In my youth, before I was 20 y/o, I lived with my parents and three siblings. We had all been Church of Scotland attenders through my formative years, where I did not hear the Gospel explained and learned nothing about heaven or hell nor why I was in the world. When I was converted to faith in Jesus Christ in my late teens, I analysed the spiritual state of each member of our household. I would describe it to myself and to anyone who was interested as six religions in one household.
This analytical behaviour has developed throughout my life and I now wonder how many religious frameworks there are in the world. Now in my old age, I have observed multiple religions, philosophers, public figures and online debates, and the confusion that abounds reminds me that there are multiple counterfeits for every genuine article of worth.
Richard Dawkins argues his case by saying that he is looking for the truth and I grieve for him that no-one has pointed out to him his presuppositional mistakes and the error in his expectation that science will answer his questions.
Jordan Peterson is a serious analyst but his religious turmoil is confounded by his being married to a Roman catholic. It was easy enough for Richard Dawkins to skewer him by asking if he believed in the virgin birth and resurrection of Jesus. Dawkins was interested in scientific truth and not the metaphor and myths in Peterson’s narrative. Peterson thinks that the virgin birth is “beside the issue” showing how little he understands Christianity in spite of all his study. He has been misled by his peer group.
Jacob Rees-Mogg is an intelligent man with good political and financial sense, but he is subservient to his Roman catholic priests. He invites them on to his GB News programme and it is cringeworthy to watch his sychophantic deference to them. I think that some of his other contributors must be higher-ranking Romanists, possibly in Opus Dei or Jesuitical orders, such is his deference to them, which he would explain as good manners but the perceptive will discern to be religious subservience. Roman catholicism deceives intelligent people as well as the simple masses, because Romanists likeRees-Mogg out-source their religious and theological thinking to the large number of specialist Romanists and historical figures and “doctors” of their church, like Thomas Aquinas, and now John Henry Newman, rather than study the words of Jesus and form an opinion for themselves. They are taught that the Bible is too difficult for them to exercise their right of private judgment so Rees-Mogg openly pedals Roman catholic nonsense as if it is gospel truth.
George Galloway is a passionate and religious man, respecting Roman catholicism and islam (and possibly other religions alike). I like the honesty and eloquence of this self-made man. I agree with his passion against warfare and war-mongering. He seems to have changed from UK Unionist to Scottish separatist. There seem to be a few situational practicalities at work in his change of thinking. At least, there is hope that he can change from Roman-islamism to true Christianity, if only he could escape his current peer group and would study Jesus’ own words. He is widely-read and has a huge worldly-wise experience, so hopefully reading his New Testament will lead him to the only Saviour, Jesus Christ, Whose man is not the imposter in the Vatican.
Neil Oliver is another Scotsman like George Galloway, who has an interest in common sense. He has rejected the public narratives about public life, not because of religion but from observation. He is not religious but he quotes the new American Roman catholic pope in Rome with approval because he promotes the sovereignty of human life in a time of artificial intelligence. Hopefully he will come to question why people should think that the Roman catholic pope has any better answers than the general consensus of modern man. Oliver recognizes the lack of authenticity in the movers and shakers of international movements. Oliver is a secular humanist with common sense, another form of the protean forms of religion. He thinks authenticity and “the meaning of life” can be found in the fresh air, “in the wild wood … where you can refresh, recalibrate and reboot your soul” – whatever that means. It sounds like yet another religious mantra, without any basis.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a skilful and intelligent operator. One would almost think he is a crypto-Christian for I have heard him speak about Jesus as Christ, but this speech is likely to arise from the politician in him, just like Donald Trump. However, the day will come when Jews nationally will acknowledge Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ, and the sooner Netanyahu sees this the better.
No European politician has impressed me but this blogpost is about personal forms of religion rather than politics. Continental religion is too subservient to the Roman catholic pope in Rome who has deceived European politicians with his over-weaning sense of self-importance. False religion continues to dominate much of European politics, with Roman catholicism, islam and secular humanism fighting it out among themselves.
US President Donald Trump is a nominal Christian misled by charismatic advisers, possibly influenced by Dispensational exegesis, but unable to distinguish true Christianity from Roman catholicism. His vice-president J. D. Vance is, like his boss, an intelligent and interesting man, but when trying to establish how to support traditional Christianity he opted for ‘historic’ Roman catholicism, only to find out that it does not quite fit his brand.
“Brand” introduces the concept of choice. In this consumer age people test which religion “suits” them, like a set of clothes. They need to learn that God does not suit this attitude – “I am that I am”, He says, not what you want Him to be. Yet people continue to look for a religion and a god that suits them.
All of these people have still to learn that they will have eternity to regret their failure to listen to Jesus Christ Who said that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life Jn 14:6. Pontius Pilate famously asked Jesus, What is truth? and failed to wait for the answer. Billions do likewise.
Religious Analysis – Salvation by law-keeping
When I discovered the Gospel, I learned a simple form of religious analysis at that time. Jesus Christ and His biblical religion taught salvation was by God’s grace Eph 2:8-10, Rom 3:21-26, whereas every other religion on Earth taught variations of salvation by personal merit, by “good works” or law-keeping. This distinction still holds.
Dead or Alive
Decades later I heard another simple distinction, that the leaders of all other religions were dead, whereas Jesus Christ is alive, and alive for evermore.
Jesus says: “I am He Who lives and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen, and I have the keys of hell and of death.”
Revelation 1:18.
Jesus Christ is well worth knowing, and He warns about false religion: “The thief comes only to steal, to kill, and to destroy: I came that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” Jn 10:10.
Donald's Thoughts 