Which is the Best Religion?
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Of all the religions, denominations and sects – which one is the best?
I have avoided publishing this article for many years because this question is so controversial. It can evoke passion, bitterness and even hate. Because I have been asked this question over and over again, perhaps the time has come to state my opinion. Remember, this is only the opinion of this article’s author.
If someone had asked me this question fifty years ago my answer would have been “Why, of course: it’s mine.” Forty five years ago I would have arrogantly added that “I believed in the only one, true religion and those who disagreed were eternally damned.” Perhaps I would not have voiced this in such an adamant way; I would have made myself sound less egotistic. Howsoever, I was very unbending in my youthful beliefs.
The term “religion” refers to any specific system of belief about deity, usually involving rituals, a code of ethics, and a philosophy of life.
At the time this article is written (May, 1999) there are 19 major world religions which are subdivided into a total of 270 large religious groups, and many smaller ones. 34,000 separate Christian groups have been identified in the world. Over half of them are independent churches that are not interested in linking with the big denominations. World Christian Encyclopedia
Christianity boasts some 2.1 billion followers. Its largest denomination is Catholicism with 1.2 billion adherents. Under this umbrella are at least 32 sects and breakaway groups; each defining their many doctrinal differences.
Protestantism claims some 900 million believers. Here, there are more than 16 different Baptist conventions, 3 Congregationalist groups, 15 Continental Reformed, 18 Lutheran, 21 Methodist, 13 Pentecostal, 16 Presbyterian, and on and on and on.
Here is a breakdown
- Christianity: 2.1 billion
- Islam: 1.5 billion
- Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist: 1.1 billion
- Hinduism: 900 million
- Chinese traditional religion: 394 million
- Buddhism: 376 million
- primal-indigenous: 300 million
- African Traditional & Diasporic: 100 million
- Sikhism: 23 million
- Juche: 19 million
- Spiritism: 15 million
- Judaism: 14 million
- Baha’i: 7 million
- Jainism: 4.2 million
- Shinto: 4 million
- Cao Dai: 4 million
- Zoroastrianism: 2.6 million
- Tenrikyo: 2 million
- Neo-Paganism: 1 million
- Unitarian-Universalism: 800 thousand
- Rastafarianism: 600 thousand
- Scientology: 500 thousand
Of all the religions and their offsets how can we determine which is best?
Do we judge by the size of the organization or by its wealth? Perhaps it is a religion that is worth sacrificing one’s life. It is possible that in all religions there are followers who believe theirs to be the only one true faith. We can find in most of the world’s many religious beliefs those who are willing to die for their individual dogmas.
For as long as recorded history; there have been religious wars. The hieroglyphics of ancient Egypt are replete with records of thousands of years of religious battles and conquest. This is true of almost every known civilization. The ancient Canaanites battled the tribes of Israel because of religious differences. During the Middle Ages many bloody religious wars were fought. World War II was basically religiously motivated. Simply put: certain Christian Germans wanted to eradicate Judaism.
Since then, Middle East hostilities are primarily a conflict between Islam and Judaism.
Even the last few decades have produced battles between Catholics and Protestants, Hindus and Muslims, even Muslim versus Muslim. Look at the religious conflicts in modern India, Nigeria and Somalia. How about the religious atrocities between the Czechs and Slovaks? There is religious disaccord in both the Peoples Republic of China and the Russian Federation. There is rampant intolerance between religions throughout the world.
So – throughout all this hodgepodge of religious bigotry, narrow-mindedness’ and human ego; Which religion is best?
The prominent Brazilian liberation theologian Leonardo Boff writes, “I once asked the Dalai Lama: ‘Which is the best religion?’”
Dr. Boff confessed to some pretentiousness when he asked the question.
With a smile that was somewhere between wise and mischievous, the Buddhist leader replied: “The best religion is the one that gets you closer to God and makes you a better person.”
Perplexed, professor Boff continued: “And which is the one that makes me better?”
The Dalai Lama continues “It is the one that makes you more compassionate, more human and more open to the Whole, that is the better one. The religion that will do that for you is the best religion, for you.”
Clearly on a roll, His Holiness added, “I am not interested, my friend, in your religion, or if you are religious or not. What is important to me is your behavior with your peers, family, work, community and in front of the world.”
Having stated his unequivocal support for religious tolerance, The Dalai Lama then articulated the classic Buddhist teachings on karma: “Remember, the universe is (or contains) the echo of our actions and our thoughts. The law of action and reaction is not limited to physics, but applies also to human relations. If I act with goodness, I will receive goodness. If I act with evil, I will receive evil. You always receive what you wish for toward others.”
The Dalai Lama then proceeded to make the following series of statements – which corresponds to a passage from the Talmud.
• Take care of your thoughts, because they will become words.
• Take care of your words, because they will become actions.
• Take care of your actions, because they will become habits.
• Take care of your habits, because they will become your character.
• Take care of your character, for it will form your destiny – and your destiny is your life.
Furthermore, the statement “your character will form your destiny” corresponds to one of the most famous epigrams of Heraclitus, the 6th century BC Greek philosopher: Ethos anthropoi daimon.
This epigram is usually translated as “A man’s character determines his fate.” Ethos is the collection of values that constitute your character. Daimon, usually translated “fate” or “destiny” also and originally referred to the indwelling divine Spirit in every human being. Socrates reputedly used to report receiving guidance from his daimon. (Only much later, in medieval Christianity, did daimon acquire the connotations of an evil demon.
An individual’s belief system is based on several different criteria
First off, DNA contains the encoded information of both your physical and spiritual lineage. It determines your physical form, spiritual gifts and much more. Within your DNA is the master plan for your life purpose and divine potential. It is the original model of who you are and of what you are about.
Every book and magazine we have read; every radio broadcast we have ever heard and every movie and television program we have ever watched has assisted in the encoding of our belief systems. Everything we have learned from our playmates, friends and even enemies has been evaluated and added to our ever-growing structure of thought. Casual conversations and even things we have not realized we have heard, read, seen, felt, smelt, thought or dreamt have all had a part in our programming.
In addition, every memory from all our predecessors is stored in our DNA. The legacies of our parents; their parents – all the way back to the beginning of time – they’re all there in your DNA. Every event, experience, thought or dream – each memory has been filed and kept. Each and every ancestral memory has been preserved in our DNA.
Many of these legacies assist in forming our present belief systems. While we may not be conscious of them they can subliminally influence the very structure of our belief s. They sort of prompt us into a certain direction, i.e., we are more likely to accept certain ideas over others because of legacy influence.
If you are one who believes in past lives then we can add to the equation those experiences which would also give us directional urges or predispositions.
Then, of course, there is peer pressure. We generally gravitate to groups with likeminded beliefs. The more entrenched we become with a group the less likely we will look at different viewpoints because we do not wish to offend our peers or appear as outcasts.
How one interprets all of this stored data is based on his/her chronic emotional state. Emotions have their origin in the biofield, Changes in the biofield cause changes in emotion.
In the Emotional Biofield the molecules of the body are surrounded by tiny electromagnetic fields. These fields combine into a human biofield that fills and surrounds the body. The emotional biofield not only permeates the body but extends outward from the body for several inches.
Take a person in an emotional state of depression. His/her interpretations of stored data would center on fear and/or anger or victimhood. This would pull in a fear-based belief system, i.e., gloom, doom and despair in present time with possible hope of vindication and something better in the future.
If a person is in the opposite emotional state of exhilaration then his/her interpretations of stored data would center on the joys of life, personal growth, positive health and prosperity.
What does this all come down to?
Whatever your reality – it is yours. It is real for YOU. If it works for you there is no need to change. If it does not interfere with what is real to others then no one should interfere. What is real for you is not necessarily real for others. This does not make anyone correct or incorrect. It simply means we all have different stored experiences and evaluate these events by different methods guided by our emotions.
Transformative Ch’i is not a religion. It is, however, a belief system that allows for and honors all religions and all peoples. Its philosophy is to “make no one wrong.” To accomplish this everyone must be correct. They are! — within their own individual perspectives. This spiritual concept is difficult for most to comprehend. That does not make it less true.
Publishing an article of this nature is to invite criticism. The author has no inclination to debate this article. Debating does not incline itself to higher spiritual advancement and it is a contradiction to “not making others wrong.” I thank you for your diversity and bless you along your journey.
Keith Coleman Pierce, founder of Transformative Ch’i, is now semi-retired. However, he may be reached at kcolemanpierce@yahoo.com. Please Note: Due to travel and other activities there may be delays in his response to your emails.
