Why Should I Believe in the Bible?

I’m summarizing the religions in the order that it is believed they originated.  (See other posts for more info)

It is not known when Hinduism originated, it evolved over thousands of years among different people and includes numerous traditions, sharing common themes but does not constitute a unified set of beliefs or practices.

Judaism is the oldest monotheistic (believing in one God) religion.  It’s holy book, the Tanakh, (The Old Testament in the Bible) is the record of the creation of the world, the origin of man and the nations, man’s fall into sin, and the history of the Jewish people.

Buddhism started with Siddhartha Gotama in Nepal, who realized that wealth and luxury did not guarantee happiness, and explored different teachings, finally finding the way to enlightenment.  He was not a God, nor did he claim to be.

Christianity has the same roots as Judaism, outlined in the Old Testament.  The difference is that Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah, who came as the ultimate sacrifice to conquer the sin started by Adam.

Islam has its basis with the prophet Muhammad, who Muslims believe received revelations from God over a period of twenty three years.  Islam also has its roots in Judaism and Christianity, holding that many Biblical figures from Adam to Jesus were divine prophets.

Hinduism has a diverse set of beliefs and practices.  Buddhism is mainly about philosophy and Buddha himself did not claim to be a god.  Among the different religions of the world, the Bible is the most complete body of religious writing.  It has extensive information about God, God’s relationship with man, sin, early world history, prophecy, philosophy and wisdom.  Jews, Muslims and Christians have differing amounts of agreement on the Bible’s New Testament, but agree on the Old Testament as a spiritual and historical work.

Does the existence of other religions prove or disprove the Bible?  I encourage people to check out the sources of my information on the internet (see my other articles), research more and decide for themselves.

Next:  About the Catholic Church