“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me…’” John 14:6
You may have heard people say, “We all serve the same God. It doesn’t matter what you call him.”
Umm . . . yes, it does. Picture this scenario: A woman walks in the door after work and greets her husband. Only, she calls him by the wrong name. When he objects to this, her response is, “Oh, honey, that shouldn’t bother you that I called you by my ex-husband’s name. You’re basically the same person to me!”
I think that might kill the relationship. What do you think?
This is how many people view God; not as someone with whom they want a deep, personal relationship, but as a sugar-daddy in the sky who should give them whatever they ask for, regardless of if they treat Him with the respect He requires and deserves. This is why many people become disillusioned with God because they don’t get out of the relationship what they want, even though they are unwilling to commit.
Whenever I hear someone talk about how all religions (and gods) are the same, it is a clear indication that they have never studied the world religions. Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Bible-based Christianity teach very different things about the afterlife, for example. Everyone wants to go to heaven but God—and only the @RealGod—promises us a personal relationship with the Creator and the opportunity to spend eternity with Him in heaven.
You can call God anything you want, but He’s made it very clear who He is and what is His name. Throughout history there have been many other gods competing for top-dog status. This is why the authors in the Bible talk about the name of the LORD (see Psalm 148:13). The Creator of the Universe was very careful to make His name known to all.
To take it a step further, God describes himself as “a jealous God” in Exodus 20. God doesn’t want to share you with anyone else. In simple terms, saying that all gods are the same offends the real God. This will leave you god-less in the same way that calling your spouse by the wrong name will leave you single.
I challenge you to consider this the next time you hear someone say that all gods are the same.