The Chicken or The Egg?

I have always had a belief in a higher form of existence, much like the countless billions now and before me. It is estimated that over 90% of mankind has now or sometime made a religous leap of faith. Starting from around 100,000 yrs ago at least 80% has spiritually questioned where they came from, where they are going, and how they should be living. Even the ones that consider themselves to be atheist, practice this belief so sincerely that it could easily be considered a religion, or at least a cult.

Christianity

So far Christianity is the largest group with 1.7 billion members. It is estimated that 50 bibles are sold every minute. Making the bible the most sold book ever. There are 66 books in the bible, 39 are from the old testament. Job is the oldest book written the bible, and believed to be written around 1500 B.C.

Even though we are taught that three wise men arrived for the birth of Christ, nowhere in the Bible does it say there were three wise men. Matthew 2:1 only says: “Magi from the east came to Jerusalem” and later they present three gifts. The names of these men were thought to be Melchoir, Gaspar,and Balthasar.

The King James Old Testament consist of 592,439 words consisting of 2,728,100 letters and the New Testament 181,253 words consisting of 838,380 letter (total 3,566,480 letters). And it is fitting that the last word is…Amen.

Islam
Islam is the second largest religion with an estimated 1.3 billion members. It is believed by many to have been founded in 622 A.D. in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It’s sacred text is the Qur’an and was originally penned in Arabic. Its founder is known as the prophet Muhammad. Islam has three sects Sunni, Shiite, and Sufi whose belief is practiced by following the Qur’an, Hadith and Five Pillars of Islam.

Islam believes mankind is born in a state of purity, with imperfection but capable of seeking God and doing good. In afterlife it is thought there is a resurrection of body and soul followed by eternal paradise or hell. The members of this faith worship in what is called a mosque.

Even though its main locations are the middle East and north Africa, Islam has a dominate influence worldwide.

The Baha’i Faith

The Bahá’í Faith is monotheistic, believing in one, all-powerful creator… God. Bahá’ís emphasize that God is ultimately unknowable in his essence, but human knowledge of God can be had through God’s Messengers or Manifestations.

The members of the Bahá’í Faith stress the unity of mankind, and its religions, with a progressive revelation of God to humanity. Bahá’ís believe that the founders of great religions such as Moses, Jesus, the Buddha, and Muhammad were sent by God to reveal God’s attributes and will in the terms that were appropriate for the time.

In 1844, Mirza ‘Ali Mohammad of Shiraz, Iran announced the coming of a new messenger of God who would overturn old beliefs and customs and usher in a new era. Identifying himself as the forerunner of this prophet, adopting the title of “the Báb” (Persian: “Gateway”). The name of the destined messenger is Baha’u'llah, born Mirza Hoseyn ‘Ali Nuri to a prominent Muslim family. As a disciple of the teachings of “the Bab”, Bahá’u'lláh was arrested in 1852 for practicing the beliefs of “the Bab” and jailed in Tehran. During his imprisonment, he realized he was the prophet whose coming had been predicted by “the Bab”.

Since the founding of the Baha’i Faith it has become one the fastest growing religions in history. Today, the Bahá’í Faith has as many as 7 million followers worldwide and is the second most widely distributed religion after Christianity. The Bahá’í accept the teaching of acknowledged ”Manifestations of God” who progressively reveal God to humanity. These prophets include Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster, Krishna, the Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, the Bab, and Bahá’u'lláh.

These three religions: Christianity, Islam, and The Baha’i Faith are three of the largest and widespread of many practiced religious beliefs. Yet with the advances in science and technology many are beginning to question pure religion with a more scientific explanation. So when ever asked by one of these people with this religious philosophy, which do i believe came first…the chicken or the egg? I honestly say,” I don’t know.” But not knowing does not shake my faith, it is what fuels it!

Just a few more words from,

anotherDarkknight.