I will use the next few weeks to contemplate this phrase and the question: Could some religions be different interpretations of one truth?

April 6-12

I need to respond to these basic four questions.

1. why is it an important question?
2. what is the answer?
3. why do u think u have come to believe as you do?
4. why do u think the position you hold is true? 

I. Could some religions simply different interpretations of the one truth?

This is important to me and others because if you study each of them, there is a certain voice of reason within each mantra

After doing a web search I realize this question has come up many times, so much so that there are countless blogs, websites and even college classes (Comparative Religions) about the subject

There are many who believe it is "my way or the highway".  But could we learn and take something valuable from each religion, without compromising the teachings of our faith?

II. Answer: my first answer without much research is that while there are certain truths to each religion's set of tenets, it is surrounded by a great deal of human tainting.

Cherry-picking passages you can draw a lot of similarities much like you can manipulate statistics to prove your case.  There is also a belief that events long ago truly did happen, and thousands of years of fish stories have transformed them into separate cultures and religions.

III. Why do I believe as I do?

Well first let me talk about my background.  My grandfather was a Methodist minister.  My dad is a Philosophy major with a big theological background.  I grew up going to Sunday school, and learning about the stories in the Bible.

I loved the stories and I'm not sure if I had an innate knowledge that there is a God or it was because of my background that planted the seed.  But despite this, I do know that I had doubts, more so than my cousins who grew up with me.  One time we were discussing God and if He exists.  I brought up the question saying "I don't know if there really is a God."  My cousins responded in unison "oh we don't have doubts.  He exists.  We believe."  But they didn't give a reason why.  It just struck me even at the age of 11 that they just had blind faith.  For years I flip-flopped between believing and seriously doubting.

My interest in Science didn't help.  I began to look at things the rational/logical and scientific way.  Nature was what it was, simply nature with its Physical laws.  My skeptical mind was beginning to take shape.

However at night or when I'm alone in the woods scared I always had no doubt there were ghosts or spirits and that frightened me.  So I prayed for God to protect me.  This was highly hypocritical but I knew that God would forgive my doubting because He always forgave, per the lessons taught to me.  The parable of The Prodigal Son echoed my reliance on his ever-forgiveness to let me doubt and at times get mad and curse at him.  I am ashamed to say that this got out of hand that one time a decade ago my temper would curse at God for many of the Redskins losses where it seemed He went out of his way to make them lose.  While others cursed God for severe misfortunes I did so for petty things.  My relationship with Him was far from a good one.  On my best days I'd believe and sometimes had a streak of praying daily for weeks.  On my worst days I wouldn't think of Him one bit, and thought it was better off because I was indulging in sinful pleasures of greed, lust, and violence.  Part of the reason I turned away was because being religious prevented me from enjoying and satisfying my selfish desires.  Being religious was no fun.  I wanted to party, I wanted “stuff” and I wanted to do what I want.

Odd as it is though, I never considered looking at other religions.  I always believed it was either Christianity was the truth, or there was no truth.  All the other religions were wrong.

After the years of skepticism and scientific thinking, I came back to God before the turn of the millennium.  I joined a group of Christians and began to spend a lot of time in their community.  Many of them became close friends.  Many people today view Christians and other religious people as fanatics who are lemmings with blind faith.  They are turned off by what they hear and see on tv portraying Christians as "Bible-thumpers".

For me, I always looked at them in a good light.  They are sacrificing their desires for the truth.  Ironic isn't it how I veered from not believing yet deep down believing.  It is a battle of self for me.  Should I let go of my self, and lie down and follow the teachings, of the truth?

Anyway being back in the Christian sense I had a rebirth.  I began to believe more again.  But what really set it apart is that I also started to study theology, the teachings and not take things at face value.  The more mature experienced self now can look at the bigger picture.

So per my background, while I have a deep down belief in Jesus Christ, I somehow leave it open that man screwed up a few things, yet kept the same basic teachings.  And perhaps, there is a chance that some of these teachings are talking about the same basic truths that are mentioned in other religions.  There are clues as to the key examples from each religion that they could be talking about at a basic level, the same ultimate reality.
 
April 13
I decide to post the question online at a Religion and Philosophy message board: http://www.karljay.com/religion

there are many paths, but there is only one truth (2006-04-13 22:20:39)

perhaps there is something to explore here in religion, despite the fact I'm biased with Christianity.
What is your take on how different religions could be different interpretations of one truth?

I also added my thoughts, heavily influenced from the class and book:

    one of the things that strike me as...(2006-04-14 09:41:10)
    
interestingly similar is Christian/Jewish/Muslim prayer and Buddhist/Hindu meditation...
    prayer involves a need to talk or be with God, almost being one with Him.
meditation is when one is free from the noisy mind and distracting body, to seek nirvana..

A common analogy is the wave which is but a result of the wind... as a person or wave, you are not reality... the ocean or greater truth is (which could be thought of as God).

One seeks to be with God, and in these 4 religions, God and self and the goal could be looked at as pretty much all the same.

Note I'm looking at it stepping outside my strict Christian shoes that say there is only one way. I'm merely pointing the interesting commonalities.

The responses basically blew off the possibility and that studying and trying to find similarities between these religions was like trying to study different types of bears.

April 20

There are some interesting common themes that were brought up that stuck with me. 

Jesus: "whatsoever you do to one of these, the least of my brethren, you do unto me"

Buddhism: “yes, we are one”

Buddhism says we are all part of one being, and Jesus basically said the same thing.  Another example:

Jesus: "you must know the truth and it will set you free"

Buddhism: "to know the truth, you will be set free (by following the eight fold path)"

And the fundamental Christian lesson:

Jesus saved you already, you just have to accept Him.
    
In Buddhism, being "saved" or "free" is IN us already, we just have to know it.

How to get past the mystical/spiritual mumbo jumbo

A basic problem that plagues Religion and its spirituality is its anti-thesis.  Versus atheism and being world-ly or "of the world", it has missing links as to “why things are?” and “what is life?” are apparent.  The answers are not satisfying when measured against their standards.  But it is not that simple. 

We cannot judge or comprehend spirituality and deity based off of our meager human understanding.  A famous Zen story about the flower being held up and not saying anything about it rings true:

According to legend, when Buddha was growing old he convened his disciples for an important discourse. And when they gathered and sat down silently, reverently waiting to hear their aging Master speak, the Buddha arose, came forward on the flower-decked platform, looked over his audience of disciples and monks, then bent down and picked up a flower which he raised to the level of his eyes. Then, without uttering a word, he returned to his seat. His followers looked at each other in bewilderment, not understanding the meaning of his silence. Only the venerable Mahakasyapa serenely smiled at the Master. And the Master smiled back at him and wordlessly bequeathed to him the spiritual meaning of his wordless sermon.  And that, according to legend, was the moment Zen was born.

The lesson is basically this: rational thinking will not get you to know the flower (truth).  You have to experience and know it as it is.  You have to shut down the mind (no logic, rational thinking).

In the same sense, man with its limited and worldly knowledge has to transform himself to be in tune with the universe, not with the material world.  To go further, materialism is rejected.  This is true in the major religions.

Based on these insights I really need to think outside the box so to speak if I hope to be an effective "seeker" of the truth.  Quit judging by my logical rational and worldly measuring stick. 

Part of getting to the truth is finding clues from each of these religions.

April 27

In Judaism, there is this notion of pure existence, no whatness, but personal.  In the Old Testament of the Christian Bible (basically the Hebrew Bible), the encounter between God and Moses where God tells Moses about Himself:

I am Who I am
I am Who am

i.e. you can't comprehend me.  There is something going on here that perhaps many miss.  There is an uncanny similarity almost pointing to the same end goal of different "versions" of truth.

Besides thinking in a different plane of conscience, I also must acknowledge something I learned.  A great thinker Maimonides basically said:

    God is infinite
    we are finite

    we can't conceive infinity
    so the best way to comprehend it is for us to not be like us.(?)    
    
God and man are not comparable and you could subscribe to Negative Theology, thinking of a descriptor but limited to just that, as another lens to view "truth".

Even the ancient Aristotle of 4th century BCE said this with regards to ultimate reality:

        thought thinking itself

He is not of faith but is thinking of an ultimate reality, pure actuality!

There has to be something here, despite what the skeptics say.  People of higher intelligence and awareness than anyone I personally know, that stand to gain nothing, have alluded to a higher being.  The list goes on with Einstein who in his deathbed tried to rationalize the master plan.

    May 4

So what have I learned if any in the past few weeks of study, and reflection?  I never expected to achieve much, or get some sort of miraculous awakening during this short time.

Going back to when I first started my answer is:

Answer: my first answer without much research, is that while there are certain truths to each religion's set of tenets, it is surrounded by a great deal of human tainting.  Cherry-picking passages you can draw a lot of similarities much like you can manipulate statistics to prove your case.  There is also a belief that events long ago truly did happen, and thousands of years of fish stories have transformed them into separate cultures and religions.

It looks like I was more of a skeptic, but each of the things I highlighted from Jesus to Buddhist ideals have an undeniable similarity.  Could they be coincidence?  Maybe.  But coincidence/chance is also used to explain how things came to be: atoms mixed and matched and over billions of years out of the primordial soup emerged life, and eventually humans in all their glory.  But to dismiss a grand design and rely on just 100 years of human knowledge seems foolish.  Just like dismissing the similarities I found as all coincidental.

Do I think Christianity is more true than the others?  I couldn't answer this fairly because of my biased background.  But do I acknowledge that each of them speak some sort of lost truth, that was in its pure form in past times?  Sure I do.

I stand by my stance that people suck.  They get a message, expand upon it, reinterpret, misinterpret... transform... the whole "fish story" effect happens.  It is highly likely people screwed up the details, but the general message can still be seen.  It is like spotting the eel in the muddy water... squint your eyes, use different senses, get through the glut and you'll find the prize.