Eversince cavemen started to wonder about the natural elements,
he believed in the existance of a higher being controlling the
world. And within such controls begat the foundations for a
civilisation to grow - a set of rules defining one's space and
shared responsibilities to live in a society for comfort and
protection.
Hunters pray to the moon for a good hunt, while farmers pray to
the sun for a good harvest. Animalist in worship, our ancestors
needed to find
comfort and solace in their environment, to have at
least a hope in an unknown future, more so when they, like
us, still have not figured out many things, worse still when their
education was sorely lacking.
The first known civilisation were the sumerians, whom although
prayed to several different gods, there is a chief god they worship
- Enlial. Their descendants were of the aryan ethnic group -
greeks, persians, ancient europeans, romans, indians.
To outsiders, many are aghast at the hindu religion with its
numerous gods and deities, but they too, like their ancestors,
worships only one god - be it Shiva or Ganesha, or others, and
respects the other gods.
Through Abraham, a descendant of Sumer, the line of jews were
created to worship and pay homage to one God. Moses was given
simple laws so that a civilisation be formed, without the conflict
of multiple loyalties and strife through religious worship.
Christ, the son of God, was sent to offer mankind the value of
redemption, so that mankind may sin no more. For example, if
a man was to kill another, he may continue to kill more and do
more harm, for he has no redemption and destine for doom. This is
dangerous, thus a need for the philosophy of redemption for
mankind.
Mohammed, the good prophet of the Mohammedians faith Islam, was
sent to offer the religious philosophies taught by Jews and
Christians to worship the ONE God.
Islam in its purest form is the direct communication to God by
individual men and not thru the intercession of human beings such
as clerics or its heirachies. Unfortunately, such philosophies were
too far advance for desert nomads with little education and subject
to, as we had seen, twisted, dominated and use to wreck havoc on
humanity by intelligent educated ambitious men such as mad caliphs,
demonic mongols and cruel ottomans.
It is the SAME ONE God that religious humans
had ALL been praying and worshiping to.
The only difference is the interpretation of God's law by Man,
and thus the different forms and manner of worship - Moses and line
of priests (Aron), Christian disciples, Islamic Caliphs.
Interpretation by men whom are as flawed as anyone else, none
perfect. Made worse when it became a tyranny or dictatorship,
unchecked by fellow men.
Buddhism is not a religion, but a philosophical way of life,
with the ultimate aim similar with religion - to do good and
progress humanity spiritually. We must move beyond the jungles and
its laws if we are to seek any hope for our continued survival as a
species.
Thus to convert or not - it is only the form of worship man
created,
that one seeks to replace, not God.