“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6
There are many religions in the world today. Besides Christianity, there is Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Shinto, Taoism, Confucianism, and Caodaism, just to name the top ten. Of these, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism comprise about 75% of the world’s population (see above chart). Judaism is very small and only represents around 0.2% of the global population. Although most people are familiar with these 4 largest religions, they may not know what they actually believe and teach.
First, let’s look at when and how these major 4 religions began. Hinduism is the oldest and was founded between 1800-1000 BC in India, but there was no specific founder. Buddhism was founded by Gautama Siddhartha, or Buddha (meaning “Enlightened One”), around 500 BC in present day India & Nepal region. Christianity was founded around 30-33 AD in Jerusalem by the disciples of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion and resurrection. Islam was founded in Mecca, Arabia around 600 AD by its prophet Muhammad.
However, it is also interesting to note where these religious followers are located. Christianity is the world’s largest religious group with 33% of the world’s population identified as its followers. There are 120 nations where Christianity represents more than 50% of the population of that nation. Islam, which represents 21% of the world’s population, has 49 nations where Muslims represent more than 50% of the population of that nation. Hinduism, with 13% of the world’s population, has only two nations, India and Nepal, where its followers represent at least 50% of the population. And finally, Buddhism, with only 6% of the world’s population, has only 7 nations (concentrated in Southeast Asia) where its followers are above 50% of that nation’s population. It is clear that Christianity is not only the largest religion in the world but is also the dominant religion in the majority of the world’s 195 nations as well.
So, how did Christianity become so dominant in the world? One reason is that it is not tied to a specific culture or nation. Christianity is based on freedom of the individual to choose to follow it based upon its teachings. There is no forced acceptance of it by any nation. Another reason is that Christianity more closely represents the reality of our creation and our sinful nature. It comes directly from God through His Word and is not an ideology or a man-made belief system. A third reason for its dominance in the world has been its focus on spreading the good news of forgiveness and salvation through faith in Christ by its followers as well as its teaching to “go and make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19). A final reason is that Christianity was also the foundation of many of the prosperous western nations of the world. This helped propel economic growth, higher education, better medical treatments, scientific discovery, and equal rights for the individual. No other religion or belief system has benefited the nations of the world as much as Christianity!
Another question we should ask is that if Christianity has been so good for the world, why is Islam now the fastest growing religion in the world that is projected to overtake Christianity by 2070? I believe that it is primarily due to 3 reasons. First, the birth rates among Christians have been declining for years. As a result, many western nations are not replenishing their populations, especially their Christian population. Muslims, on the other hand, continue to have many children and so by demographic statistics alone they will overtake Christianity eventually. Secondly, Islam is a forced religion in nations where they have a majority or political control. Muslims will often kill those who leave Islam for Christianity (or another faith) and force their citizens to follow Islam under penalty of Sharia Law. And thirdly, Muslims do not assimilate in other cultures. They remain separate and distinct and wait until they have sufficient numbers to enforce Sharia Law and overtake the culture of a nation. The influx of Muslims in Europe and America provides ample evidence of this.
It is also important when comparing religions that we focus on what it teaches, and not what its followers do. It’s because humans are sinful and they often do things against or opposite of what their religion teaches. This is certainly true of Christians as well. If we truly want to compare religions, we must focus on its beliefs and teaching and not just the actions of its followers.
Christianity teaches that we should love our enemies (Matthew 5:44) and turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39). It commands us to be humble (Philippians 2:3), love & serve others (Galatians 5:13), and not to lie, kill, or take things that don’t belong to us (Exodus 20:13-17). Islam teaches that they must obey Sharia Law, that infidels (non-believers) can be mistreated, cast out or even killed. It also teaches that Muslims are allowed to deceive and lie to infidels to achieve their goals. Buddhism and Hinduism are more peaceful, spiritual and ritual focused religions. They are about self-realization and believing in many gods represented by man-made idols to achieve personal enlightenment.
But perhaps the biggest difference between Christianity and these other 3 religions is that in the other religions its followers must earn their salvation and hope they have done enough good to go to heaven. There is no assurance or guarantee of eternal life. In Christianity, God came down to us in the form of his Son Jesus to take upon Himself the sins of all of us so that we might live eternally with Him! In Christianity, God does it all and promises everyone eternal life by simply putting our faith and trust in Jesus alone (John 3:16). We can’t earn our way to heaven and so it’s not about what we do, but what Jesus did! Jesus alone is the one who earned our way into heaven! This is truly what distinguishes Christianity from all other religions.
So, when comparing different religions or belief systems, don’t just look at the actions of their followers whether good or bad. We must also consider their values, beliefs, and teachings and ask these questions: Does this religion reflect the reality of our world and the people in it? Is there physical evidence for their religion’s god in our world? Is it man-focused or God-focused? What does their religion’s god demand of these who believe in it? Does this religion provide a guaranteed path to its god? What has this religion produced that has benefited our world?
Asking these questions will help us to discern if a religion is from God or from man. We would be wise to place our faith in the one true God who created and loves us and represents the reality of our world and not in a religion that meets our definition of what a god should be or what we want him to be.
The choice is ours (but to me it’s also obvious).