[0:01]And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. This is a production of World Video Bible School. To God be the glory.
[0:35]I want to welcome you to our study of world religions. The title of this course is a survey of World Religions. My name is Rod Rutherford, and I will be your instructor for this course. I've been a Christian for the past 40 years, for the past 35 years, I've been a preacher of the gospel, and during those years, I've had the privilege of visiting in different parts of the world to preach the gospel of Christ, and I've had opportunity to come into first-hand contact with various religions of the world. I believe it is very important for Christians to study these religions and I welcome you to our study. There will be notes that are available for this course through the World Video Bible School, notes that I have compiled and from which I will be teaching. And I hope that you will want to contact them in order to secure a copy of these notes for yourself. But I would also suggest that as I speak about the religions of the world, that you also take very careful notes. You will find this is a very good way to learn and to remember. We're told by the authorities in religions that there are 12 living religions in the world today. These are usually classified as animism, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shintoism, Sikhism, Daoism, and Zoroastrianism. Now, in our study of world religions, we're going to be spending 20 class periods together of approximately 35 to 38 minutes in length. This means that we're not going to be able to do an in-depth study of these religions or even of only one of them because there is just too much material to cover in this amount of time. We call this a survey of world religions. That means that we're simply going to be giving an overview of the religions. There are great variations within each of the major religions of the world. There have been hundreds of thousands of books written about each of these religions. Obviously, we cannot go into very much detail. So, what we will be doing is that we will give you the fundamental doctrines and beliefs of these religions that are held to by most of those who claim to believe in the various religions. And so, our study will be a survey rather than an in-depth study. It has been observed that man is incurably religious. That is that all men everywhere have within them a longing or a desire to believe in the supernatural. Archaeologists who have studied the ruins of ancient civilizations, anthropologists who study the cultures of various nations of the world, and historians who have recorded the past, have all agreed that no culture or civilization has ever been found where people did not have some religion or some belief in divine beings outside themselves. There are some societies of course, which are more secular than others. The former Soviet Union for 70 years did not allow belief in God. And everything was done by the government of that nation to discourage belief in God and discourage belief in religion of any kind. But in spite of this, the people in the former Soviet Union have had that desire to believe. And now that the Iron Curtain has fallen and the Soviet Union is no more, the people in those republics that formally made it up are turning in great numbers to belief in God. There are nearly 6 billion people in the world today, and almost all these people are associated with one or another of the world religions. I believe the universal religious belief is an indication of a desire that God himself put in man when he created him. There is a desire to believe and to worship. There is a desire to know that our life has meaning that it's more than merely an existence upon this earth for a few years of 50, 60, 70, or perhaps 80 years. Religion separates man from the animal world. Evolutionists believe that man is just an animal who perhaps has evolved a little bit higher than others. But the Bible disputes this. Evolution is not true. The Bible teaches that man is made in the image of God. And of all the creation of God, only man is said to be made in God's image. In Genesis chapter 1, verse 27, we read that God created man, male and female, and that God created man in his image. In John 4:24, we're told that God is spirit and in Luke 24:39, we're told that a spirit hath not flesh and bones. That is, a spirit is not physical. God is not a physical being. God is spirit. Man is created in the image of God, and the image of God that man has is of a spiritual nature. This is true of man, it is not true of animals. Animals do not believe in God. Animals do not pray to God, animals do not look to God for their blessings or thank God for the things that they have received. Animals do not have that spiritual nature that man has. They do not have a soul or spirit that lives on when the body dies. When your little dog Rover dies, he's dead all over. Life is finished for him. He does not exist beyond the death of his physical life. But that is not true with man. Man has a spirit which is immortal, eternal that lives forever. In teaching my classes at Memphis School of Preaching a few years ago, I was teaching a class of the wives of our student preachers, and I mentioned this point one night that animals do not have souls as men do. One of the ladies in the class became very disturbed. She went home and spoke to her husband. It seems that they had several cats and she loved those cats a lot, perhaps more than she loved her children, I think.
[7:49]And she was greatly disturbed when she learned that cats do not have souls and do not go to heaven when they die. She was so disturbed, in fact, her husband came to me the next day and spoke to me about it and I had to clarify the point to him. There are some religions of the world such as Hinduism, which believe in reincarnation. They believe that when one dies, his spirit may be reborn in another life form, and it might be reborn in an animal, if, according to their belief, he has bad karma. And so, animals, in that sense, do have a soul or spirit. But not according to the Bible and not according to Christianity. When Jesus said, Go you into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, Jesus did not mean by every creature to preach the gospel to animals and to insects, but he simply meant to preach the gospel to men who have living souls. Religion deals with the nature of man. It deals with man's place in the universe and it deals with man's ultimate destiny. Therefore, there's no more important study than the study of religion and the study of the religions of the world. As we began our study, we want to notice a definition of religion. What is religion? According to Funk & Wagnalls dictionary, a commonly used dictionary, religion refers to the beliefs, attitudes, emotions, behavior and so forth, constituting man's relation with the powers and principles of the universe, especially with a deity or deities. Now that is a very long and complicated definition. Let's see if we can simplify that a little bit. I have a book in my library called Understanding the non-Christian religions. It was written by Josh McDowell and Don Stewart. These men define religion as that aspect of one's experience in which he attempts to live harmoniously with the power or powers he believes are controlling the world. Well, again, that is a very difficult definition. And so, we're going to try to make it simpler still. The English word for religion comes from a Latin word. The Latin word is religio. Religio comes from the root lig, meaning to bind. Re as a prefix on the front of it means to bind again. Religion then is the binding of man back to God or God's or to a set of beliefs that he holds to be sacred. And so, we will use that as our definition of religion. The binding of man back to God or gods, or to a set of beliefs that he holds to be sacred. Now, it's impossible, of course, to give a simple, comprehensive definition of religion that would cover every aspect of it because religious beliefs and practices vary, very, very widely. Most religions, for example, have a belief in God or gods, but there's some which do not. As we began our study of world religions, we need to answer the question, why do we need to study world religions? Now I grew up in the United States of America. I grew up in a part of the country where the Lord's church, the church of Christ was strong and well known.
[11:38]And I never had opportunity as a boy to come in contact with a Muslim or Buddhist or Hindu. And even after I was a grown man and traveled somewhat in our country, some say 40 years ago, I never had opportunity to meet those of other world religions. But eventually as I traveled outside this country, I came in contact with them. However, that has changed. That has all changed. Our world today has become much smaller. There was a time when Christians had no need to know about Islam or Buddhism or Hinduism. Those who profess to be Christians could live all of their lives in a country such as the United States of America and never come in contact with one of another world faith. It would only be those very few who traveled overseas, or those who did missionary work perhaps, who would have a need to know about these other religions. But now modern transportation has shrunk the globe. That is, we live in a much smaller world than the world of just a few years ago. It is possible today for one to get on an airplane and go anywhere within the world in a period of less than 24 hours. And so, it's very easy, in just a matter of hours, for one to come into a country where Christianity is not the main religion. It may be Hinduism, or Islam, or some other. Not only this, but even in our own countries, where we may not have so many adherence of these other religions around us, we can come in contact with them and their teachings by means of the modern media. In our country, most of us have television sets in our home. It is possible today by means of a satellite linkup, for all of the people of the world who have television sets, to view the same event at the same time. Occasionally, there will be a major sporting event, perhaps a cricket match, or perhaps a tennis match, or it may be a boxing match for a world heavyweight championship. And it will be broadcast all over the world by satellite and billions of people on every continent will have opportunity to watch that event at the very time that it is happening. Because of modern communications, we are going to come in contact with other religions of the world in a way that we never have before. Not only this, but these religions are growing very rapidly. In our country, in America, 40 years ago, we knew nothing of Islam and there were very few Muslims here. But today, the nation of Islam, a Muslim sect, is the fastest growing religion in America. Because of immigration, because of people coming to study, because of business reasons or travel or whatever, many visitors come to our country as they do to other countries, and they bring their religious faith with them. But then we need to study world religions today because world religions have become much more militant and aggressive today than ever before. For about 200 years, according to historians, the great religions of the world such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam were not making efforts to reach out to people of other religious beliefs or faiths. They were content to just carry on with what they believed and leave others alone. During this period of time, those from Christianity, and I'm using Christianity now in a very broad sense to refer to all those people who profess to believe in Christ, of whatever denomination, but Christianity was seeking actively during the past 200 years to convert members of these other religions and they were dormant. They were non-aggressive. But now all that has changed, and many of the great religions are now seeking to convert those who believe in Christ to their particular faith. For example, here in the United States of America, there are six, at least six missionary societies of the Hindu religion, which are actively at work seeking to convert Americans to Hinduism. We need to be aware of this and we need to be aware of past history. You know, at one time all of North Africa and all of the Middle East were regarded as Christian. That is, the main religion in those areas was Christianity. But then in the 7th century, there was the rise of Islam. And Islam was spread by the sword throughout these areas, and the people who once professed to be Christian became Muslims. And so, vast areas of the world were lost to the Muslim faith. What happened before can also happen again. As Christians, we need to be prepared to give a reason for the hope that we have within us. The Apostle Peter in 1st Peter chapter 3 and verse 15, and I'll be quoting from the King James Version of the Bible, King James Version of the Bible, 1611. Now, I'll be quoting from that and most of the quotations that I will be using in our study together. But in 1st Peter chapter 3, verse 15, the Apostle says, But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. Being ready always to give an answer to every man who ask a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. We as Christians need to understand what we believe and why in order to be able to meet these other religions which are seeking to convert us. The writer Jude admonished his readers to contend earnestly for the faith which was once delivered or once for all delivered unto the saints, Jude verse 3. And so, world religions have become much more militant and aggressive. But not only this, but we need to study world religions because we must be prepared to preach the gospel to Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims, and others. We must be prepared to preach the gospel to Hindus, Buddhist, Muslims, and others. Our Lord gave us our marching orders as Christians. He told his original 12 apostles, go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeeth and is baptized shall be saved. He that believeeth not shall be damned or condemned. That's Mark chapter 16, verses 15 and 16. We often call that the Great Commission. These are the marching orders of the church of Christ. The Great Commission, so far as I know from my study of the Bible, has never been canceled, set aside, or put on hold. It continues to be the marching orders of the church, even to this very day. Therefore, as Christians, laboring under the Great Commission, it is our task to take the gospel to the whole world. That includes the Hindu world. That includes the world of Islam. That includes the Buddhist world. That includes the world where animism is widely believed and practiced. We must take the gospel to every creature. Now, friends, if we're going to do what God would have us to do in taking the gospel to every creature, we must be aware of what others believe and teach. If I'm going to study with an atheist, a man who does not believe in God and does not believe that the Bible is the word of God, I'm going to study the arguments that atheists commonly make, and I'm going to be prepared to give an answer to those arguments, so that when I go to study with a man, I will be able to study more effectively. If I'm going to study with a Roman Catholic, then before I go to the study, I will prepare myself by studying the major doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church, by comparing them with the teaching of the scripture so that when I come to study with that individual, I may be able to show him kindly and firmly and lovingly by the word of God, the error of his ways so that he will come to believe in the truth. Well, friends, the same thing is true. If we're going to study with a Buddhist or a Muslim or a Hindu or an adherent of one of the other religions of the world, we need to be prepared for that study. And the best way to prepare, other than having an acquaintance with the Bible itself, is to learn something about the major doctrines of their religion and compare those with the truths taught in the word of God, and be able then to more effectively teach these people the gospel which will save their souls.
[22:28]But we also need to study world religions in order to understand our world. We need to study world religions in order to understand the world in which we live and to understand what is happening in it. I try to keep up with the news of the world. I read newspapers and and I watch news broadcasts on television. When I travel in my car, I usually listen to the radio and listen to news programs. I want to know what is happening in the world. But I'm amazed that how often the events in the news are motivated or shaped by religious beliefs and practices. Now, many people do not fully understand what is happening because they do not understand the religions of man, which cause man to do the various things that he does. For example, as we listen to the news today, we often hear of events that are taking place in the Middle East. The Middle Eastern nations where Islam is the predominant religion. Sometimes we hear of terrorism, acts of terrorism being committed, and we may wonder why people can do such things as these. If we understood something about the Muslim religion, we would understand that often they're motivated by their religious beliefs. For example, today we hear about problems caused by Muslim fundamentalist in the nation of Egypt. Tourists are being attacked, tourist centers are being blown up, and it's being done by these Muslim extremist or fundamentalist. And we may wonder, why are they doing that? Why are they doing that? Well, you see, Muslim fundamentalists come from a sect of the Muslims called the Shiites, and they are radical and very aggressive group. They believe in a concept called Jihad, which means holy war. And they teach that if one dies in Jihad or holy war, that is a war made against infidels, unbelievers, then he is guaranteed immediate entrance into Paradise. Because of this, they're apt to do some very extreme things, even risk their own lives, or often sacrifice their lives because, after all, if they do such in Jihad, they're going to go immediately to Paradise. A number of years ago, the United States of America had a base in the city of Beirut, in Lebanon. There were about 200 US Marines who were stationed at the American Embassy there. A man, a Muslim, came in in a truck loaded with explosives, and he drove the truck right into the front of that compound. He went right in through the gates into the compound, the guards weren't able to stop him, and upon the impact of the truck with the building, the entire building blew up and some 200 Marines died. Why did the man do such a thing as this? It may seem foolish to us that the man risk his life in order to take the lives of others. But here was a man who was a Muslim fundamentalist, who believed in Jihad, in Holy War. He believed he was serving his God by killing those whom he considered to be infidels or unbelievers. And he believed by that very act that he would be guaranteed immediate entrance into paradise. And so, you see, this helps us to understand the news and what is happening in our world if we understand the religions of the world, which motivate people. This past week, I was teaching a class on world religions at the Knight Arnold Road Church of Christ in Memphis, Tennessee, where I'm a member. And as we studied concerning one of the religions of the world, one of the elders spoke up and he said, You know, I'm glad we're having this study. I'm glad we're having this study because as I see the other religions and compare them with Christianity, it makes me very happy that I'm a Christian. And so, we might add another reason for studying world religions and that is, it certainly will help us to have a greater understanding and appreciation of Christianity. But now friends, we want to turn our attention to another question. The question is, are all religions the same? Are all religions the same? It is very common in our country for us to say, yes, all religions are the same. They're simply different paths, but they're all leading to the same destination. That is to God in heaven. Years ago, when my family and I were returning from to America for a visit after having spent a few years in the African nation of Zambia, we were on a plane approaching our home airport, the airport near our home and there was a very well-dressed, well-educated woman on the plane sitting next to us. And she said, I've just, I'm curious. I've just observed your family and I can tell that you've been overseas, and I just wonder what you're doing and why you're traveling like this. My wife and I explained to her that we were missionaries. that we'd been in the nation of Zambia to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. And this woman said, I do not understand that. Why don't you just leave those people over there alone? Don't they have their own beliefs? And I said, Yes, they do. Well, why don't you just leave them to their beliefs and you keep your beliefs to yourself. Well, she did not understand anything, obviously, about Christianity. Nor did she understand anything about the beliefs of the people of Zambia. If one can go to Zambia today, he can go in those areas where Christianity has had a long influence, and he'll find that the people are better educated, they're better cared for medically, they're better clothed, uh, they have a much higher standard of living than those in areas of the country where Christianity has not had as much of an effect. I could have told this woman, well, we were there because before Christianity came, people were doing some very peculiar things, some very inhuman things to one another. For example, if a mother gave birth to twins, it was believed that this was caused by an evil spirit, and so the second born of the twins would be thrown in the river to crocodiles. Believe such as this were common before Christianity came. I heard a gospel preacher preach one time and he said, I'm glad my parents were Christians when I was born, because I'm a twin. And I was the second born of the twins, and I would not be here speaking to you today if my parents had not been Christian. Many people do not understand what Christianity does, but they certainly do not appreciate that Christianity is that which can save their souls. And so, uninformed people say all religions are different paths leading to the same destination, but that certainly is not true. A friend of mine, attending a Jewish theological seminary, told me that he had a fellow student who was a Methodist minister. This Methodist minister was preparing to go as a missionary to the Middle East. He inquired of this Methodist minister how he would approach the people of the Middle East in order to teach them. And the man said, well, he said, this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to operate a bookstore. And in the bookstore, I'm going to sell the books of all the great religions of the world, and I'll help each man to find God according to his own religion. A member of the Lord's church had returned from a missionary journey to India. He'd taken some excellent films of himself and his fellow preachers, and he was showing these to a congregation. I happened to be present at the time. He showed a Hindu temple. He spoke of the millions of gods that Hindus believe in and worship. He showed shots of idols that they worshiped, and then he made the statement, Hinduism is not really very different from Christianity. Well, he did not know what he was talking about. He should not have gone on that missionary journey until he learned something so that he would be able to teach others. Friends, I'm a Christian, and I'm going to be teaching this course from the Christian viewpoint. And I want you to know that I understand that there is but one true way to God, to salvation, and to everlasting life. There is Only One God. In the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 6 and verse 4, we have what is some times called the Shama, S-H-E-M-A, the Shama. It says, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. The Apostle Paul wrote, There is one God and one mediator between God and man, himself the man, Christ Jesus. First Timothy 2, verse 5. James said, you believe there's one God? You do well. The devils also believe and tremble. James 2:19. And so, I believe there is but one true God. I believe also there is only one savior. There is Only One Savior. There is only one savior, Jesus Christ, who is the only way to the Father. In John chapter 14 and verse 6, Jesus made the statement, I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes unto the Father, but by me. Words could not be any clearer than this. I am the way, the truth and the life, said the Lord. No man comes to the Father, except by me. In the original Greek of the New Testament, the statement is much stronger than it is in English. Jesus, in effect, is saying, I, even I, or I only am the way to the Father. And so there is only one savior, Jesus Christ. Two, there is only one gospel. The word gospel means good news. There is only one gospel, referring to the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul said, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. There is but one gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation. No other power is known which can save man from his sins, but the gospel of Jesus Christ. And then friends, there is but one body or one church. There is only one body. Now, many people who profess to be Christians would disagree with me on this point. There are literally hundreds of different bodies or denominations, which claim to be following Jesus Christ. Yet they wear different names, they teach different doctrines, they worship in different ways, and they even teach different ways to heaven. But they claim to be following Jesus. But friends, the Bible does not so teach. Jesus promised in Matthew 16:18, when Peter had made the good confession, Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God, he said, upon this rock, that is upon this great truth that Peter had confessed, that he was the Christ, the son of the living God, he said, upon this rock, I will build my church. Notice, Jesus said, my church, it belongs to him. And he said, church, which is singular. In the book of Ephesians, which is called Paul's great treatis on the church, Paul emphasizes the relationship between Christ and his church. In chapter 1, verses 22 and 23, he speaks of the things that God has done for Jesus Christ. And he says, has put all things under his feet, and given him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. Now, friends, notice, if you will, that the church is the body of Christ. In Ephesians chapter 4, verse 4, Paul says, there's one body and one spirit, even as you're called in one hope of your calling. And so, if the church is the body of Christ, and if there's but one body, that means there is but one church, which is accepted by Almighty God. In Ephesians chapter 5, verse 23, the Apostle Paul writes, For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is ahead of the church, and he is the savior of the body. Christ has promised to save the body. The body is the church. There is but one body, therefore, one church that the Lord has promised to save. Friends, I believe that Christianity, true Christianity is the only way. But further, there is but one plan of salvation. There is but one plan of salvation given in the word of God. First of all, one must hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. One must hear the gospel, according to Romans 10:17. And then second, one must believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God. One must believe in Jesus. John chapter 8, verse 24. Third, one must repent of all his past sins. Luke 13:3. One must repent of his sins. Then one must confess Christ before men. One must confess Christ. Romans chapter 10 and verse 10. Finally, one must be baptized for the remission of sins. One must be baptized as taught in Acts chapter 2, verse 38 and many other passages. And so, friends, Christianity, true Christianity is the only way.
