
An essay donated by Grace Li
Different people, different paths to "God"

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I think that every single person who has ever walked this earth, no
matter what their faith or nationality, can agree on one thing; people are
different. I am different from my next-door neighbor, who is different from
her teacher, who in turn is different from his pastor. At very least, all
human beings are physically different, but we also have psychological and
emotional differences in how we function, how we react to the world, and how
we think.
Therefore, if one believes in the idea of God and in salvation, there
should be different ways of reaching a level of salvation, enlightenment,
whatever you believe in. I find it rather difficult to comprehend the common
belief that one religion, one path is the way to salvation. A religious
leader shouldn’t preach the exact same "path" or "way to salvation" for all
his listeners any more than a doctor should prescribe the exact same
medication to all of his patients. It is important to have faith in what you
happen to believe in, but it is also important to show tolerance, if not
respect, for the faith of others.
Perhaps the religion that illustrates this best is Hinduism. Hinduism has
often been mistakenly portrayed as polytheistic, when in doctrine, it
recognizes one ultimate deity. Most Hindus believe in Christianity’s Jesus
Christ as a God-man, just as the Christians themselves do. Hinduism teaches
that all the religious leaders, all over the world, are spoken through by
the same transcendent God. In essence, separate religions are simply
different ways of salvation or enlightenment. If only every religion was
this tolerant of ideas other than its own…
On the other hand, we have Christianity (which I am using simply because
it’s the most obvious example). I have the deepest respect for all
religions, but I do not hesitate to strongly disagree with the Christian
mentality that "their" path to salvation and eternal life is the only valid
one, and that all others will end up "in the lake of fire." Gandhi was not a
Christian, and Hitler was a Catholic. Does that mean that Gandhi will burn
in hell while Hitler enjoys a land of overflowing milk and honey? Does that
mean that the Boston sex-abuse priests will have tea with Jesus while
Wiccans who faithfully serve their country and harm none will have eternal
torment? One would certainly hope not, and one would hope that good deeds
play some part; even though the Bible states that deeds are irrelevant.
The true mark of spiritual salvation, whatever you may believe that to
be, is that you open the door to others. Yes, I have heard the argument that
we human beings have a "free will" to follow or not, but that’s not a
choice. It is an ultimatum that has been stated all too often: adhere to my
religion and mine only, or suffer for all eternity. What drives people to
religions with this narrow mentality is fear of the consequences, not true
belief, which punches a gaping hole in the "free will" thread. You simply
leave leeway for other religions to be valid, not just your own. You open
the door, exposing your religion to the scrutiny and (sometimes) acceptance
of others, without pushing anyone through.
It would be rather nice if we lived in a world where everyone’s beliefs
came true for them. The Christians would go to heaven, the Muslims to
paradise, the Buddhists and Hindus would achieve nirvana, and the atheists
would have a peaceful rest. Unfortunately, that’s all wishful thinking. We
don’t know what’s true or not…so we might as well acknowledge the
differences and various validities of all paths to a higher being, whomever
you believe him, her, or them to be. Even if you, like me, don’t acknowledge
a higher being at all.

Originally written: 2003-SEP-14
Latest update: 2003-SEP-14
Author: Grace Li

