“This is a sacred book”, a “Holy one”, a woman rebuked her twelve year old son for having touched the Quran without washing his hands.

I would like to ask some questions.

  • How many books have you ever seen, handled, or read, or heard it said that they are “sacred books” “holy books”?
  • Do all your relatives, friends, family members, and workmates share the same religion as you?
  • Suppose that you have a home library, how many holy books would you buy for your own spiritual instruction and for your family?

Many religions have books that claim to contain truth about their god (or gods). What makes the Bible different from other religious books? “Many books state who wrote them.  Unless we have good reason to think otherwise, we accept their claim of authorship.  The Bible claims to be written by God who moved men to pen His Word.  We have seen that we have every reason to accept this claim. (But why? Why not for other religious books?).  We must eventually ask about other so-called holy books: non-biblical books that also claim to be inspired by God.  In particular, what about the Quran or the book of Mormon?  Are these also the Word of God?” said Dr Lisle. https://biblicalscienceinstitute.com/apologetics/the-bible-vs-other-holy-books/)

How can non-religious people find the way to salvation? How can they identify the true path? Is the Bible different from the Quran and other religious books?

This is a key question, since the major world religions (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc…) each hold to the teachings of sacred writings.

Many similarities but also great

differences

When you compare the teachings from the different sacred books you will likely find many similar teachings because we are all part of humanity. However, religions will differ greatly in their teachings. In the case of  monotheistic religions (Islam, Christianity, Judaism), God is the one who sets the standard for what is right or wrong. In polytheistic religions you will have a multitude of gods who may or may not set a standard for the realms that they reside over. In religions such as Buddhism, where no God exists, the standard is set by rule of nature.

(See https://www.biblword.net). Who is one to believe is true?

From the mid-1970’s through 1984, close to 40% of Americans considered the Bible the literal word of God, but this has been declining ever since, as we see the decline also of citizens who proclaim to be Christian. Meanwhile, the percentage defining the Bible as mere stories has doubled. Still, while biblical literalism has waned, the vast majority of Americans  (71%)  continue to view the Bible as a holy document, believing it is at least inspired by God, if not His own words.

What about you?

Holy / Sacred religious books around the world

There are different religions and many have books that they consider sacred, such as: Christians, Bahái, Muslims, Hindus, Chinese Universists, Buddhists, Ethnoreligionists,  Atheists, New-religionists, Sikhs, Jews, Spiritists, Confucianists, Jains, Shintoists, Taoists, Zoroastrians, etc. We will look at a few of the main ones.

Hinduism has a vast collection of sacred texts and written collections, including the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, and more. They contain hymns, mantras, rituals, and philosophical discussions. Their holiest text is the Bhagwat Gita. It is considered the best holy book in India. It does not talk about religion or God but about how to live a successful, and satisfied life. Gita claims to have an answer to all the problems and miseries of life. Also, The Rāmāyana of Vālmīki (holy book in India) is considered by many contemporary Hindus to be a foundational religious text. Hindu scriptures deal with every aspect of human life including music, dance, war, sex, economics, philosophy, logic and grammar.

Buddhism has various sacred texts, the most important of which are the Tripitaka and the Mahayana Sutras. The Tripitaka is the primary holy text for Theravada Buddhists, while Mahayana Buddhists revere the Mahayana Sutras. There are many major Buddhist sects and they generally respect and study each other’s sacred texts.

Judaism. The sacred texts of Judaism primarily include the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Tanakh, and the Talmud. The Tanakh consists of three parts: the Torah Pentateuch), the Nevi’im (Prophets), and the Ketuvim (Writings). There are two main versions: the Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud.

Different Jewish sects, such as Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist, generally accept the same sacred texts, although they may interpret them differently. All sects recognize the importance of the Tanakh, while the Talmud is primarily a central text in Orthodox and Conservative Judaism.

Baháʼí Faith: The Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Arabic: The Most Holy Book) is the central religious text of the Baháʼí Faith, written in Arabic by Baháʼu’lláh, the founder of the religion, in 1873 while He was still imprisoned.  It is   “the Mother-Book” of the Baháʼí teachings, and the “Charter of the future world civilization”.

The Quran, Hadith, and The Tafsir – Islam: The Quran, also spelled as Koran, is the sacred religious text of Islam, considered by Muslims to be a revelation from God. The Scripture is widely regarded as the finest work of classical Arabic literature. The Quran is organized into 114 chapters as units called “sūrahs”. According to Islamic belief, the Quran was revealed by the Archangel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad in the western Arabian cities of Mecca and Medina.  Many passages in the Quran are devoted to explaining the eschatological judgment by which God will lead every human being to heaven or hell and to describing the rewards for the saved and the torments of the damned. The Quran also includes accounts of some biblical people, such as Adam, Moses, Jesus, and Mary.

 The Book of Mormon: “Another Testament of Jesus Christ” is a religious text of the Latter Day Saints movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith as The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi.

This book is accepted as holy scripture, in addition to the Bible. They also have Doctrines and Covenants (A compilation of revelations and writings given since the restoration of the Church). Many archaeologists, historians, and mainstream scientists do not consider The Book of Mormon to be an ancient record of actual historical events. Followers believe it to be a divinely inspired work revealed and translated by the founder of their religion, Joseph Smith. The other books considered holy by Mormons are the Bible, and The Pearl of Great Price which was also written by Joseph Smith.

The Tao Te Ching of the  Taoism: (Taoism or Daoism) The Tao Te Ching is the primary text of Taoism. It is an ancient Chinese philosophy and religious tradition that

emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao, the natural flow of the universe. Its sacred texts and collections of writings are numerous and varied, reflecting the diversity of Taoist thought and practice. Significant texts include the Tao Te Ching, the Zhuangzi, and the Daozang.

Shintō religion:  The holy books of Shinto are the Kojiki or ‘Records of Ancient Matters’ (712CE) and the Nihon-gi or ‘Chronicles of Japan’ (720 AD). These books are compilations of ancient myths and traditional teachings that had previously been passed down orally.

Summarizing ideas on the other holy books

The above lines show some of the holy books in the world. There are many more.

I ask, how many Gods are there? Are all these religions writing about the same god? It is very clear that all these books differ and are not in harmony. Some even have internal discrepancies in the same book. Is it possible that these books come from the same source, from one god?

You may not have read any of these books, but if you have had a chance to look through one, you should ask,

  • How does it compare to the Bible?
  • Do you consider it a “holy book”?
  • What is your holy book?
  • What are logic, scientific, spiritual proofs that one is really a “holy or sacred book”?
  • What can you say to a non-religious person who asks, “I am confused, there many religions that differ from each other, and many holy books. What is the true one?”
  • Are there many true sacred books and many good true religions?

All the above questions you should answer for yourself. Read and search, with an open heart and no preconceived ideas. How do we know if other religious writings are from God or not?

Conclusion

Religion has been around for as long as humans have existed. Many different questions have been raised about the Bible, however, the  proof is within its pages and it has been discovered by experts and scholars.

We need to be sure of which one of all these is really true, and from the true God.  This can be a big challenge for those who have not yet read, seen, handled or studied the different holy books of the major religions or the Bible. “Those who are engaged in the worship of demigods enter into the darkest region of ignorance, and still more so do the worshipers of the impersonal Absolute. The god is Śrī Kṛṣṇa…” wrote Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada,  the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness ISKCON.

Then what is the true religion? What is the true holy and sacred book among all those that we know and those that we do not know yet? Do we accept the claim made regarding these books? We have good reasons to believe otherwise.  All the so-called holy books are strikingly different from those that God inspired.  For example, consider the way in which these books were written. Remember that God used primarily eye-witnesses to historical events recorded in Scripture, and He used multiple authors, and their writings agree with each other. Whereas, the information in the Quran is the work of one man, Mohammad, who did not witness the events the book describes.  Likewise, the book of Mormon is apparently the work of one man, Joseph Smith, who did not witness the events described therein.

The Bible is The Book of The God

The Bible has not always been accepted as divinely inspired. In the past, “It required a desperate struggle for those who would be faithful to stand firm against the deceptions and abominations which were disguised in sacerdotal garments and introduced into the church. The Bible was not accepted as the standard of faith. The doctrine of religious freedom was termed heresy, and its upholders were hated and proscribed.” –The Great Controversy, p. 45

However, anyone who does diligent study with prayer will find that the Bible is true to its claim to be God’s inspired revelation to man. This is not true for all other so-called holy and sacred books.

The Bible was written by multiple authors who were eye-witnesses to the events they recorded. Two examples are:  1) Jeremiah asserted twenty times that “the word of the Lord came unto me.” 2) Ezekiel did so forty-six times. Human intelligence and skill alone could not possibly have produced the Bible. This is evident by the fact that men have not been able to produce a book that  comes near to the perfection, unity and continuity of the Bible.

Consider the marvelous unity of the Bible. Its 66 books were written by some 40 writers over a period of about 1600 years.  These men lived at different periods of time and they were from different backgrounds, even speaking different languages. Among the writers of the Bible we find: kings, shepherds, prophets, and priests.  They were not together nor in lived in the same period. But the Bible is shown as: The “Word of God.” Ephesians 6:17.  “The oracles of God.” 1 Peter 4:11 “The writing of God.” Exodus 32:16. These books complement each other and there is one common thread that runs throughout. There is no contradictions found because it was inspired by God.

There are many proofs that it is really the Word of God. The Bible is even the basis of all good governments as is testified by the following great men:

George Washington – “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”

Queen Victoria – “That book accounts for the supremacy of England.”

Andrew Jackson (Old Hickory) – “That book, sir, is the rock on which our republic stands.”

Horace Greeley – “It is impossible to enslave mentally or socially a Bible reading people. The principles of the Bible are ground work of human wisdom.”

Thomas Huxley – “The Bible is the Magna Charta of the poor and oppressed. The human race is not in a position to dispense with it.”

Every President of the United States takes his oath of office with his hand placed on the Bible. When a king of England is crowned, the Archbishop takes a Bible from the altar and places it in his hands with these words: “Our gracious king, we present you with this Book, the most valuable thing the world affords. Here is the wisdom. This is the royal law. These are the lively oracles of God.”

“Scriptures have treasures of truth that are revealed only to the earnest, humble, prayerful seeker. God designed the Bible to be a lessonbook to all mankind, in childhood, youth, and manhood, and to be studied through all time. It is the medium of communication between God and man.”  –Ibid., p. 69

“It is the first and highest duty of every rational being to learn from the Scriptures what is truth, and then to walk in the light and encourage others to follow his example. We should day by day study the Bible diligently, weighing every thought and comparing scripture with scripture. With divine help we are to form our opinions for ourselves as we are to answer for ourselves before God…The truths most plainly revealed in the Bible have been involved in doubt and darkness by learned men, who, with a pretense of great wisdom, teach that the Scriptures have a mystical, a secret, spiritual meaning not apparent in the language employed. These men are false teachers. It was to such a class that Jesus declared: ‘Ye know not the Scriptures, neither the power of God.’ Mark 12:24.” –Ibid., p. 598–599

Accountability in not searching for truth

“None will be condemned for not heeding light and knowledge that they never had, and they could not obtain. . . .

“Those who have an opportunity to hear the truth and yet take no pains to hear or understand it, thinking that if they do not hear they will not be accountable, will be judged guilty before God the same as if they had heard and rejected. There will be no excuse for those who choose to go in error when they might understand what is truth. In His sufferings and death Jesus has made atonement for all sins of ignorance, but there is no provision made for willful blindness.” –Last Day Events, p. 218–219 (also read: The Seventh-Day Adventist Bible Commentary vol. 5, p. 1145)

Dear reader, the Bible truly is the Mind of God in print and it represents the strongest appeal of any book ever written.  It is the best source of faith, strength, comfort, and courage for all mankind. It imparts guidance and consolation to all people, regardless of their station in life. It exerts a very appealing influence which draws every earnest sincere seeker to read its pages. It is indeed the Word of God and the one and only true sacred, holy book. Amen.

Victor Shumbusho, DR Congo

( To be continued….part two, next issue)