What do the top religious systems believe about the afterlife?
Atheism: Most atheists believe that this life is all there is and they explain everything else away using quantum mechanics and other scientific methods.
Baha’i: Baha’i don’t believe that man was born with a sin nature or that man needs saving from evil. Man simply needs saving from his erroneous beliefs of how the world works and how he is to interact with the world. God sent messengers to explain to people how to come to this knowledge: Abraham, Krishna, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, e.t.c. These prophets progressively revealed the nature of god to the world. Upon death, a person’s soul continues its spiritual journey, perhaps through the states known as heaven and hell, until it comes to a final resting point, united with god.
Buddhism: Buddhism believes that heaven, or “Nirvana,” is the state of being rejoined in spirit with god. Reaching Nirvana, a transcendental, blissful, spiritual state, requires following the Eightfold Path. This includes understanding the universe and acting, speaking, and living in the right manner and with the right intentions. Mastering these and the other of the eight paths will return a worshiper’s spirit to god.
Hinduism: Hinduism is similar to Buddhism in some ways. Salvation (or moksha) is reached when the worshiper is freed from the cycle of reincarnation, and his spirit becomes one with god. One becomes free by ridding oneself of bad karma (the effect of evil action or evil intent.) This can be done in three different ways: through selfless devotion to and service of a particular god, through understanding the nature of the universe, or by mastering the actions needed to fully appease the gods.
Islam: Muslims believe salvation comes to those who obey Allah sufficiently that their good deeds outweigh the bad. Muslims hope that repeating what Muhammad did and said will be enough to get to heaven, but they also recite extra prayers, fast, go on pilgrimages, and perform good works in hope of tipping the scales. Martyrdom in service to Allah is the only work guaranteed to send a worshiper to paradise.
Mormonism: Mormons believe their religion to be a branch of Judeo/Christianity, but they also have a different view of heaven. To reach the second heaven under “general salvation,” one must accept Christ (either in this life or the next) and be baptized or be baptized by proxy through a living relative. To reach the highest heaven, one must believe in God and Jesus, repent of sins, be baptized in the church, be a member of the LDS church, receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, obey the Mormon “Word of Wisdom” and all God’s commandments, and complete certain temple rituals including marriage. This “individual salvation” leads to the worshiper and his/her spouse becoming gods and giving birth to spirit children who return to Earth as the souls of the living.
Judaism: Jews believe that, as individuals and as a nation, they can be reconciled to God. Through sin (individually or collectively) they can lose their salvation, but they can also earn it back through repentance, good deeds, and a life of devotion.
How different is Christianity – Ephesians 2:1-2, 8–9
Romans 1:16-17
{Everyone} who believes.
What does it mean to believe? – Hebrews 11:1,6-7 (Noah built an ark because he believed. Belief always comes with action). Do you believe?
The righteousness of God is revealed – What is the righteousness of God?
The righteousness of God is the ability to be pleasing to God and that is only revealed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
From Faith for faith –
Only through faith, not works…starts with faith and ends with faith we know this because the righteous shall live by faith.
What is the gospel?
None of us are good and none of us can avoid the judgment coming. God knows this, so HE sent His son to save each one of us from our citizenship to hell. How did he do it? He took the all our sins and on that cross he paid the price we cannot pay, no religious system in the World has an answer for our sin issue, they tell you to do better, Jesus says, I have paid it all, trust me. Give me your sin, let me give you life.
Romans 3:23-26, Romans 6:3-4, John 3:16
The gospel is foolish for how simple it is, all it requires is faith to know that there is no way to escape the coming judgment but God has made a way and His name is Jesus.
The Guarantee
John 6:37 – He will not cast you out if you come to him.
The Way Fellowship is a body of believers that loves GOD, His Church, and the lost.
We are located in Houston TX, you can join us every Sunday at 10 am.
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