Many believe that their religion is the correct one and if
they sincerely believe it they will be promised heaven after they die, but they
may need to investigate this claim and reconsider. If only one religion can be
true then billions of people are following a false god. Those who think there
could be multiple paths to heaven and that many religions could be right must
consider those same religions say there is only one path to heaven and that is
through believing in their God - and not following means they will be sent to
hell. So it could be eternally devastating to not follow the god of a religion
other than their own. So it is important for one to learn about other religions
so they can choose the one that makes the most sense and is more likely to be
true - not just accept the one their parents taught them. However, there could
be another option to consider. If a rational and moral god exists but has not
yet revealed himself to humanity, He could be using current religions as a test
to see who will follow a religion that has condoned slavery, oppression of
women, violence, genocide, or anything else that is immoral.
A moral deity would not demand people to follow a harmful
religion, but could be allowing them to exist to see who is willing to
sacrifice their morality in order to get into heaven. It is much easier for one
to follow the same religion or faith as their peers than it is to go against
the majority and give up their chance of going to heaven. Standing up against a
belief that is immoral should be rewarded. Risking eternity in hell for not
following an immoral religion would be the ultimate sacrifice anyone could
make. If a rational and moral God exists, He could not possibly throw a person
in hell for standing up for what is right, but would send him to heaven for not
following a religion and a god that has condoned so many horrific acts.
Morality is about doing the right thing no matter what one
is told or how much peer pressure is put on them; religion is about doing what
one is told whether it is moral or not. This only gives good people reasons to
do bad things. A moral God would not condone this behavior.
It is extremely unlikely that a god does exist, but if there
is a god - it would be better to follow what is rational and moral rather than
follow a religion just because it promises great things. It resembles a
pedophile with candy in a park looking for children, to the child it seems
great but we all know how that ends. Unfortunately, that analogy is not a
stretch considering what has taken place with priest and young boys in the
church recently. This analogy will hopefully get one to think before jumping
into a religion simply for the rewards it promises. One should read the fine
print as with all things that sound too good to be true. As the saying goes, if
it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
It is much more plausible that when one dies, we will all go
to the same place, which is where we were before being born, nothingness. This
doesn't mean that life is meaningless, but would argue it makes life even more
valuable since it is the only life we get. It should be cherished and we should
cherish the lives of others as well because we are all on this rare and
exciting ride together. Those scared of what will happen if they do not follow
a religion must ask - if a moral and rational God exists, would He be
disappointed with us for standing up for what is moral? Let’s hope not, and
let’s not follow a deity that would.
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