Whichever Religion is Good (???)

"Every religion is good, if one observes its rules and if it satisfies you, and if it gives you the sense of security."

Easy, this is not my new view on religion. This is something a relative of mine told me today, a devout Catholic, a good person, whom I love dearly. Am I shocked? Not at all. Am I surprised? No, I have lived it and used the same mantra, because this is the mantra of the world. There was a short period of my life when I became persuaded into a belief that a certain group of people is much better than all the others. It even felt good for a while. Until the bitter awakening.
So now it really is unwelcome to put forth arguments about "one way" being absolutely right. Those close to me remember that period and cover their ears. I do not blame them.

But is really satisfaction and security what religion should be about? It seems that people do not need God any more. Works' religions, justifications apart from Jesus, self fulfillment, comfort, feel-good philosophy - why should they bother about any deity? It only complicates things and forces them to make up some twisted theology. Catholics, Muslims, JWs - the lot - they are so much alike... Life should be happy and carefree, right?
WRONG!

Joh 14:6

(ALT) Jesus says to him, "_I_ am the Way and the Truth and the Life! No one comes to the Father except through [or, by means of] Me!

(ASV) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me.

(Bibeln) Jesus svarade honom: "Jag är vägen och sanningen och livet; ingen kommer till Fadern utom genom mig.

(ESV) Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

(ISV) Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

(KJV+) Jesus2424 saith3004 unto him,846 I1473 am1510 the3588 way,3598 the3588 truth,225 and2532 the3588 life:2222 no man3762 cometh2064 unto4314 the3588 Father,3962 but1508 by1223 me.1700

(KJVR) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

(LITV) Jesus said to him, I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

(MKJV) Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.

(PBG) Rzekł mu Jezus: Jamci jest ta droga, i prawda, i żywot; żaden nie przychodzi do Ojca, tylko przez mię.

The Christian landscape is strewn with the wreckage of derelict, half-built towers - the ruins of those who began to build and were unable to finish. For thousands of people still ignore Christ's warning and undertake to follow him without first pausing to reflect on the cost of doing so. The result is the great scandal of Christendom today, so-called "nominal Christianity". In countries to which Christian civilization has spread, large numbers of people have covered themselves with a decent, but thin, veneer of Christianity. They have allowed themselves to become somewhat involved; enough to be respectable but not enough to be uncomfortable. Their religion is a great, soft cushion. It protects them from the hard unpleasantness of life, while changing its place and shape to suit their convenience. No wonder the cynics speak of hypocrites in the church and dismiss religion as escapism.

John R. W. Stott, Basic Christianity (London: Inter-Varsity, 1958), 108
/quoted after John F. MacArthur, The Gospel According to Jesus/

Update
Just when I thought I was done with this post, I read today's article on albertmohler.com,
Jesus Christ is "Our Vehicle to the Divine?" The Episcopal Church is in Big Trouble.
Well, and it reminds me, unfortunately, of the Swedish Apostate Lutheran Church, one of my September blog entries.