The Mountains of Religion

I love the analogy that so many people use about the different world religions – God is a mountain top, and each different religion is a pathway to God. Some people are just taking a different path from you. And as soon as this statement is mentioned, everyone nods sagely, as though it is a brilliant statement, destined to end all of the world’s ills, including world hunger. I love it, because it’s so untrue I find it funny.

But a few days ago I was thinking – what if religions were actually mountains? What would they be like?

Well, Buddhism is the mountain that states that there really is no mountain, it’s all an illusion.

Hinduism would state that after this mountain, there is another mountain, then another, then another, until eventually, you get to that amazing valley of nothingness.

Mormonism would be that if you climb THIS mountain well enough, you get to go to another planet were you become your OWN mountain.

Islam would believe that there is nothing outside the mountain, that girls aren’t allowed anywhere but at the bottom of it (and they are nothing but distractions to the real climbers, the men), and that you have no guarantee that at the top of the mountain, God is actually there or will speak to you.

Judaism would believe that there is only one way up the mountain, but that if you don’t take all the exact right equipment, even if you make it, you might as well have not made it. Even if that equipment means that you actually would have more difficulty than without it.

But Christianity would believe that while there is only one path up the mountain, the Guide came down and helps us climb it, giving us all we need and helping us – even carrying us – along the way.

Obviously there is a lot more to all of the different religions here than what I’ve stated. But the thing is, different religions are not the same; they are not all pointed to God. They all have mutually exclusive claims.

So what mountain path are you on?