnicity |
temple |
mosque |
synagogue |
church |
III. Getting
Under the Hood: what powers the faith?
|
|
Hinduism |
Buddhism |
Islam |
Judaism |
Christianity |
|
Core Teachings |
Polytheism, Pantheism |
The Middle Way |
the teachings of Mohammed |
Torah |
|
|
Means of Salvation |
the 4 Yogas |
the Noble Eightfold Path |
the Five Pillars of Islam |
good moral behavior, right attitudes |
repent and accept Christ as Savior |
|
Man’s Destiny |
Moksha |
Nirvana |
Paradise |
Whatever God Provides |
Heaven and a bodily resurrection |
IV. The
Acid Test: Who is Jesus Christ?
|
|
Hinduism |
Buddhism |
Islam |
Judaism |
Christianity |
|
Historical Figure |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
His Resurrection |
Irrelevant |
Denied |
Denied |
Denied |
Historical Fact |
|
His Person |
Teacher/Avatar |
Teacher |
Prophet |
teacher, heretic, not Messiah |
Messiah and Son of God |
|
His Significance |
One of many guides |
less important than Buddha |
less important than Mohammed |
insignificant or harmful |
Savior of the world |
(Outline)
“Don’t All Religions Basically Teach the Same Things?”
Rev. John Crimmins
Message given September 9, 2001
V. The
Drive-by Look: all cars have four tires and a paint job.
a goal
a plan
a community
VI. The
Showroom Visit: recognizing the distinctives
|
|
Hinduism |
Buddhism |
Islam |
Judaism |
Christianity |
|
a goal |
Moksha |
Nirvana |
Allah, God |
Yahweh, God |
Yahweh, God |
|
a plan |
Vedas, Upanishads |
Tripitaka |
Koran |
Old Testament Scriptures |
Christ and the Bible |
|
a community |
ethnicity |
temple |
mosque |
synagogue |
church |
VII. Getting
Under the Hood: what powers the faith?
|
|
Hinduism |
Buddhism |
Islam |
Judaism |
Christianity |
|
Core Teachings |
Polytheism, Pantheism |
The Middle Way |
the teachings of Mohammed |
Torah |
|
|
Means of Salvation |
the 4 Yogas |
the Noble Eightfold Path |
the Five Pillars of Islam |
good moral behavior, right attitudes |
repent and accept Christ as Savior |
|
Man’s Destiny |
Moksha |
Nirvana |
Paradise |
Whatever God Provides |
Heaven and a bodily resurrection |
VIII. The
Acid Test: Who is Jesus Christ?
|
|
Hinduism |
Buddhism |
Islam |
Judaism |
Christianity |
|
Historical Figure |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
His Resurrection |
Irrelevant |
Denied |
Denied |
Denied |
Historical Fact |
|
His Person |
Teacher/Avatar |
Teacher |
Prophet |
teacher, heretic, not Messiah |
Messiah and Son of God |
|
His Significance |
One of many guides |
less important than Buddha |
less important than Mohammed |
insignificant or harmful |
Savior of the world |