Why do you Need to be a Muslim Only? I am a Buddhist, and I believe that every religion teaches you good things. Then why someone needs to be a Muslim only? Chu Minh Tien, Malaysia Reply It seems that you are taking a very narrow view of each religion. When you say that “every religion teaches you good things”, you are, apparently, taking into consideration the moral and ethical teachings of the religions only. This, however, is not very accurate. Religion is not merely a set of moral and ethical teachings only. In fact, the primary concern of religion is to define man’s relationship with his Creator. The important question, which each religion answers, in one way or another are: Why are we (humans) here and where did we come from? If we have a Creator, how can we develop a sound relationship with Him? Why do we die and what happens after death? What is good and what is bad? Will the good ever get any reward for their deeds and will the bad ever be punished? If we have a Creator, what arrangements did He make to guide us to His liking? These are some of the major questions answered by each religion. A religion, thus, is not merely a set of moral and ethical teachings. It is, in fact, a set of beliefs and ordainments regarding the spiritual and the ethical and moral aspects of human life. The primary difference between one religion and another is not in its ethical and moral teachings but in the set of beliefs that the religion promotes. In view of the above explanation, it should be clear that if two religions promote two different sets of beliefs, each proclaiming its own particular set of beliefs to be true, it would not be possible for an individual to ascribe to two different religions at the same time. You have yourself declared in your opening sentence that you are a Buddhist. If you truly believe that there is no difference in the various religions and that each every religion teaches good, then why do you ascribe to Buddhism only? The answer, to me, is quite obvious. It is not because of the ethical and moral teachings of Buddhism but because of the set of beliefs that Buddhism ascribes to. You hold this set of beliefs to be true and till the time you hold this set of beliefs to be true, you should ascribe to them and, thus, be a Buddhist. The same, I assure you, is the case of a person who calls himself a Muslim or a Christian or a Hindu. I hope this helps. Regards, Moiz Amjad Home Page Use this "Home Page" link only if you have opened this page by following an external link, Otherwise you may simply Close this Window