PIECES OF THE PUZZLE - DO WE ALL WORSHIP THE SAME GOD

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

I believe that God is love, therefore; it would seem that the love of God should overcome all of people’s differences and all the people of the earth should find a way to get along because of God’s love living inside our hearts. 

Wouldn’t that be nice?  It just doesn’t work that way in real life.  Truth doesn’t always appear the same to all people.  God doesn’t always work things out in the ways that we expect Him to.  We don’t always see the answers to the questions from where we are standing.   Someone once put it like this:  “the only way to exist in peace is for the broken to learn to love the broken.”

The big “W” screams out at us again.  WHY???  The answer isn’t easy or simple, it is complex and complicated.

 This matter of understanding each other’s differences is a more complex problem than any of us can ever imagine, especially when we try to lump all religious beliefs into one big pile and say they originate from one original source, as we humans often tend to do.

 To begin to blend the aspects of religion and hope that all the pieces fit together and interlock perfectly under the same God is impossible.  No human philosopher has ever come up with the right equation for this.  Even Mr. Thoreau’s concept of keeping things simple until nature eventually works them out for everyone’s higher good cannot be applied in this situation.  There are just too many complicated facets to the problem.  Things may work out alright; but for the good of everyone involved?  That part is very doubtful.

 This all gets a bit deeper and even harder to comprehend as you begin to examine the basic facts and search for the REAL truth.  Usually facts equal eventual answers, but in this case, sometimes facts equal more and more questions.  

  

But let’s give it a shot anyway.  Why not?  What do we have to lose? If we can just put together a few pieces of the puzzle, we’ve made progress….right?

 Every solution to every problem known to mankind begins with a search for the real truth.  Truth comes to most of us in bits and pieces, like an unending jigsaw puzzle that is full of surprises and mystery.  What you THOUGHT worked here will really only truly work THERE.  No two pieces follow the same formula and it doesn’t pay to jump to conclusions.  So what is the truth about how we have all come to worship God?  

We quickly need to recognize the fact that religion has historical, political and geographical consequences.  We know this when we look for the answers to the reasons behind the devastating attack on America during 9/11.  On that day everyone was peacefully going about their separate business.  The whole world seemed to be functioning and working properly.  Yet,this wasn’t true; there were undercurrents at work that were not obvious until it was too late to deal with them.  It was at that sad point in history that the whole world suddenly seemed to stop and notice that religion does often have historical, geographical and political consequences.  No matter how much we all ignored it and looked the other way; that obvious fact was still there whether anyone was willing to say it out loud or not.   A whole new definition of fear arose for some who were just beginning to grasp the fact that certain sects of Islam contain the most violent religion in the world. 

Up until this point in time many people unreasonably assumed that everyone was worshiping the same God, just in different ways.   But the question finally had to be addressed: how could we all be worshiping the same God and have such radical differences in our feelings about the sacredness of life?  9/11 is just one example.  This question arises again when we look at the different opinions about abortion.  These are only two examples of many situations that exist.  The question is always in the back of our minds, even now, so many years past these horrible and unexpected wake-up calls of terrorism and murder.  The obvious question has become louder now.   So many facts; so little truth.  Who is right and who is wrong?  Are we all wrong?  Who is worshiping the true God?    

I have for years now considered the answers to that question.  It is constantly rising to the top of the question pile for those who exist in a country of changing cultural dynamics with the infusion and blending of more new and different cultures than ever before.  Ironically it is a question being asked from all sides by loving people who want all cultures to share and get along.  It is a question asked by good and decent people, Islamic, Christian and Jewish, who do not want violence and hate. 

It seems on impartial examination, contrary to the opinions of the “politically correct” that asking the question is not at all racial or prejudiced and does not stem from hate; but quite the opposite; asking the question is simply about attempting to defend the innocent and to seek the common good for all people.  So we ask it over and over again, attempting to seek an answer that would preserve those who appreciate the sacredness of life and humankind in all colors, races, religions, nations and cultures.   Those individuals who aspire to a higher plane of life are constantly asking the question. Those who wish to do good and not evil, those who wish to bring an end to hate and violence and injustice are still seeking.  Most all of them, no matter what culture they are from are seeking in The Name of God.    

It seems we must go back to the beginning of religion as we know it to find answers.  It all started with God and Abraham.  The three main cultures who claim to believe in God seem to agree on this one basic fact; that in the beginning there was God and then there was Abraham.  Abraham knew God.  Abraham worshiped God.  God blessed Abraham and Abraham had two sons.  With the sons the stories take parting pathways.  

The Christians and the Jews believe that Isaac was the promised son, yet both sons were blessed.  The Islamic Quran states that Ishmael was the blessed son.  Both cultures agree that Ishmael was born first of an Egyptian handmaiden named Hagar.  Both cultures recognize that Isaac was born later of Sarah.  From these two sons of Abraham have come the nations of the world.   Both sons of Abraham had 12 sons and nations came from each of them.  These nations were very different from one another, but they all have the common history of Abraham.

From Abraham both sons were taught what the Hebraic people have called the Shema. “The Lord is our God; The Lord is One.”   All three religious beliefs, Christianity, Judaism and Islam believe this.  They just don’t understand that each other believes it!  The concept of the Trinity in the Christian Bible is not correctly understood, either by the Islamic people or by the Jewish people.  A lot of this stems from the fact that the Islamic people as well as the Jewish people do not believe that Jesus Christ is The Messiah.  They mistakenly see the Christians believing in three separate deities instead of one.  They separate The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit.  Often times they become confused and even think that Mary is worshiped as a Christian deity.  Not true!  

Christians actually believe that the three are ONE; that the three aspects of God, The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit are One God.  This is often misunderstood and the Quran has spoken against it because of the misconceptions.  It is true that the Trinity is a hard to understand concept which is full of mystery and the wisdom of God that is far above the thinking of men, but men must learn how to teach the Trinity in a more appropriate way, a way that shows the oneness of God clearly.   

To correct this misconception with the Islamic people is a bit easier than to change it for our Jewish friends.  More on that later.  For now, let’s start with a way to help the Islamic people understand the concept of Trinity.  The answer is love.  God is love – we both can agree on this.  It is more times than not the starting place for all answers.  To love one must not be alone.  Love cannot be exercised in isolation.  The God who is love in order to allow that love to happen must exist in a community within Himself.  Within God’s community of three persons, among whom their mutual love is so perfect, though three; they become perfectly One.   This is the fundamental truth of the Trinity that our Islamic brothers have never been taught, and it has been hard for them to grasp, but they do believe strongly in unity and community and that all should be God-centered. 

Perhaps more education about the Trinity and the love aspects that show union and community could open eyes and we might grow to a deeper understanding of one another.  For that to happen, Christian congregations must learn to preach this concept correctly.

But; what about the Jewish people?  How can their lack of belief in a Trinity be reconciled for the sake of love and community?  They too have always had a strong concept of unity and community centered on One God.  Their resistance does not lie in the fact that the Trinity does not show love and respect for the One God of Heaven and earth.  It lies in the fact that they do not believe in one aspect of the united Trinity – Jesus Christ, The Messiah.  They DO believe a Messiah is coming; they just don’t realize it was and is Jesus Christ, who has already come and given His life as an atonement sacrifice for every human being that walks the earth and believes in His name.  He will come again.

How can we get beyond this?  I would say the answer is found in something that most Christians are ignorant of; a commandment given to the Israelites long ago to keep annual Holy Days before God.  There were many reasons that God commanded these days to be kept.  I believe one reason was to present the Messiah to all men in all time periods of history.   Many people are just beginning to glimpse the fact that these days actually do portray a beautiful picture of Christ.  That picture is perfectly tied in with the history and significance of the Jewish people.  The annual holy days point out in very Jewish terms, scripture and symbolism showing how the prophesies have been fulfilled in Christ.  They perfectly point to Him as Messiah.  

Consider further why Jewish people claim not to believe that Jesus was the Messiah;  they will quickly tell you when you ask that they do not think all of  the Messianic prophecies have yet been fulfilled.  They are looking at the physical instead of the spiritual, though they are very spiritual and enlightened people!  Perhaps they should look closer at their own holy days and re-think this process a bit.    Every single day of the the seven feasts and festivals given by God and even the two Mosaic holidays given by Jewish history, proclaim in theory and symbolism that Jesus Christ is The Messiah.   The physical things concerning Messianic prophesy that have not yet materialized in Israel are painted in spiritual concepts that are far beyond the physical limitations that the Jewish people might be looking for.  You have to BELIEVE to see the spiritual things - like the fact that the temple has actually been rebuilt - by the way the Holy Spirit dwells inside our physical bodies through the sacrificial atonement of Christ.  The Jewish people are looking for someone who will rebuild and restore The Temple, but The Temple of the last days has already been restored through Christ dwelling in mankind.  Our bodies are the temple now.  The holy days help us to see this concept over and over again.  It is a Messianic prophesy that the Jewish people have not yet noticed has been fulfilled because they are looking for a physical temple, just as they were looking for a physical ruler when the Christ child was born.  God does not think like us!  He brings things about in totally unexpected ways sometime.  Often, we miss it.  This is why the true Church must teach it!  

So how do we remove some of the historical, political and geographical distances between Islam, Christianity and Judaism?   By looking at the ignorance of all three groups of people and educating ourselves with the truth.  I've pointed out places where all three groups of people who claim to worship God have missed the mark.  That old scripture comes to mind from Hosea 4:6 that says "my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge."  Someone must start this cycle of restoring truth, I am always praying that it begins in The Christian Church.  But how should The Church (I define The Church as being the body of believers who are indwelt with God's Holy Spirit) begin this process?

 I would suggest that Christian witnesses start to practice three things in a very devout, humble and devoted manner:

First: Study and learn the “love” aspects of The Holy Trinity.  Get the doctrine right and preach it correctly in a way that shows God’s love through the unity of these three distinct personalities of the Holy Trinity.  Emphasize that they are all ONE.  Note that understanding the Trinity doctrine correctly is proof that God is One.   The church has stopped teaching this.  We must correct it and the sooner the better. TEACH GOOD THEOLOGY and stop entertaining.  

     Second:  Learn about and celebrate the Holy Days of God given in the Old Testament to Moses.  Get correct and accurate teachings on the fact that they are Messianic.  Use the old ancient Jewish customs with the fuller understanding that Jesus Christ is The Messiah.  Go through the traditions for yourself, read the old Jewish stories and listen to the wise Rabbi’s of history.  God gave them (The Jewish people) the mystery and they have done their homework and memorized it well. Now it is time for The Church to bring forth the greater meaning, the new wine from the old water – like the miracle of Cana.  If the church would incorporate these things into their normal forms of worship just as God commanded Moses eons ago, I think many Jews would come to know the salvation of Christ.  The New Testament life perfectly fits the Old Testament theology.  Of course, the Jewish people often resent what is done by some congregations today; those who fumble the truth and do not present accurate information according to scripture.  Who can blame them? Truth matters and thorough study of the scriptures is important.  If you don't believe this go back and read THE REST of Hosea 4:6.  The duties of the priests of God to teach The Word correctly are very plain. 

Third:  We should all pray for all of the people who call on the name of God to be united into one community that loves and serves Him.  The Jewish people have a saying that I’ve always loved:  “tikkum olam.”  It simply means “repair the world.”  Isn’t that what the love of God is all about?  We must bring God and mankind back to the state that once existed in The Garden of  Eden, that state where there was no division, no hate, no shame, only love.  

But what of the other religions out there?  What about the Hindu and Buddhist religions and all other ancient and eastern religions that exist?  I will note three things about them all:   

(1)  They do not name the name of God in any way, shape or form.  Our God has told us not to worship false gods.  

(2) They do not provide a way to ascend into eternal life after death.  

(3) They do not show love and mercy, only a process of elimination that is brought about by the actions of the individual person worshiping, not the god they worship.  They leave everything up to humans, either to rise above things or sink to the bottom of existence; hence, they would never work.  They do not prove the power of their god.  Instead of people depending on God, they exist basically as a god depending on the actions of people.  This can never prove out in the end.  Impossible. 

Again, I look to that great prophet named Hosea.  Hosea 4:14 states that a people without understanding will come to ruin.  

There must be a Messiah who can provide everlasting life and atone for our sins in order for us to become the best that we can be; it is not within ourselves, but within a higher power than us that we may succeed in this.  Our humanity will only lead us to a lower form of life without a Messiah.  Only Jesus Christ can make that happen forever.  

In those other religions there is no eternal life, no mercy, no forgiveness and no pardon.  They are false religions.  It is wise for the true Church to remember the commandments and teach against idolatry and false religion.  Do we want our brothers and sisters to miss eternal life because they did not know the truth?  Are we not too accepting of these things of the cultures around us?  Why isn’t the church teaching the definition of false gods and idolatry anymore?  Have we lost our belief in the God who proclaimed that we should do this? 

It is time to return to the scriptures and truth in preaching and teaching.  Pop psychology lessons are only leading people straight to hell.  I've often noted that the Jewish people keep the shema and the rest of the world seems to be keeping the schema.  Schema, which is close in sound and spelling to shema is totally opposite and means "psychology."  Have we become a church of psychologist instead of a church that proclaims the gospel?  If we wish to win our brothers and sisters to Christ we must closely examine ourselves and turn back to the straight and narrow path and the gate that is hard to find.  We must be preaching and teaching the truth of God.

    My brothers and sisters, most of all pray for the peace of the whole earth and for God to show us imperfect humans His very precious love and mercy. 

May we ever look to our Messiah who has told us faithfully “I make all things new!”