Customer Reviews

So What's the Difference?

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

A very good book if you're looking for an introduction to religions with a basic comparison to the teachings found in the Bible.

I'm always amused by comments on Christian books written by Christian authors. Non-Christians complain that the book is biased and the author actually had the nerve to believe that his faith is correct. What did you expect? Should this Christian author have to change his beliefs and tell the reader that the Bible's claim that no one can come to the father but through Jesus Christ is a lie, even though he believes that? Muslims believe you only get to heaven by being Muslim, Catholics believe you need the Cahtolic sacraments, and hundreds of other religions believe they are correct in their beliefs. It seems only Christian claims to exclusive knowledge are unacceptable to these people though.

My favorite was the person who whined that the book was filled with the author's opinions. Don't most non-fiction books contain the author's opinions? I'm guessing, if the book had been written by someone he agreed with, it would have been fine for the author to include his opinions. The problem is not the book in these cases. The problem is that many readers believe any book that does not present the world view they prefer is poorly written and the writer should have consulted them before writing his ideas on paper. These commenters are the ones who are narrow minded. Unless people believe that all paths lead to God, and humanism is the correct world view, they don't believe you should be allowed to express your opinons and beliefs.

Then there are those who claim the book is intolerant. Intolerance is believing that is someone doesn't agree with you they shouldn't be allowed to express their views and opinions. Intolerance is demanding that Christian beliefs not be written about because non-Christians don't like their beliefs. Nowhere in the book does the author preach intolerance of other religions. He simply states what he believes and presents the evidence for those beliefs in comparison to other religions. If you don't like reading that Christians believe their religion is actually true and the Bible is right about the way to salvation, read a book about humanism. Practice what you preach. Tolerance is a two way street.

This book is very short, and because of its length it really isn't able to go into depth on any one of the religions discussed. It does cover a lot of territory though, and if you're just looking for a good overview of the main differences between Evangelical Christianity and other religions, then this book is really helpful. Especially helpful are the charts included for each religion which lay out the main things the religion believes about Jesus, the resurrection, salvation, etc. It covers many of the ways other religions intersect or blatantly disagree with Evangelical Christianity, but it leaves out everything about the religions that do not have something to do with their relation to Evangelicalism. So this book is definitely helpful to gain a little bit of knowledge on a wide range, but much more research would be required in order to be able to have a full understanding of the main world religions.

Given the other reviews, I'll preface by saying this book barely scratchs the surface of answering the question the title poses. However, given that most Americans don't even take the time to scratch the surface of anything more than a mosquito bite, this book is a great, if simple, introduction to the answer. I always wondered the answer to the question this book approaches. Mr. Ridenour does a fantastic job of explaining these differences from a clearly Christian perspective. He starts with a clear identification of the Baseline for comparison (that is Protestant Christianity). He then proceeds to distinguish that baseline from Catholism, then on to other major world religions. I think every high school student should read this book before college. If you've missed that mark, go ahead and read it now! If this spurs your interest, and you really want to know more about other religions, read the writings that are central to those religions. IE. the Bible, the Koran, the Books of Mormon, etc. See for yourself what they say about themselves.

Yes, those who read this book and are not Christians probably will take offence at it, as it points out many reasons that Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal salvation. The book talks about the belief of many different religions and has compiled a unique overview of the differences of why Christianity is true, Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal salvation, and the reality of what other religions believe. I highly recommend this book for others who are searching, studying, or have questions about their belief.

-Christian Fobian, Author of Why Christ?

If you want to understand the differences between Christianity and most other religions you must read this book. I wish in some chapters it gave more detail but it provides references for more information.

This book explains religions in a concise way and compares them to Christianity. It is extremely good to help beginning Christians avoid pitfalls when trying to find a church. It is also useful to have information on other religions to be informed about their doctrines and have an answer for people who are seeking God. It has information on cults, Catholicism vs. Protestantism, Christian Science and Mormonism. I highly recommend this to everyone seeking answers.

I read this book back in the 1970s in high school Sunday school and am now back to buy a copy for someone else who needs to know exactly what the description says, "The aim of this book is to compare orthodox Biblical Christianity with other faiths in order to help Christians better understand their own beliefs." and I add, "...and the beliefs of religions on the same pivotal points of being a follower of Jesus."

It gives concise reference to the crucial beliefs of orthodox Christianity on Who is God, Who is Jesus, Who is the Holy Spirit, What is the Bible, How are we saved, etc. This is a book written by a Christian for Christians (those who follow Jesus as God and are saved alone by His death and resurrection). Those commenters below who couldn't stand the book of course didn't like what it said because it was not written from their particular non-Christian point of view. Jesus Himself said the way is narrow. I'd suggest those people get over their own intolerance. You are free to hate every word that this author, the Bible, and Jesus say about the narrow way, that you must come to God through Himself (Jesus), that He is God, that Jesus will save us from our sins, etc. Fortunately we still live in a society where we are free to disagree on these issues, but we can never forget that being tolerant is a two-way street and it is paved with love.

I've used this book to start conversations with those of other faiths to show them where our views are different and in most cases they are mutually exclusive of each other. It doesn't mean we can't be friends or care about one another, it just means we're banking our reality and eternity on different things, such as either Jesus is God as He said He was, or He isn't. We each have an opportunity to decide for ourselves after studying and praying through all materials available.

I highly recommend this book for Christians who want to know how other beliefs compare to our own, and also for those tolerant enough of Christians and want to know what we believe are the most important truths to our relationship with God. I've also found it helpful to those of other faiths who don't really know what their religion really believes, because some of these points are not taught openly.

I used this book when I was in highschool to witness to my now husband of 13 years who was a Catholic at the time. He wanted to know the differences between our faiths. It helped him come to the decision that he needed to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is not indepth, but it just touches the surface of many of the world's religions and is written with a Christian perspective. Someone who is not opened to believing in Jesus Christ as the Son of God may have a hard time accepting the truths in this book. It is a great witnessing tool for the Christian to have available in their own libraries to give to individuals who are on the verge of believing. I highly recommend it.

If you are looking for a basic comparison of biblical Christianity and 12 different religions and worldviews, this is a great book. I have used it with the ladies bible study that I teach. We found the information so interesting. Since the book is only 12 chapters, there is basic information about the key issues when comparing religions...i.e. Who is God? Who is Jesus Christ? View of the bible... We had many chapters that caused us to question that religions views and wishing that the chapters were longer. But we were looking at the basics and there certainly are books for each religion/worldview available. It certainly will challenge you to know your bible, to memorize scripture and to learn how to witness to those of other religions/worldviews.

For me, this was an easy read that gave a glimpse into other beliefs that unbelievably most people never experience! It clarified the basic differences between the faiths in a simple, straightforward approach with a summary at the end of each chapter. I would definitely recommend this, especially to fellow Protestants. It may step on some toes, but rightly so!