One God but Many Religions

 

One God - Many Religions

There a wide range of social-cultural systems of beliefs, behavioural practices and ethics under the broad name called 'religions' being practised by all sorts of people in this world. 

Just to name some of them are, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Baha'i Faith, Eckankar, Sikhism, Jainism, Wicca, Unitarian, Unitarian, Universalism, Shinto, Taoism, Thelema, Tenrikyo, Zoroastrianism.

 We ask ourselves honesty why are they so many religions when there is one God? Let us  try to answer this profound inquiry that touches the very core of human identity, culture, and our search for the Divine. 

Let us walk together through this slowly and meaningfully.

Why Are There So Many Religions When There Is One God?

This question has echoed through human history for millennia, and though it appears simple, it opens doors to deep truths about human nature, cultural evolution, spiritual yearning, and the mystery of the Divine.

1. The Universality of the Human Spiritual Instinct

All humans, across every era and land, seem born with a spiritual instinct, a deep yearning to understand where did we come from? What is the purpose of life? Why do we suffer? What happens after death? Is there something or someone greater than us?

This yearning is like a compass needle pointing beyond the physical. From the African savannah to the Himalayan peaks, from the rainforests of the Amazon to the deserts of Arabia, humans have sought answers to the same cosmic questions.

2. Cultural Filters of Divine Revelation

Imagine the light of one sun shining upon the Earth, but seen through different stained glass windows. Each window (i.e., each culture) colours that light differently. Similarly, the same Divine reality may reveal truths, but each society interprets them according to its language, worldview, myths, environment, and historical context. Thus, while the source may be One, the expressions of truth vary. These expressions become formalized as religions, each with its symbols, practices, sacred stories, and ethics.

3. The Evolution of Religious Thought Over Time

Religions did not all appear at once, they evolved over long periods. Early animistic beliefs saw divinity in nature (trees, rivers, sun). Later came polytheistic systems (many gods representing aspects of life). Gradually, some societies developed monotheistic ideas (one all-encompassing God).

Every era brought spiritual reformers, sages, prophets, or enlightened beings, like Krishna, Moses, the Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, Lao Tzu, Guru Nanak, and others who taught new paths of living in alignment with the Divine.

Each teaching spoke to the needs and maturity of that time and place.

4. Theological vs Mystical Understanding of "One God"

From a theological point of view, many religions differ in how they define God. Some have Personal God (e.g., Christianity, Islam, Judaism), Impersonal Divine Reality (e.g., some forms of Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism), Panentheism or Pantheism (e.g., Wicca, Shinto)

But from a mystical or metaphysical point of view, many mystics across traditions affirm that:

"Truth is One, but the wise call it by many names."
- Rig Veda, one of the oldest Hindu scriptures

Mystics from different faiths have often experienced the same Divine Unity beyond doctrines and creeds.

5. Historical, Political, and Psychological Factors

Many religions also grew under the influence of, historical circumstances (e.g., exile, conquest, colonization), power structures and politics (e.g., state religion vs heresy), psychological needs (e.g., moral guidance, community identity, coping with suffering)

Thus, religion is not just about God, it is also about people, and people are deeply diverse.

6. Free Will and the Divine Desire for Relationship

If God is One, why allow many religions?

Perhaps because:

God wants relationship, not robotic worship.

Relationship requires freedom of choice.
Freedom of choice leads to diversity of paths, as different people respond differently to God.

Just as there are many languages to say "I love you," so too there are many sacred paths by which humans say, "I seek You."

7. Could All Religions Be Different Reflections of One Truth?

Some philosophers and theologians propose the idea of Perennial Philosophy, that beneath the surface, all genuine religions share:

a) A belief in a Higher Power or Ultimate Reality

b) A call to moral living (compassion, justice, humility)

c) A path to transformation and transcendence

d) A vision of unity, peace, and purpose

Like different rivers flowing to the same ocean, each religion offers a path to the Divine, although some may be more metaphorical or symbolic than literal. 

Unity in Diversity

It is indeed mysterious why the One God is worshipped in so many different ways, but perhaps this is by divine design such as to allow freedom, to reflect the full spectrum of human thought and feeling, to guide different peoples in ways they can best receive, and to reveal the limitless nature of God, who cannot be confined to a single name, image, or doctrine.

So long as the core values of love, compassion, humility, justice, and reverence are upheld—then perhaps we are all, in our own way, seeking and honouring the same Divine Mystery.

A thought for myself:

"Have we not all got one Father? Did not one God create us?" 

— Malachi 2:10, Old Testament

"Let not the differences of religion divide us... All the prophets of God proclaim the same faith."
- Bahá’u’lláh, founder of the Bahá’í Faith

"The lamps are different, but the Light is the same."
- Rumi, Sufi mystic