When the world beats you down, open up your Bible. (Lysa TerKeurst)
Thinking about the musings from DAY 49: Rest…Relax…Reflect…
I would submit to you that in order to decide which belief system is the most logical from an eternal perspective, one must be able to also decide which holy book to trust. After all, if you cannot trust the holy book of the belief system you feel is the most reliable, then can you truly trust that belief system at all?
This is an important question that needs to be addressed.
In fact, I would further submit to you that your soul depends on it…
For eternity.
So far to date, I have covered 8 belief systems:
1) Polytheism/Animism:
Day 18: The Basics Of Polytheism/Animism. and
Day 19: The Validity Of Polytheism/Animism.;
2) Hinduism:
Day 20: The Basics Of Hinduism. and
Day 22: The Validity Of Hinduism.;
3) Buddhism:
Day 23: The Basics Of Buddhism. and
Day 24: The Validity Of Buddhism.;
4) Confucianism:
Day 25: The Basics Of Confucianism. and
Day 26: The Validity Of Confucianism.;
5) Taoism/Daoism:
Day 27: Daoism…Or Is It Taoism? and
Day 29: The Validity Of Daoism…Or Is It Taoism?;
6) Judaism:
Day 30: The Basics Of Judaism.,
Day 31: The Basics Of Judaism – Part 2. and
Day 32: The Validity Of Judaism.;
7) Christianity:
Day 33: The Basics Of Christianity.,
Day 34: Jesus Of Nazareth…What Do His Friends Think?,
Day 36: Jesus…The Outside, Independent Corroboration.,
Day 38: Jesus The Radical – Unpacking The Top Five. and finally
8) Islam:
Day 41: Location…Location…Location.,
Day 44: Islam Is Now 2-0., Day 45: Five Pillars…And One Quran.,
Day 46: The Doctrine Of Abrogation.,
Day 47: So What Exactly Is The Law Of Sharia?, and
Day 48: The Validity Of Islam.
I will now present some brief information about the holy books of each of these major belief systems. Combined with the information that you already have access to with the 8 belief systems that I have covered above, hopefully you will be able to come to your own logical conclusions as to which one/ones, is/are can/should be considered as the most reliable going forward.
1) Polytheism/Animism. Honestly, I don’t really know how to cover the holy book for the Polytheism/Animism belief system. Based on the fact that there is no single holy book that covers Polytheism/Animism. Since there is no single holy book that covers this belief system as a whole, its reliability as a belief system immediately comes into question. So the question that you need to ask yourself is this:
Is the belief system of Polytheism/Animism reliable and trustworthy after taking into account its holy book?
2) Hinduism. For Hinduism, there are two holy books that I cover in class, the Vedas and the Upanishads.
For the first Hindu holy book, known as the Vedas, the descriptions of these four holy books are basically a collection of hymns, poems, prayers, and a listing of Hindu gods and goddesses and…
Magical spells.
So right now, I am immediately thinking of the first, Marvel Thor movie that came out in 2011. In this movie, there is a scene where Thor is explaining to his girlfriend Jane about the nuances between magic and science:
“Your Ancestors Called it Magic, but You Call it Science. I Come From a Land Where They Are One and the Same.”
For the second Hindu holy book, known as The Upanishads, these were written by some Hindus priests, who were questioning the nature of the Vedic order in ancient South Asia and the rigid caste system of Hinduism itself. The Upanishads contain ideas regarding spiritual progress, living as religious hermits isolated from society, rejecting wealth and giving up family life.
On the surface, it appears that the Upanishads were written in response to concerns that these Hindu priests had regarding portions in the Vedas. Finally, there is no mention or direct evidence that the Upanishads were divinely inspired.
Based on the fact that the Vedas contain content pertaining to magic, while the Upanishads appear to be of human, and not divine origins, the question that you need to ask yourself is this:
Is the belief system of Hinduism reliable and trustworthy after taking into account its holy book?
3) Buddhism. Even though Buddha taught for about 45 years…and his teachings covered a geographic range of hundreds of miles in the Himalayan Foothills on the current India/Nepal border…by the time of his death, not a single word of his teachings were written down. A group of approximately 500 arhats, or followers of Buddha, did eventually place his teachings into written form. These writings which became the foundations of the Buddhist holy book, formed about 500 years after the death of Buddha. Known collectively as the Tripitaka, or ‘three baskets’, (most likely named because they were stored in three different sized baskets), Buddhists believe that certain passages contained in these holy books, known as dharani and mantra, are supposed to carry magical powers when recited over and over.
As I type this, my mind now wonders over to the chapter from The Fellowship of the Ring, titled, The Mirror of Galadriel. In this chapter, the royal elf, Galadriel, is explaining the concept of magic to Frodo Baggins, a hobbit from the Shire:
“For this is what your folk would call magic. I believe; though I do not understand clearly what they mean; and they seem also to use the same word of the deceits of the Enemy.“
The issue here, like Hinduism and their Vedas, is simple. The Tripitaka contains passages that are supposed to carry magical powers. In addition, these Buddhist, holy books were not written down until approximately 500 years after the death of Buddha. The question that you need to ask yourself is this:
Is the belief system of Buddhism reliable and trustworthy after taking into account its holy book?
4) Confucianism. The holy book for Confucianism are the Analects, a collection of the teachings and thoughts of Confucius himself. In addition, they also contain a dialogue between Confucius and his disciples.
Here are some facts that one must consider when considering the holy book of the Confucianists, the Analects:
1) They were not written by Confucius, but were written by his disciples;
2) Historians are unsure as to the length of time that they were written, somewhere between 30-50 years;
3) Historians are unsure as to the precise date of publication of the Analects;
4) Due to the book burning of 213 BCE by the First Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the original source(s) of the Analects is in dispute;
5) Despite being grouped by themes, there is no order or structure within the Analects;
6) The chapters are random;
7) The topics are not connected within the chapters;
8) Due to repetition throughout, either word for word or with slight variation, scholars are unsure as to how many authors were involved in writing the Analects;
9) There was no single version of the Analects, but 3 versions and finally;
10) Confucianism itself originally began as a philosophy, not a religion.
After reviewing the facts regarding the Confucian Analects, the question that you need to ask yourself is this:
Is the belief system of Confucianism reliable and trustworthy after taking into account its holy book?
5) Taoism/Daoism. The Taoists/Daoists have two main texts, the Tao-te Ching and the Chuang-tzu. The Tao-te Ching is not a holy book, which makes sense due to the fact that Taoism/Daoism itself began as a philosophy, and not a religion.
The second book, the Chuang-tzu, is not a holy book either but rather a book that focuses on the life and person of Lao-tzu, the founder of Taoism/Daoism. Historians acknowledge that Lao-tzu was a philosopher, and not a religious leader. Based on this evidence regarding Taoism/Daoism, the question that you need to ask yourself is:
Is the belief system of Taoism/Daoism reliable and trustworthy after taking into account its holy book?
That leaves us with three religions left, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. We are also left with 2 holy books, the Holy Bible and the Quran.
In Day 48: The Validity Of Islam., I compared these the Holy Bible and the Quran using 9 different sets of verses comparing these two books. If you go back and re-read them again, you will find that these 9 sets of verses are not saying the same thing at all.
It appears that the Holy Bible and the Quran must be further scrutinized side by side before one can make an informed decision regarding these 8 sets of holy books.
Is there even more evidence that can be found to help one determine the validity of either the Holy Bible and/or the Quran? If so, once reviewed, will one then be able to make a logical, informed decision as to which holy book is the most reliable regarding these 8 belief systems?
That will be covered next time.
Do not feel discouraged if you are still undecided as to the validity of the holy books of the major, world belief systems. Do not feel discouraged if you are still undecided as to which holy book is the most reliable. Instead, embrace the idea that after reading the information that was presented to you today, at least you have facts to look back on to help you to narrow your choices down. Perhaps you are still undecided. Enjoy the freedom knowing that hopefully sometime soon, you will come to an informed decision that you can feel extremely confident in.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJV)
Was today’s blog a little confusing at times? Was the content perhaps a little overwhelming? Did you feel lost not understanding some or most of the subject matter?
Those feelings are totally understandable and it is ok to have one or more of those feelings. Remember that you are reading Day 50: So…Which One Is The Best Book? – Part 1.
If you haven’t been in class since the first day of school…or when the project began…or when the contract was first signed, etc., these feelings make perfect and logistical sense.
Please feel free to go back to where all of this began:
Very well stated. I enjoyed reading and learning other religions. As Christians, we need to stay informed.