The Last Post in the Lenten Series 2026
I have described religion and religious beliefs as an attempt by us humans to make sense out of the world and our experience in it. Philosophy could also be described this way. We have been at this for some 300,000 years; and as our species has evolved, religious beliefs have become more nuanced and more complex. The fundamental fact that we humans are stuck with is that all life has a beginning and an end. What is that all about? Is there life after death? What is the meaning of the vast universe and our place in it? Why do bad things happen to good people? Are we human beings fundamentally good or bad creatures?
There are more questions than there are answers. The first question is this: if there is a God or a Divine Being, how can this Being be all powerful and all good. Considering the pain and suffering humans endure from time to time, there is a disconnect. What about wars, famine, floods, storms, sickness and the bad things we humans do to one another that happen routinely on this troubled planet? Conclusion: God can’t be all powerful and all good. We have no choice but to live our lives the best we can and to die not knowing the answer.
Various religions have developed over the centuries to try to make sense of understanding and connecting with a spiritual reality. There are a half dozen or so major religions–Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Taoism plus Christianity and Islam, the last two of which now account for the religion of about half the population on the planet. But is Christianity Absolute Truth as many Christians argue? What about the other religions?
I was raised an Episcopalian, received a Master of Divinity degree from Union Seminary in New York City in 1968, and for a time was in line to become a priest in the Episcopal church, though never got ordained (for reasons that are obvious as you read this post). But despite my doubts Embry and I have not given up on church and from the mid 1980s have attended a smallish Episcopal church in Washington near where we used to live. There is something good about being part of a loving and diverse community focused on spiritual concerns that is appealing, and despite its faults, the Episcopal Church worships under a pretty big tent. As the saying goes, Episcopalians tend to check their hat at the door before entering church, not their brain.
The fundamental belief of Christianity is that the Divine became human in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, a devout Jew, who lived 2,000 years ago and performed miracles, healed the sick and preached a message of love of God and neighbor. For His beliefs and His message, he was considered a threat to the Roman rule of law in Palestine and executed when he was in his early thirties by the leaders of the Roman Empire responsible for governing that area. What made Jesus “God” was that after being crucified, His disciples believed He rose again from the dead to be with God. His disciples and others testified they witnessed the several appearances of Jesus after his death and two or three years later the Apostle Paul, after seeing a vision of the Risen Christ, became an early convert, wrote numerous letters to other early converts in the Roman Empire focusing on the meaning of the resurrection, and made three long missionary journeys to countries in the region to spread the word as to what the resurrection meant and how followers of Jesus, initially called Nazarenes, and later “Christians,” were supposed to live their lives. Paul’s central interpretation of the resurrection was that Jesus was God’s “Son” and his death was a sacrifice by God to “save” the human race, though salvation would be available only to those who accepted the Chrisitan message. A generation later the four Gospels were written over a period of half a century telling the story of the life, crucifixion and resurrection of “Christ,” the name given to Jesus after his resurrection and which is the Greek term for the Hebrew “Messiah.”
From AI:
The original meaning of “Messiah” comes from the Hebrew word Mashiach, meaning “the anointed one,” referring to someone ritually consecrated with oil for a special purpose, like a king, priest, or prophet, as seen in the Old Testament. In Judaism, the Messiah is a future human leader from David’s line who will bring redemption, while in Christianity, Jesus is the promised Messiah, the ultimate anointed one who fulfills these roles and brings spiritual salvation, a concept echoed in the Greek Christos (Christ).
Key components of Paul’s message included:
Humanity is made right with God through faith in Jesus Christ, not by works.
Salvation is a free gift (grace), liberating believers from sin and the curse of the law.
The resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone of Christian faith and proof of victory over death.
Believers are transferred from a state of being “in Adam” (sin) to being “in Christ,” making them new creations.
The church is the body of Christ, bringing together all believers regardless of background.
The message took hold and the fledging religion started to grow, though not as quickly as is often thought but a couple of centuries later when Constantine converted to Christianity and Christianity became the defacto religion of the Roman Empire.
And the rest is history. I have posted about this in the Advent series so if you have read those this will sound familiar. However, questions remain. Is the Christian story true? Did Jesus really rise from the dead? And why has the Christian Church had such a rocky past and why are there so many views within Christianity about what the religion means? I would argue that there is not one Christianity but many, often at war with each other. The Thirty Years War in central Europe, for example, from 1618-1648 between Catholics and Protestants, resulted in some five million deaths though historians point out that there were many other political and social causes of the conflict besides religion. And think about the different types of Christianity–Roman Catholic, Eastern and Russian Orthodox, Mainline Protestants, Evangelicals, Pentecostal and “praise churches.” And what about the MAGA movement among evangelical, fundamentalist Protestants in the United States today where Donald J Tump has been heralded by some as the new Jesus Christ?
But despite its mixed history, according to the Pew Research Center today the number of Christians in the world account for about 25 percent of the world’s population though Muslims are expected to overtake Christians soon.
Why is Christianity so popular on the planet Earth?
There must be something here, right? Certainly, religious belief and faith have meant a lot to the human race in getting us through tough times. But is Christianity the only “true religion”? Certainly not in my thinking. And in terms of values, I feel much closer to people of other faiths than I do to some fundamentalist and evangelical in-your-face Christians. More times than I want to remember, I have been reminded by “true believers” that I and people like me are going to burn in hell. At the same time, I can’t deny that Christianity has had a profound impact on believers and on me. So, I agree that there is a legitimacy to spirituality for the human race.
And there is no question that many human beings in all religions have glimpses of what they believe is the Divine. In my own life I have been touched by what I perceive is a Divine Power, admittedly not all that frequently, but nevertheless experiences that I believe are genuine and real. I can also point to some very close calls that I survived and that I now describe as a miracle that I am still alive and kicking at the ripe old age of 84 (almost). And finally, do not count on human reason or science to figure out the answers to the questions of the meaning of the universe and of life on Earth. Above our pay grade, as they say. And as to an afterlife I have no idea as to what life in eternity would be like or if I would be happy there, having to associate with all the “true believers” and holier-than-thou types. Eternity, after all, is a very long time to spend with company you do not like.
For me, I will latch on to “love your neighbor as yourself” as the major takeaway from the Christian faith and let it go at that. Everyone has to figure this out for themselves.
And that is it for the Lenten Series. Happy Easter (in six weeks)!
From AI: Major Global Religions
• Christianity: The largest religion, based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, with significant followers in Europe, the Americas, and Africa.
• Islam: The second-largest, focusing on the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, with a vast global community, particularly in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
• Hinduism: Often considered the oldest active religion, it is a diverse tradition primarily practiced in India with followers worldwide.
• Buddhism: Originated in India 2,500 years ago, focusing on achieving enlightenment through the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama.
• Judaism: A monotheistic religion with deep historical roots as the foundational, parent religion for Christianity and Islam.
Other Significant Religious Traditions
While the top four/five are largest, several other traditions are significant globally or regionally:
• Sikhism: Founded in the Punjab region, focusing on devotion and equality.
• Shinto: The indigenous, nature-focused spirituality of Japan.
• Taoism (Daoism): A Chinese philosophy/religion emphasizing living in harmony with the Tao (the way).
• Confucianism: A Chinese ethical system focusing on social harmony, family, and morality.
• Baha’i Faith: A modern, monotheistic religion promoting the unity of all humanity and faiths.
• Jainism: An ancient Indian religion emphasizing non-violence (ahimsa) and asceticism.
• Zoroastrianism: One of the world’s oldest monotheistic faiths, originating in ancient Persia.