In Chapter 14 of the Gospel of John in the Bible, Jesus of Nazareth tells the Twelve Apostles, His hand-picked followers, that where He is going (Heaven), they will know the way. Thomas, one of the Twelve, asks Jesus how they can possibly know the way if they don't even know where He is going. He replies, saying, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). He proclaims that He is the way to Paradise, and that the only way to get there and meet God is through Himself. This is great news for Jesus' followers, who were actually called "Followers of the Way" before the term "Christian" was used. But what about those who do not believe in Jesus as the Christ (Savior) or those who don't know about Him?
As a Catholic, I was taught that Jesus is the Messiah, "the Way" to eternal life. As a young boy, I was steadfast in this belief and it was completely black and white to me. As I grew up and became more exposed to the world and the people around me, I started to think more in depth about this teaching. Now let me be very clear about my faith: I do believe that Jesus died for our sins, conquered death, and opened the gates to Paradise so that we may live eternally with God. I personally accept Jesus as my Savior. What made the matter not so black and white to me, however, was my exposure to different religions, backgrounds, and philosophies in college.
Going to Catholic school from kindergarten all the way to high school kept me interacting with mostly Catholic students (whether in name only or actually practicing), with a few exceptions here and there. Now in college, I have friends from many different backgrounds, religions, and beliefs. They are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, agnostic, and even atheist. Getting to know some of my friends very well, they have a strong faith in their beliefs and are great people who are kind and just to their neighbors, just as Christians are called to be. Now the ones who are not Christian do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah, yet they still do what Jesus called His followers to do. They are faithful, do good deeds, and help others; would they not be allowed to share in Paradise with Christians because they did not believe in Jesus? And what about those places in the world where Christianity has not spread to, like isolated villages and indigenous peoples. Even if they were good people, would they not be able to get into heaven because they didn't know Jesus while living on Earth? I would like to think that God would not deny heaven to those who did good deeds and made the world a better place regardless of their faith. Jews and Muslims still worship the same God as Christians; wouldn't God let them into heaven because they were devout to Him?
In my World Religions class in high school, our teacher taught us that there is truth in religion. I truly believe that, and I believe that religions are different approaches and philosophies to increase our spirituality, that part of our being that connects us to a Higher Power. I don't think there's such a thing as "the true religion," I think religions are just different ways of life that help connect us human beings to something bigger than ourselves, whether that is a God, Chi, a Supreme Being, the universe around us, or something else. We shouldn't discriminate or demean others for their religious or spiritual beliefs; we are all just trying to live a good life, using our philosophies to guide our way of life.
