So many religions, so little time

Just how many religions are there? Countless world religions. Countless Christian denominations and more fracturing all the time.

How then do you know which one is right. Can you go by their claims that they are the only right religion, as some Christian denominations claim, and everyone else will be punished for eternity? Is there an acid test? Can some guru who is touching Nirvana tell you? Or someone who has seen Heaven?

Jesus himself seemed polarizing in this respect with his statement, "No one comes to the father except through me."

Consider substituting love for names:

• God is love
• Jesus is a manifestation of God
• Jesus is love
• Jesus said he is the way, the truth, and the life
• Love is the way, the truth, and the life
• Jesus: No one comes to the Father except through Me
• Love: No one comes to the Father except through love

Jesus also said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free." Jesus showed us the way.

Maybe it is just this simple.

We can talk about God's love in many ways. The first laws were introduced through religion, priests, and kings. They prevent us from doing harm to each other. That is the essence of "sin" (missing the mark). When we harm another, we should make restitution of some kind so that we are in harmony again. That's a given.

Love is a seamlessly simple, but endlessly complex foundation for human behavior. It fulfills all law that could possibly apply. It is not just the mandate not to harm others, but the mandate to assist others in need, as Jesus showed us. How can you act out of love and break some relevant law?

How do we decide about the truth in any religion? Love is the litmus test.

- Dorian

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