InterVarsity Press

Conversations: Is Christianity the "Right" Religion?

Chelsea:

So, I am having this recurring issue in which my family tells me to turn to God. I was dedicated as a child to the Lord, yet now as an adult I don't know what to believe. I see how Christianity fills a void in people but then I think about whether or not it is God or if it is just the idea that someone completely accepts them. I even see myself looking at the Bible like horoscopes, it can apply to anyone, and who knows Christianity is the "right" religion? There are so many that have great values just like Christianity, so what makes this one the right one? Please help, I have these feelings that the end is coming and I want to be right with whatever I need to be in order to make it to the right place, but where is that? Please help.

Ruth:

One way to respond to you would be to try to convince you of the truth of Christianity above all other religions. For that kind of information you can browse various sites online. That is not my area of expertise, and I'm not convinced of the validity of trying to argue someone back to the faith—or to try to prove Christianity is the best.

I do believe, however, that most (or all) people have a built-in sense of the Divine (sensus divinitatis). We know that this universe has purpose and that we are part of it—;and that there is a God who loves us and cares for us. Perhaps you don't have any experience of that at this time, but I think you would be giving up a lot if you abandoned your faith. That the Bible is like a horoscope is a comparison I don't understand. It's true the Bible can be interpreted many ways and that it can and does apply to anyone. But it is so rich and powerful in a million different ways. If the Sermon on the Mount is not speaking to your heart, turn to the Psalms or to Philippines or to the Gospel of John. Even Ecclesiastes, with all its gloom and doom, is at times just what I need.

If the Bible at times seems like a dry and dusty book, turn to the other book, God's Book of Nature. Praise God as you see the natural beauty all around you. When you're not sure, I can guarantee you that you can not go wrong by worshipping the Holy One—the One who is beyond human comprehension. If none of this works, sing your favorite hymns or secular songs or read a little poetry from Robert Frost or Emily Dickinson or one of your other favorite writers.

While your faith is not built on pleasing family and friends, there is a critical element of community in our spiritual lives. We're coming into the holiday season, and I hope that you will be able to join with your family in true Thanksgiving to God and in joyous celebration of the coming of our Lord. What a wonderful passage Luke 2 is. Don't try to force yourself to believe. Just read it and accept it.

Listen to the words of Martin Luther who counseled those, like him, who struggled with doubt and unbelief: "If God hides himself in the storm clouds which brood over the brow of Sinai, then gather about the manger, look upon the infant Jesus as he leaps in the lap of his mother, and know that the hope of the world is here."

I hope these words are helpful.