Jesus holds open the door. (Part 1)

(A devotional piece in 8 parts. The style is more analytical than my usual devotions, but, because of the content, I place it as a devotion)

Jesus holds open the door

Part 1: Introduction: focussing on Jesus Christ

Religion is the deepest answer to the needs of humanity.  It is the repository of the wisest, most profound, insights that the greatest minds have discovered, accumulated through centuries of struggle and wrestling, pain and exaltation. It expresses, and holds, and nurtures and celebrates the cries of the human heart, in agony and ecstasy, and it ponders the sublime and tormenting paradoxes, inescapable truths and delightful and frightening possibilities of life. Why does our society treat it as false, out-dated, superfluous, damaging? That many in our society do this is a sign of the intellectual and moral corruption of our society.

I have studied the great religions of the world for many years now, and their underlying unity is absolutely obvious to me. Even striking superficial differences, such as between Buddhism and Christianity, or Christianity and Hinduism dissolve once we delve deeper. I have no doubt that if I had been brought up a Buddhist or a Hindu, or any other great world faith (and many of the smaller ones too), I would very likely be convinced that that was the pinnacle of religious truth, and what follows would be a tribute to that faith. I also accept that it is nigh on impossible for me to step outside my own upbringing to make an objective decision. However, I won’t let that stop me attempting to make the assessment that follows! As someone who gladly accepts that all the major religions are true paths to God, I perhaps have some small insight to enable me to make the assertions that follow. Even if I should be wrong about the primacy of Christianity, I hope that the following devotional exploration of Christ will be helpful in drawing us closer to the God of love.