Have you ever heard of the idea that all religions are equal? They are all different roads leading us to the same place.

That was a popular idea, and it still appeals to many people. You have probably seen bumper stickers on cars with the word “Coexist” written in religious symbols. The message is clear, all those religions need to stop their bickering, and learn to get along; to coexist.

Where I live, coexisting already happens. For example, there is a well-known Jewish Rabbi who collects money for the Salvation Army, at Christmas. The Rabbi rings handbells and stands near a Christmas kettle, and members of his congregation go to his site, to leave generous amounts of money for a Christian denomination.

Obviously, they don’t need a bumper sticker.

Strangely, the “Coexist” image is related to a lack of coexisting. There are lawsuits over the ownership of the logo, with more than one party claiming copyright ownership.

People can be ironic:

• READ: Coexist (image) – Wikipedia

So, are all religions taking us to the same place? Do all roads take us to the light?

No, but maybe just a little.

Most religions agree on the early phase, the first bus stop. After that, they have two directions, and we have a choice to make.

I recently found an online ad for a religious leader, who claims to have the power to help us. I believe that this leader teaches a variation of Hinduism.

We might call her a guru:

• READ: Devi’s grace

The advertising site has these words: “From untruth to truth, darkness to light, ignorance to enlightenment” Notice the word “from.” That is the common denominator for most religions, possibly for all of them. We could use the word “ideology” here, instead of “religion.” That allows us to include groups like the Communists, who don’t want to be labeled as a religion.

So, do all ideologies take us to the same light, possibly by different roads? We should know the answer to this question.

Probably all religions and ideologies have one thing in common. That thing we all care about is:

Sin.

Christians use the word “sin” to describe human moral failure. Notice the words of the online ad that follow the word “from”: “untruth … darkness … ignorance.” To me, that is like one of the Christian sermons I heard when I was a boy. I still hear those sermons, in church, on Sunday.

The Communists, who do not believe in God, are champions of moralizing about sin. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, and similar sources, the Communists have killed more people, to correct humanity, than any other group in the world. If you are curious, research terms like “mass murder” on the Internet.

Apparently, the Communists in China have killed more people than the Soviet Union, who are in second place. Hitler and the Nazis are a distant third.

My understanding of Nazi killings, is that they are based on Social Darwinism, an attempt to evolve the human race into something better. People who were labeled inferior, including the Jews, were removed from future human evolution.

Human beings have a long record of correcting sin, including horrible atrocities. It’s not all terrible.

Muslims have Pillars, either five or seven. The five are:“Shahada, Salah, Zakat, Sawm, and Hajj” or, in translation “Muslim creed, prayer, charity to the poor, fasting in the month of Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Mecca.” Someone who is an expert on the subject can explain why some believe in seven pillars instead of five.

Eastern religions like Hinduism and Buddhism generally have forms of self-discipline, like meditation. Did you know Yoga is a religious discipline, to help us escape from human depravity, and find a higher way?

It is amazing, that we all seem to agree, we need to escape from the corruption of this world, including from our own personal sin. Everyone, everywhere believes that. After that, each group finds its own way, through some human effort.

So, if you are looking for a religion, or maybe an ideology, pick one and get to work.

There is one different road. Someone named Jesus directed us to God, to fix our depravity. According to Him, we can’t fix ourselves.

We are told, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6)

We could accept that God does the work, or we could choose, and disagree, on the self-effort that we should follow. The basic contrast is stark; us or God. We choose and follow a road, and make our best effort, or God fixes us.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift.” (Romans 3: 23 and 24)