Do "All Paths Lead To God"?

Religions tell of various origins of mankind. Some are obviously fancilful and mythological, others just plain unscientific. We have already seen that the major religions of the world disagree on the identity of God. Now let us turn our attention to the question of human origin. How were humans created, and where? Are we the product of accidental chemical reactions and random accidental changes over vast periods of time, or are we a specific, direct creative act by a designer of life. What do the religious writings, and the religions of the world say on this important subject, and once again – are they in agreement?

Once again, let us start with the Bible. The first book of the Bible – Genesis, gives a step by step account of the creation of life, including humans. It tells us that God created humans suddenly, seperately from other life forms, and in God's own image (not physical, but spitritual and moral). Genesis lists the stages of earth's preparation for life, and the appearance of all life forms in order. This goes as follows;

First – the earth is in darkness, covered in water.
Second – the darkness clears, allowing light from the sun to penetrate to the surface.
Third – An atmosphere develops, creating a barrier covering the earth.
Forthe – The waters recede into the atmosphere, allowing dry land to appear.
Fifth – Plant life begins – enriching the atmosphere with life-giving gases.
Sixth – Sea-life is created
Seventh – Land animals are created.
Finally – The first humans are created.

The Bible describes humans as being “Formed from the dust.” The word “dust” can mean “soil” or “land.” So the Bible says that humans were actually composed of the elements that are found in the earth – such as iron, calcium, copper etc. Today, we know that the human body is, in fact made up of all these minerals and chemicals. No human being has ever witnessed a person being made from the soil of the earth. We observe babies coming from mothers. Yet, the Bible was scientifically correct in stating that we are composed of the nutrients of the ground, along with water. Note that there is no mention of mankind descending from somehwere else – such as space, or heaven. Later, the Bible confirms again that - “From dust you came, and to dust you will return.”

The Hindu writings tell of a very different origin for mankind. They state: “When they divided Purusha how many portions did they make? What do they call his mouth, his arms? What do they call his thighs and feet? The Brahman [the highest caste] was his mouth, of both his arms was the Rajanya made. His thighs became the Vaisya, from his feet the Sudra was produced.” - “The Bible of the World.” The priestly Brahmans, the highest caste, were supposed to have originated from Purusha’s mouth, his highest part. The governing, or warrior, class (Kshatriya or Rajanya) came from his arms. The merchant and farmer class, called the Vaisya, or Vaishya, originated from his thighs. A lower caste, the Sudra, or Shudra, or laborer class, resulted from the lowest part of the body, his feet.

Although the Catholic Bible tells the account of Genesis, as we have read it, the official position of the Catholic church is that, the Biblical texts are in error, and are just an allegorical tale, without any scientific validity. The church accepts Darwin's theory of evolution, even though that theory has never been scientifically proven, and is coming under increasing scrutiny and doubt in the scientific world.

Since Buddha's original teachings do not recognise God, it is not releveant to consider Buddhism in the question of all paths leading to God.

The Talmud, the oral teachings of Judaism, after the Bible, do not contradict the original explanation for life – in Genesis, although they later taught that man was created with an immortal soul, a teaching that contradicts the Hebrew Bible.

Although the Koran claims to be in agreement with the Bible book of Genesis, it actually teaches that humans were made “From a clot” (supposedly blood).

The book of Mormon, while again claiming to be in complete agreement with the Bible, teaches that humans were created in heaven first, and were then transferred to the earth. “God Himself,” Joseph Smith explained, “was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens.” To the Mormons, God is a glorified, perfected man. He has a body of flesh and bone, but not of blood, in which dwells an eternal spirit. “All men and women are ... literally the sons and daughters of Deity,” wrote Joseph F. Smith, nephew of Joseph, Jr., and president of the church from 1901 to 1918. “Man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents, and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the Father, prior to coming upon the earth in a temporal body.” Thus, according to Mormon theology, all humankind existed as spirit beings in heaven before coming to earth. The purpose of their coming to earth is so that they can be tested and, if successful, be exalted, that they may eventually become gods themselves with worlds of their own.

Once again, we see the vast differences between the different religious writings, and beliefs of the world. Already, after just question two in our search, we find that there is a distinct disagreement between religious writings. Let us see if this pattern continues with question 3 - “Why is there suffering in life?”