The True Religion 1 Running head: The True Religion

Mario Garcia Religious Congregations around the world The University of Texas at El Paso 11/ !/1!

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Throughout the world there has "een a lot of controversy regarding a lot of different the#es$ %ower& ho#osexuality& a"ortion& teaching strategies& %overty& hunger etc' These have "een around for #ost of the ti#e hu#ans have "een here too' (evertheless& there is one to%ic that has "een around since hu#ans showed u% for the first ti#e$ religion' Even #ore s%ecific$ )True religion*' To start tal+ing a"out this first we got to have a concrete definition of what )True* really is' ,s we loo+ed u% in a standard online dictionary we found )True* to "e defined as: Consistent with fact or reality$ not false or erroneous* -Un+nown.' /ith this "eing said one could define #any things around to "e true' 0ou1re conscious of your own existence$ the existence of life around you& as well as the existence of everything in front of your eye& even in this very #o#ent& these exa#%les could "e defined to "e )true* -Un+nown.' 2et1s now ta+e this definition to a religious #atter$ a )True Religion* could "e defined as:* the "elief in and worshi% of a su%erhu#an controlling %ower consistent with reality& es%ecially a %ersonal God or gods*' The "i"le is +nown for "een used in every religion at the ti#e as the source of their rules& co##and#ents in so#e cases& "eliefs and even foundation& so#e #ay say that #any religions out there do not use the "i"le& truth is& religions li+e )The Church of 3esus Christ of 2atter 4ay 5aints* or )Mor#on Church* if you %refer and 6sla#& use "oo+s such as )The Mor#on 7oo+* and the )8ur1an* which are 9ust the %roduct of a rearrange#ent and #ani%ulation of the 7i"le words& with 9ust this little %iece of +nowledge& an o%en #ind and a lot of logical thin+ing we can discard #any of the religions out the that said to "e the )true* /ith this "een stated we can now loo+ for a %ossi"le answer to the "ig :uestion: ;ut of the #illions of religions out there& is there a )True* one< 6s there evidence that %roofs that at least there is one )True* religion< 7ut first we can start "y as+ing ourselves$ is there even a necessity for us to follow a religion<

The True Religion 3 =u#ans need a direction for their lives& you see %eo%le wal+ing in front of you every second of your life& going to wor+& school& ho#e& gy# and all +ind of different %laces& all of the# with a te#%oral %ur%ose' 6f you as+ a regular high school student why is it that he is going to school #ost %ro"a"ly he1ll answer$ )"ecause 6 want to go to college* or )"ecause 6 want to get a good 9o"*& or si#%ly )"ecause #y %arents #a+e #e*' (ow let1s ta+e a loo+ at a regular college student& and as+ hi# the sa#e :uestion& answers will now %ro"a"ly "e a lot #ore exact' 7ut what ha%%ens once we co#%leted our te#%oral goals< ;nce we are >? years old 9ust sitting in a chair within our ho#e si#%ly watching T@ and waiting for dinner to "e ready< 6s it that we1re 9ust waiting to die< =ave we as+ed ourselves$ why is it that 6 a# here< That exact :uestion is what religion answers& the %ur%ose of life& #ore s%ecific$ the %ur%ose of your life' /ith this in #ind it is %ossi"le to say that we need religion& it is in our nature& for if we don1t have a %ur%ose for our life& a final destination& why are we here then< Anowing this we1ve to do a dee% and accurate search of a religion that will ulti#ately lead us to that final destination& which according to the "i"le& ulti#ately is$ )Eternal 2ife* -3ohn B: C. The "ig :uestions shows u% again$ how do we +now which religion will lead us to eternal life < /hich religion is the )True* one< 2oo+ing closely at the "i"le& our #ain reference %oint& one line stands out when trying to identify the only religion$ D;ne ho%e& one faith& one "a%tis#'D -DThe "i"le&D ? ??& E%h' C:B& 1!.& 9ust "y loo+ing at this very line& #any %olytheistic religions could "e crossed out of the %icture& nevertheless the #a9or ones around the glo"e will still "e in the )True Religion* category' Eor these religions we will have to loo+ at their "ac+ground& foundation& "eliefs and related content to the "i"le' Crossing the ones that had their foundations in the last #illenniu# at least BB of the #a9or religious congregations will "e out of the fra#e for they have no logical foundation& they are "ased on other #a9or religions li+e Christianity& 3udais# and =induis#

The True Religion 4 translated into another words& "asic rules changed and even an edited "i"le with a different na#e' ;ne si#%le exa#%le$ the 2utheran church& "ac+ in 1B1>$ )2utherFs efforts to refor# the theology and %ractice of the Ro#an Catholic Church launched the Protestant Refor#ation' 7eginning with the GB Theses& 2utherFs writings were disse#inated internationally& s%reading the ideas of the Refor#ation "eyond the a"ility of govern#ental and churchly authorities to control it' The s%lit "etween the 2utherans and the Ro#an Catholics "egan with the 1B 1 Edict of /or#s& which conde#ned 2uther and officially outlawed citiHens of the =oly Ro#an E#%ire fro# defending his ideas' The %unish#ent decreed for 2utheranis# was seiHure of all %ro%erty& with half going to the 6#%erial govern#ent and half given to their accusers' The divide centered over the doctrine of 3ustification' 2utheranis# advocates a doctrine of 9ustification D"y grace alone through faith alone "ecause of Christ alone&D which went against the Ro#an view of Dfaith for#ed "y loveD or Dfaith and wor+s* -Es%in.' (evertheless& as a reader& you1ll start realiHing that as you get dee%er and dee%er into religion it all su#s u% one si#%le yet one of the #ost co#%lex and co#%licated the#es of all regarding religion$ faith' , 5aint of the Catholic Church #ade a good argu#ent a"out faith so#e ti#e ago$ )Eaith is to "elieve what you do not see$ the reward of this faith is to see what you "elieve'* -,ugustine.' 3ust li+e this one there are #any different congregations around the world who are derivates fro# the first religions that a%%eared in the early %hases of hu#an life' Regardless of what religion you1re tal+ing a"out they all have one thing in co##on$ faith "ased "eliefs' Eaith is one of the #ost i#%ortant su"9ects for any religious congregation& since it is there where every convert ion starts fro# there' Eaith is not only used "y the #any religions out there to ex%lain what they "elieve in& "ut to ex%lain #any of the #iracles& ha%%enings& a%%earances etc' that no one could "e a"le to ex%lain& if we could reduce the whole )True Religion* argu#ent the only %ossi"le answer would su# u% to only one

The True Religion 5 thing and that is fait' 6 say %ossi"le "ecause the only answer we1re getting here in a hu#an for# will only "e co#ing the final day'

/e a hu#ans need a direction for our lives& we cannot wal+ on earth with no direction nor %ur%ose& with that "een said the only %ossi"le answer for )us* as to why we are here is religion' Religion& tells us why are here "ecause a nonInatural "een created us with the %ur%ose of at one %oint of our lives "e a"le to reach hi# in eternal life& also +nown as )heaven*& is a very detailed and co#%lex the#e that affects #ost of our surroundings nowadays in society& fro# ho#osexuality to a"ortion' 6s one of the #ost co#%licated and varied su"9ects to tal+ a"out since the variety of religions& "eliefs and successes over ti#e had "een so overwhel#ing since hu#ans had first showed u%' 5ince the world is surrounded "y so #any different religions saying they have the )true* %ath to eternal life the "ig :uestion has "een around since the "eginning of ti#e$ which religion is the )True* one< 5ince we1re all hu#ans and we all have a certain desire for +nowledge is a natural thing for us to try and loo+ for an answer to what is one of the "iggest :uestions of our world and& sadly& one that none of us could answer in a correct way& since we1re not the creators of ourselves& #eaning we1re not res%onsi"le for our own existence& that :uestion cannot and will not have an answer co#ing fro# us' The only %ossi"le answer& as #entioned "efore can co#e fro# only two sources& God itself& #eaning we will have to die& or the final day& which as #entioned in the "i"le& the truth will "e reveled' Conscious of this and loo+ing dee%er and dee%er into the :uestion you reach a certain conclusion$ the only thing that will ulti#ately lead us to an answer is %atience& faith and "e the greatest you can "e on a daily "asis& for it your staying on earth is going to "e so long& why not #a+e the "est out of it<

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References: 1' Un+nown' Awake' Retrieved fro# htt%://wol'9w'org/en/wol/d/r1/l%Ie/1? ??J?J ' - ?1?.' Jesus: Eternal life. 0ahoo' Retrieved fro# htt%://#x'answers'yahoo'co#/:uestion/index<:idK ?11?! G11??1G,,r"hyG !' -n'd'.' Retrieved fro# htt%://www'thefreedictionary'co#/true C' The bible' -? ??.' Retrieved fro# htt%://www'"i"legateway'co#/%assage/<searchKE%hesians C:CILMversionK(6@ B' ,nony#ous' -n'd'.' Retrieved fro# htt%://#x'answers'yahoo'co#/:uestion/index< :idK ?11? L1J!?CB,,G5N=6

L' Es%in& ;' -n'd'.' Retrieved fro# htt%://en'wi+i%edia'org/wi+i/2utheranis# >' ,ugustine' -n'd'.' Retrieved fro# htt%://www'"rainy:uote'co#/:uotes/:uotes/s/saintaugus1 1!J?'ht#l