How can we know anything about God? The answer to this question depends on the person you ask it from, but the most cliché answer is often quotations or references from ancient books like the Bible, Quran, etc. But how do we know what those books claim about God are true? Now you get into endless arguments, back and forth which surprisingly seems not to change anyone's mind, as at the end of the day, the Muslim remains a Muslim and the Christian remains a Christian and so on and so forth. Now of course you'll have a few converts here and there, but generally speaking, people seem to stick to the religion of their parents which should ring a bell because it's a massive red flag to those who are seriously and desperately seeking the truth. The question should be raised that why is that really the case? Is it really because most people can't think critically? Or is it because most people hate to acknowledge the truth? Or is the truth really that difficult to discern? Maybe it's a combination of these or could there be another reason? Could it be that all these religions are false? A conclusion that is the main driver behind new atheism? But of course that's not what I think and I reckon that this conclusion is more like throwing the baby out with the bathwater, and I've written an article on refuting atheism which you can read HERE. So what is it? Why is it that most people stick to the religion of their parents and how can we truly know for sure beyond any doubt that we have put our faith in the right god, religion and/or theology? I'll tell you how I can, but you need to bear with me a bit.
As you may know, I was raised a Muslim and I am now a Christian. I could sit back and argue with you all day long. Give you reasons one after another as to why the ultimate truth is found in Christianity and so on and on. But can I convince you, the same way that I've been convinced beyond a shadow of doubt that I've got the truth? No. Why? Because that is not how I know what I know beyond a shadow of any doubt. You see, arguments played a significant role in helping me think outside of the box I was raised to think in but they didn't convince me beyond any doubt that the ultimate truth is found in Christianity or that Jesus is indeed the Son of the living God. I was raised and programmed to believe that there is no god but Allah, and that Christians are blaspheming Allah because they claim that Allah has a son but far be it from Allah to have a son. I was programmed to believe that all previous religious texts are corrupted while the Quran has been perfectly and miraculously preserved down to the letter and that is the most miraculous thing in the world today, and so anyone who does not believe in Islam, is not being honest with the evidence that proves Islam and causes it to shine above all the other world religions. This in a nutshell is the box I was raised in.
I eventually broke out of this box and started to think outside of this box known as standard Islamic theology. I became a deist for a while but I knew deep down that if there is a god, then there must be some kind of historical evidence, some type of prophet, messenger, etc otherwise this god that I believe in is most likely just a figment of my imagination! I even came close to becoming an atheist by throwing the baby out with the bathwater. You see, even though I broke out of the box I was raised in but I was still thinking in a box; another box which was way bigger than the previous one. I was still trying to reason to God all by myself, not knowing that because I've been fallible in the past, it's very likely that I'm going to make mistakes again and I wasn't really getting anywhere. I can't really tell you when this simple truth hit me but when it did, I realized that I can't really know the truth beyond any shadow of doubt unless I receive a direct revelation or confirmation from God myself. I didn't want to trust anyone anymore and neither did I trust myself because I too had been wrong in the past. But at that moment I did wholeheartedly believe and trust in God. I knew there is a Creator. I knew this world I'm experiencing can't be an accident; so I fell on my face and called out to this Creator as sincere and as genuine as I could with all my heart, mind and soul and He spoke to me and showed me the truth.
I can tell you that when God speaks to you, He will make sure that you hear Him right and correctly. But you have to give Him the opportunity to do that. You can't do that by putting Him into a box. You can't do that by limiting Him either. If you're stuck in a religion like Islam which says Muhammad was the last Messenger of God and that God doesn't speak to people anymore, then you're limitting God and you're putting Him into a box. You can't blame God at the day of judgement, because you alone are responsible for remaining in this deception. You can't blame God because you didn't let God correct you. If you're stuck in a religion that teaches that God randomly guides some people and misguides others and you happen to be one of the lucky people God has decided to guide, then you're not only putting God into a box but also putting yourself into a box. You're not allowing God to guide you; you're only deluding yourself and you deserve to remain deluded. You deserve it because you're putting the Almighty God, the Creator of this magnificent world, the Creator of your very senses and cognitive faculties into a box.
So that is why most people stick to the religion of their parents. It's because they either put the Creator of their very senses and cognitive faculties into a box or they put themselves into a box or they do both! Instead of going to God for answers, they're trying to reason to this God as if they're not going to be fallible in the process of their reasoning at all. Instead of calling out to God and trusting Him with all their heart, mind, and soul, and in most cases instead of letting go of dogmatic beliefs that they have inherited from their culture, parents or society, they choose to fight for their zeal; zeal that is not based on knowledge but rather on blind faith. Yes if you yourself do not have direct revelation or confirmation from the Creator of this world, then your beliefs are indeed based on blind faith in others. That is exactly what the Devil wants people to do and unfortunately most people either do it or are programmed to do it. If you're one of those people and if I have been able to ring a bell in your ears, then please take action NOW and ask God, and expect answers. I promise you that God will speak to you and you will hear His voice.
