Why is Christianity the "Right" Religion to Follow?

Question received in email: "So I was raised christian to give you a bit of a background. But as I got older I realized there was more religions in the world besides my own. So to condense my question, with all the major religions in the world why believe in Christianity and believe this is the right religion to follow?"

Pastor Mel's Answer:

Hi friend!

Before I get into my own decision to follow Jesus, I want to address the question of what is the "right" religion to follow. Right and wrong are concepts that each of us has, but that are often defined by the limited perspective of a single person's lived experiences. When we look at the religions around the world, we can get mired by the limitations of our own understanding.

We are also limited by the idea that there is a single "right" and a myriad of "wrong". That leads to religious legalism - the attempt to encapsulate our relationship with the unknowable God/G-d into a set of demands on human behavior in order to manipulate God/G-d's behavior.

"If I do _____, then God promises to do _____. " (Not so much.)

I teach folx to break this down. God/G-d is not a cosmic vending machine. So, the "i paid my $1.50, now give me my ten-times-greater reward" kind of thing doesn't fly with me and I refuse to teach it.

When I think of God in this transactional way and when I consider what may be the "right" religion, I'm left to assess the religious practice by its expectations of me. In transaction, if I can't reject that Jesus is Messiah (a Christian concept) then I cannot be Jewish. I can't stretch to believe that the One God/G-d is many, thus I cannot be Hindu. That kind of thing.

I left the question of "right" vs. "wrong" about the world's billion-humans concepts of God/G-d behind a long time ago. What is true is that God/G-d is present throughout all cultures in the best understanding of those human beings. As a person of GREAT privilege, we - you and I - get to explore those understandings and get to choose how we shall be in that God-relationship.

I choose Christianity - or rather, I choose to follow Jesus. "Christianity" is so different from one community to another that it's difficult to embrace the title of the faith when parts of the same faith community outright hates me (in the name of love) and wishes for either my assimilation or my erasure. I am Christian not because that's the "right" way to be in relationship with God/G-d, but because Jesus' way speaks to my heart, my soul, and my mind - all of which I do my best to always turn toward God.

"Love your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength." 

I learned to read Scripture looking for what is NOT there, as much as what is there. Much like a parable, I choose to consider Scripture as inspired by God/G-d. Even still, Scripture is totally unable to completely describe God or God's intent; even in the library (the canon) that we call the Bible. There are multitudes of meanings in every story and I find new ones every time I read the texts. Some texts speak to me deeply now that I all but ignored or took for granted a decade ago. As my life changes and I change, so the lessons I learn from Scripture change. The text is the same, but my reading of it is very different because human beings ALWAYS change. 

As I've endured rejection and pain and suffering, I have found fountains of comfort in the story of Jesus' life held in the Gospels. He was an outsider - a Nazarene ("Can anything good come out of Nazareth?") - yet he had privilege in being a learn-ed male in a patriarchal cultural system. He loved outsiders in spite of the dangers they presented for him. He learned from others who were considered less-than and allowed himself to grow into the acceptance of all people. ("But Teacher, even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the children's table.") He courageously (after much prayer and petition to be rescued) faced the worst of human behavior...and endured. He suffered. He even died.

Yet, with God's help, Jesus endured and lives again. In me. In you, if you so choose. In the world and in life everlasting.

I choose to follow Jesus and be known as a Christian because his experiences are mirrored in my own life. I enjoy other religions for what they offer to their human adherents. It works for them and I find that full of grace. Grace something I recognize as coming directly from God/G-d who chose to create me, of all people, for this time and this place.

This leads me to write a note about systems of belief (religions) which edify and value power-over-others and pain . . . Religious practices and the beliefs by which such practices are driven which lead to harm of any other human being are outside of this discussion. I believe in a God who gives life and seeks relationship with all Creation. Life and relationship are destroyers of the desire to enact power-over-others and the human desire to cause others pain. For me, that's a dealbreaker.

Of course, our library of texts in the Bible include lots of power-over and pain-against peoples identified as the "other," the not-Israelites or not-Jews. I had to come to a reckoning with this reality and have decided to land on the side of trusting the absolute best of God. So, when Joshua claims that God ordered and approved the eradication of entire peoples/nations, I see that as a claim - not a fact, and not truth.

I witness human beings claiming such things all the time in the name of God. We justify war, poverty, starvation, not-yet-understood disease, exclusion, fear-mongering, and more - all "in the name of" God. Having been on the receiving end of such claims and faithful that God loves me, I am careful about how I use the name of God in such ways. I often choose not to do so.

"Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." 

In my understanding, using the name of God to justify human intent to do harm is blasphemy. 

That has also taught me to be careful about what I say I do or think in the name of God. I am confident that God loves gay people. I'm confident that God loves me - a trans-identified person. Does that mean I use God's creation of me as a justification to make changes to my body? No. I DO rest in the hope that God understands me far better than I understand myself, and therefore is unsurprised at my decision to do what I need to do to feel safe in my own body.

In summary, I do not place my faith - or faith, in general - in a "right" or "wrong" category of thinking. Following Jesus is correct for me. Following Jesus does not prevent me from learning from Ghandi, Muhammad, Khalil Gibran, the Dalai Lama, Martin Luther King, Jr., or other leaders of religion.

My faith empowers me to be a servant of those who are suffering.

My faith gives me comfort in times of deep despair.

My faith teaches me humility and allows me to practice patience.

My faith saves my life every day.

I hope what I offer here benefits your journey.

Blessings,

~ Pastor Mel

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