I was once a member of a team that travelled to a large city as summer missionaries. I was a driver and I drove small groups around, so they could meet with people to talk about religious things.

Now, I have a clear memory of people from Asia and the Middle East, who were offended by everything that we did. This Included Muslims and Sikhs, and probably Hindus and Buddhists.

I remember thinking; how can I dare to tell them that my religion is better than theirs? What makes me so special?

I really wrestled with those questions, and people argued back when we spoke about our favorite religion.

Sometimes it’s hard to be a missionary.

In our woke culture, where tolerance is the best virtue, most people understand this. We need an answer to this puzzle.

So, who has the best religion?

Some people believe that the truth is like a wheel, and we are all on the rim somewhere. From where we are positioned, any spoke will lead us to the center, where the truth is located.

Do you have a religion? Do you belong to something? That could include not believing, or being an Atheist. Something gives each of us our highest meaning.

Would you be offended if someone argued with you about a different religion and told you to change to yours?

We should all ask our-self the same question. What road am I on? If I keep taking my life in this direction, where will I travel to? Where will my journey end?

In my experience, we find our faith community in a common way:

• Consider the possibility (Some of us don’t have this luxury. The choice is made for us.)
• Join and identify as one of “them.”
• Believe (This might take some time, and settle on us later.)
• Learn how to compromise. (Put those doubts away.)

Most people that I know are living like that and this is an argument for Atheism with no religion and no God. Strangely, human religion supports the Atheist argument that there is no God.

Here is a lesson in history: religions don’t start as religions: Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus, Mohamed, Joseph Smith, and so many others.

Major religions usually have a founder, one person who wanted people to follow them. Religion develops later when people sort of remember the old ideas and conform to the community that grew from the old teachings.

I am a Christian, and I need to be reminded that a carpenter in northern Israel spoke to people and asked them to follow Him. No one was ever asked to join a religion.

The word that we have, for followers, is “disciple.” That is a person who follows with dedication and energy.

When the first churches were organized and became a religion, each member was told by their leader Paul “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Recently, I heard a preacher talking about some words in the Bible, that I have heard many times. Something about the simple explanation made those old words more powerful for me. That carpenter, Jesus, was strongly critical of the followers of His religion; as critical as any Atheist:

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Luke 13: 24 to 27)

The truth is personal, or it is nothing. The truth belongs to one person as the disciple of another.

These old words were a good lesson for me, and I hope they speak to you, personally.