Overview of World’s Religion’s Perspectives on Salvation

Pick out Christianity from these beliefs about salvation:

1) Reject the idea of sinfulness and affirm the basic goodness of humanity.  Salvation from being lost from God, or the concept of redemption to God is not necessary.  Just choose to follow God in your own way.

2) Jesus’s atonement provided immortality for all people.  Elevation towards God is available only through obedience to this group’s religious practices.

3) In addition to faith, salvation requires baptism by immersion, active participation, righteous conduct, and absolute loyalty to God.  There is no assurance of salvation, only hope for a resurrection.

4) Sin and death are false beliefs and only illusions.  Salvation occurs when one overcomes the false idea that sin and death exist by a realization of our divine spirit and mind.

5) Endless cycles of reincarnation are cause by selfish desire and ignorance of God, but may be ended by renouncing self and becoming devoted to God.  Salvation is achieved through God’s grace, who reveals himself and allows humans to meditate on his name and nature.

6) Trusting in an enlightened one allows people to reach salvation.  By trusting in an enlightened one people may achieve paradise at death, but most don’t believe in life after death.

7) There are three major paths to salvation:

• Through words or rituals
• Through knowledge and mystical intuition
• Through devotion to one of this religions gods or goddesses

8) Salvation is through submission to God.  There is no assurance of salvation, it is ONLY God’s mercy alone that salvation is granted.  There is no trinity.  There was no death, burial or resurrection of Jesus.

9) Salvation is given by God through his offspring, the Messiah.

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These concepts are not intended to be an accurate summary of each religion, but the numbers above will correspond to the following religion or group:

1. Unitarian Universalists – a liberal religion characterized by a “free” and responsible search for truth and meaning

2.  Mormonism – a religious and cultural group; the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph’s Smith

 

3.  Jehovah’s witnesses – believe in the theocratic rule of God, the sinfulness of organized religions and governments, and an imminent millennium.

4.  Christian Science – a set of beliefs and practices associated with members of the Church of Christ, Scientist.

5.  Sikhism – an ethical monotheism fusing elects of Hinduism and Islam.

6.  Buddhism – an Eastern religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to “The Buddha” the founder of the system.

7. Hinduism – an Eastern religion that embraces many religious ideas as opposed to a single, organized religious practice.

8.  Islam – the religion of Muslims, who worship one, all-knowing god known as Allah (the God).

9.  Christianity – believe in the teachings of Jesus, the Christ, and his birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension.