The question “Why so many religions?” is one that people are asking more and more. Is there an answer?

When people decide that they need some, kind of spiritual influence in their lives, what will they encounter? More than likely they will come across a vast sea of different churches, religions,-and conflicting beliefs: How are they able, to decide which one is right?

One easy choice is simply to look at our own lifestyle and choose a religion that will fit our way of life, or something that is close to what our family may have accepted. Family tradition, peer pressure, fear of rejection, and geographical location are just a few of the reasons why people may choose a particular path in their quest for spiritual truth. Family beliefs and values are, often handed’ down from generation to generation and are frequently accepted without much ques
tioning. In other cases, individuals are left to choose an option for themselves whenever it seems appropriate.

Even within major belief systems, many different variations seem to abound. Consider, for example; Christianity. Why are there so many different “brands” of Christianity?

One reason often given is that each respective group has a slightly different interpretation of what the Bible teaches;

While this seems true enough, the real question is why. It has been said that “there is a religion to fit every lifestyle.” Perhaps this phrase holds the key to our original question of “Why so many religions?”

What if, instead of trying to find a religion to fit our lifestyle, we asked ourselves the simple question, “What does God want us to do?’,

You mean, I should ask God how I should live my life? Well, yes. The Bible states, “Good and upright is the LORD” (Psalm 25:8) and “Taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him” (Psalm 34:8 ). The . Bible also says that those who are in a close relationship “with God will naturally have things such as love, joy, and peace in their lives (Galatians 5:22).

Since God’ is good, and has our best interests in mind, there is really no reason to be reluctant to discover just what God says about anything.

Of course, this does not always come naturally. The Bible says, “There
is a way that seems right to a man” but can end in our harming ourselves (Proverbs 16:25, NIV). In fact, one of the greatest figures in the Bible, the apostle Paul, wrote, “When I want to do good, evil is right there with me” (Romans 7:21, NIV). As far hack as humans have been alive, there has been this consistent hesitation to approach God honestly and to investigate what, He would prefer for us.

So what is the answer to this problem? We could rely on tradition, what seems to be okay, what our friends say is acceptable,’ or any other kind of opinion, but doing so has led to the very problem we have today: all sorts of religious beliefs and views.

Instead, why not go to the source? God has provided us with an actual written text of how we should approach life and experience all the good that is possible. Why not join us as we explore the Bible and find out for ourselves just how God wants us to live our everyday lives so that we can enjoy life to the fullest?

The above material was published by Campus Ministry International, Hazelwood, MO, 1997. This material may be copyrighted and should be used for study and research purposes only.