Fast Facts on
False Teachings with CMI

"Religion vs.
Christianity: what's the difference?"

"Why are you Christians
always sending missionaries overseas?  People
have their own culture, their own religion, why don't you just leave them
alone?!"  This is one of the most
common statements we hear as we lecture on college and university campuses
throughout the United States and around the world. 
Students and faculty often jeeringly ask us, "What is so special about
Christianity, different from every religion in the world?" 
To be sure, this is a very significant question; and probably one of the
most significant questions that any Christian could ask themselves: what is so
special about Jesus Christ?

Our family has a close friend
named Lou.  Lou grew up in the
nation of Thailand and he was a Buddhist for the first 20 years of his life
until he met some Christian missionaries who introduced him to Jesus Christ.  If you were to ask Lou today, "What is so special about
Jesus Christ and Christianity different from every other religion in the
world?"  Lou would share with you
the following story:

"When I was a Buddhist I felt
like I was in the middle of a large lake.  I
was drowning and I didn't know how to swim. 
As I struggled to keep my head above water, I looked out towards the
shore and saw Buddha walking up to the edge of the lake. 
I was going under for the third time, when suddenly Buddha began shouting
out instructions to me, teaching me how to swim. 
Buddha shouted, 'Kick your legs and paddle your arms.'  But then Buddha said, 'Lou, you must make it to shore by
yourself.'  As I desperately
struggled to follow the instructions of Buddha, I looked out towards the shore
again, but this time I saw Jesus Christ walking towards the edge of the lake. 
However, Jesus did not stop at the edge of the lake. 
Jesus dove into the lake and he swam out and rescued me! 
And once Jesus had brought me safely back to shore, then he taught me how
to swim, so that I could go back and rescue others!"

You see, this is the key
difference between Christianity and every other religion in the world:
Christianity is not a religion!  What
are religions?  Religions are about
human attempts to make our lives right with God, through our good works,
sacrifices, rituals, and money.  However,
Christianity is not a religion.  Christianity
is about God entering human history to graciously save men and women through His
Son Jesus Christ.  It is only by
placing our faith in Jesus Christ and submitting to his Lordship that we will be
saved.

A relationship with God will
never be found in any religion, because religions only offer swimming lessons to
people drowning in the sea of sin.  And
it doesn't matter how sincere or devout you are in your religious faith and
practice, because the sea of sin is eternally immense. 
The only hope for men and women drowning in the sea of sin is Jesus
Christ.  God entered human history
in the person of Jesus Christ; he dove into the sea of sin in order to save
desperate and drowning people.  If
you'll allow him to take you there, he'll hold you in his loving arms and
bring you safely to shore.  And
after arriving safely to shore, then your swimming lessons begin, so that you
can go back and rescue others!

By Jason Carlson and Dr. Ron
Carlson of CMI

Christian Ministries
International is an organization that seeks to equip the church in response to
the challenges of the world's religions, cults, and various apologetic issues.  CMI can be found on the web and contacted through: www.christianministriesintl.org.