One of my classes this semester is exploring the belief systems of various world religions, in particular Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
The assigned reading includes two helpful overviews: Huston Smith's The World's Religions and Stephen Prothero's God Is Not One - The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World.
To fulfill an assignment, I need to record a video in the next couple of days incorporating some aspect of the readings. The professor gave a list of suggestions but I settled on a topic outside of his list: What Christians can Learn from the Other Major Religions.
My mindset is that "even a broken clock is right twice a day". And that God has revealed aspects of His character and power to all humankind. And that - on some level - human beings are all searching for meaning. And that Augustine was right when he asserted, "Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee."
Add those things up and they point to humans the world over seeking - and finding - at least bits of truth.
To be clear, I am not saying they find salvation. Because salvation requires finding "big T" Truth, Jesus Christ Himself.
"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." (1 Tim 2:5)
Still, it seems to me that modern American Christianity is a bit anemic and could likely find value in some of the emphases and practices of other religions.
They might have stumbled onto something that we have forgotten or neglected in our own faith.
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