Showdown

There are so many religions out there to choose from, and each one offers some method of proof as to why they are the true religion one should follow. The Hindu religion seeks a better way to live for all of us. Islam is a study of The Prophet via the Koran, and through them both we learn that what we do in this life will affect us in the life that is to come. Christianity has the Bible and offers salvation from the coming judgment of God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. The Jews have a unique religion of their own based on an observance of the Law of Moses as taught by the Torah.

There is a Wiccan religion that revolves around ‘white magic’ and a study of nature with a belief in the ‘earth mother’. Even atheists, though they would never admit it, choose to follow a form of religion of their own. By their very denial of a higher being, they appear to have found one in evolution, science, and secular humanism.

I know there are many more, but you have probably caught my drift here. And as a modern society we are told that we must be tolerant of each individual’s belief-system. It also appears to be a common thread today that there are, in fact, many different ways to get to Heaven. In that regard we are advised to be non-judgmental in discussions of such, or face the consequences of being dismissed as a ‘bigot’ or far worse.

As a Christian, I’ve also noticed that tolerance is specifically required of Christians, but need not apply to other religions. Why? It is because Christians are supposedly narrow-minded and are described as such by the media, politicians, and others in authority. We believe in only one way to Heaven, as promised by Jesus, Himself, in John 14:6. By trusting in the Bible we have drawn the ire of a society that prides itself on being able to accept any alternative belief as well as no belief at all. And as a result, our country now finds itself no longer ‘One nation under God’ but a nation under many gods. Allah is not God, nor is Buddha or Vishnu. Satan is not God, and neither is our government. Though they all may be worshipped as such, in the end they offer little hope and no answer for what we see taking place in our nation today.

Thinking on this subject, I have a mental picture of what it must have been like on Mount Carmel a long time ago. It was a time for sacrifice; a nation was in trouble due to unusual weather patterns, threats of invasion, and political corruption. The people met on the mountain to request help from a higher being during that perilous time. Altars had been set up, the people were ready, and the priests of false gods were making their rounds and exhorting the people into an emotional frenzy. But there was one prophet of God on the scene, facing all of those priests that were arrayed against him. His voice boomed out across the dry valley, “How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.” The Bible says that when he said this, the ‘people answered him not a word.’ They no longer knew who to follow by this time in their history. Things were that bad in Israel back then – almost as bad as they seem to be in our own country today.

It was a showdown on the mountain; Elijah and the God of Abraham versus four hundred and fifty prophets and a god called Baal. The story is found in I Kings chapter 18. In the end, it was God who answered with fire from Heaven, and caused it to rain afterward for the first time in three years. Baal and his prophets proved they had no power, and thus they were exposed in front of all of Israel that day.

Somehow, my mind keeps returning to Elijah’s challenge to the people, and how it still applies to us today. If God is God, then we, as a nation, should follow and put our trust in Him. But if these other gods, like Allah, Vishnu, or even Satan hold the key, then we should follow them. Either way, a choice must be made. Because God will not share His glory with another god; and we cannot ride the fence as a people, a nation, nor even as individuals.

If Elijah were here and broadcast the same challenge to us today, how would we respond? Would we simply stare at him dumbfounded, unable to comprehend what he was saying as a result of our acclimation to our so-called religious tolerance over the years? Or would we stand with him and shout as Israel did later that day, proclaiming that “The Lord, He is the God?”

It is definitely something worth thinking about.