Contrary to what you may have been told, all religions do not end up in Heaven, just like "all roads lead to Rome" has been contextualized. Actually, only one belief system does end up in Heaven: true, Holy Spirit-filled, Christianity. What about all the others, like the ones in the banner picture and on those COEXIST bumper stickers?
Obviously, if you have researched the various religions out there in your college course of World Religions, you will quickly notice that there are religions that just don't make any sense at all. Actually, ALL religions make no sense at all. If one claims to worship the One, true God and someone else wants to worship the devil (Satan), then you can quickly discern that not only do these religions not mesh, but neither do their claims, ideologies, or their gods. One cannot simply “coexist” when the world is full of sin, some people want to kill others of differing beliefs, and Christians have been given a Great Commission to 'go and make disciples of all nations'. When one religion tells their adherents to "smite the neck of the unbeliever" while they fly commercial airplanes into buildings while another religion insists on connecting with the inner self while disconnecting from the pain of the world through disciplined meditation, it is abundantly clear we have a great impasse to cross via relationship, never through coercion, let alone religion. Jesus showed us the way to help others come out of the kingdom of Hell and into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Any ideology except that which compels someone into a relationship with the One, True God is, ultimately, religion. God (YHWH) never established a religion; He simply wants each of us to enjoy a personal, intimate relationship with Him.
“Religion is the philosophy of doing things for/to a god/gods trying to get him/her/it to do what you want so you may live as you please.”
Religiosity is the root of most problems in the world. Poverty/greed, abortion, gender confusion, governmental/educational system corruption, and the breakdown of the family are big time problems, but all these issues added up do not cause the amount of pain religion does. How is that? Behind every single human thought and action lies a fundamental religious ideology. Yes, indeed, there can be no separation of Church and State because ALL our motivations and actions arise from a fundamental belief about our world and our place in it -- even atheism and humanism. Follow me here.
You might wonder, "But aren't you a pastor, Pastor Michael?" Yes, I am and that's exactly why I know religion causes more problems in the world than any other issue. Religion is the philosophy of doing things for/to an unknown god/gods trying to get him/her/it to do what you want so you may live as you please. That actually sounds more like co-dependent manipulation than religion to me. How about you? "You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours".
Somebody once said, “The most horrific things in the world have been done for all the greatest of reasons.” I happen to agree with him/her. In the mind of serial killers and terrorists, there is an ideology (demon) that tells them that they will never truly achieve peace, freedom from their pain, and/or have the wealth they want until they do some extreme, terrible things.
"Ethnic cleansings" are done, at first glance, for government control, but never be deceived into thinking there is no religious ideology behind it. Even atheism is a religion because it is actually evolutionary humanism and the idea of evolution is a distinctly wicked philosophy whose #1 aim is to philosophically eliminate God from our thought lives. Who would want to eliminate God from the thought lives of humanity? Satan. Even though it is not overtly publicized, it is being done in the name of a religious ideology (humanism, aka secular humanism) and it is the demonic Jezebel spirit that's behind it. The Jezebel spirit is a 'consort' of sorts to the devil, aka Satan, Baal, Allah, Beelzebub, or Baphomet.
I never wanted to be a pastor. I ran from the call to ministry for 18 years. I was raised in church, but got sick and tired of religiosity/religion and wanted nothing at all to do with it. God told me one day that 'He made me to be a pastor' after the second of my three near-death miracles. Let me explain in a nutshell.
I was at work one day, at a landscaping nursery, and got stung by two yellow jackets. I had no idea I was allergic and died and, miraculously, came back to life. (I will make a video testimony about it one day.) A couple of days later, as I was standing in my bedroom at the time, in what I would call a holy moment, I said to God, "Since you saved my life, I'll live the rest of my life for You." He responded, "I made you to be a pastor." Huh? "Wait now. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. What? You did what? I'm not a pastor! What are you thinking?" I asked very pointedly. I had no intentions on being a pastor. As a matter of fact, I still was very angry with Him for the way my life had transpired to this point. But He said what he said just as surely as He is 'I Am Who I Am'. God makes no mistakes and I just heard for the first time in my life that I was created for a purpose.
My mind was blown and all my thoughts about myself now had to be conformed to this very powerful truth. But I wasn't ready for the total transformation I would have to undergo, hence the 18 years of rebellion. You see, I had a Jezebel spirit on me directing my path as a spirit guide, so I was allowing that evil demon to steer me away from the truth and the God who just saved my life. Religion versus relationship. I spoke with God that day and He wanted me to agree with Him in how my life should turn out, but the Jezebel spirit on me was convincing me that I was not "pastor material". As a matter of fact, that spirit caused me to think I wasn't marriage material or fit to be a dad. Hallelujah that I am married with two wonderful kids!
“The Jezebel spirit wanted to keep me in a relationship with it so I would not have a relationship with God.”
Our relationship with God has to take precedence over everything else in our lives. If we do not have a relationship with God, we will allow something else to take that “God space” in our heart. Life is all about relationships. Our relationship with God is meant to serve as the example of the relationships we have with each other. There are two principal Commandments: love the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim) with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. Which means we are supposed to, expected to, commanded to love everybody. Relationship, relationship, relationship. God expects us to have loving, gracious relationships with others just like He does with us. That’s what true fellowship is! That’s how we can have Heaven on Earth.
Satan does everything he can to try to pry us away from any sort of relationship with Go, and everyone else, by doing whatever it takes. It’s up to us to hold up our end of the relationship. In other words, it truly boils down to how we want to live our lives. We can choose to make Satan our god or we can make Yahweh our God. There aren’t many ways, there is one way to Father God.
If we choose Satan, we are engaging in rebellious religion and are fooled into thinking we are pleasing the One, true God while actually pleasing Satan or we can honor God by entering a covenant relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ, the One who laid down His life as a sacrifice to change the spiritual environment on Earth — and in our hearts — back to what it was like before Adam and Eve sinned.
“To seek Jesus is to seek reality.
He not only has directions for us to follow,
but He is the Pathway upon which we travel.
He not only has things to say to us,
but He is the truth we seek to know.
He not only has the answers for our existence,
but He is the eternal life that we earnestly seek.”
Glory to You, Lord Jesus!
Prayer
Dearest Lord God Almighty, You are the one, true God and I am very thankful for the sacrifice You made on my behalf! There is no other god who has done anything for me because there is no other god. How wonderful Your thoughts are toward me, Lord! How can I thank You enough for Your goodness toward me? Hallelujah! I have been struck down, but not destroyed by the enemy of my soul and I refuse to give him any more space in my soul. Help me, Lord, to know what to do when the enemy attacks and help me to see the way out of the times of great temptation. Grant me the discernment to always know the truth in every situation so I can not only gain the freedom I need, but to help others do the same. I want to know You more and more and ask that You would reveal Yourself more and more as I gain more and more trust in You. In Jesus' name I ask that You would reveal Yourself to the lost people who are flailing in their sins as represented by the symbols in the sticker above. Let the world know who You are! Let us all have a relationship with You — which is all You’ve ever wanted! In Jesus' name, amen!
Thanks to the folks at https://contradictmovement.org for the use of the banner image. Please visit their website!
Thanks to Enoch Magazine for the use of the COEXIST bumper sticker photo.