ANSWERING – Similarities and Differences of Belief Systems | Series Overview
In today’s pluralistic and rapidly changing culture, knowing the core tenets of biblical Christianity isn’t optional—it’s essential. America has become a global crossroads, home to people from every imaginable faith. You’ve likely noticed the rise of belief systems that appear spiritual—but are far from biblical truth.
Do you—and your children or grandchildren—know how to discern truth from deception?
George Barna’s latest research is sobering: only 6% of believers hold a truly biblical worldview. Even more alarming, 92% embrace syncretism—a blend of mixed ideologies, half-truths, and moral confusion often summarized as “my truth.”
If you’ve ever struggled or felt uncertain about how to engage friends, neighbors, or colleagues who follow other religions, this series—ANSWERING: Similarities and Differences of Belief Systems—is designed for you.
Message #1 – The Tell-Tale Signs of False Teachers
We begin with Peter’s warning: “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves” (2 Peter 2:1–2). You will learn what apostasy is and how it manifests in false religious systems. We’ll expose the deceptive tool of equivocation—the ambiguous or duplicitous use of words to conceal falsehood. Apostate pastors and false teachers are masters at this. Jesus’ brother Jude offers a sobering warning and a clear description of these deceivers (Jude 1–25).
Message #2 – Mormonism
We begin with a crucial question: “Are Mormons Christians?” If Mormons are Christians, then Christians would be Mormons—and of course, they are not. You will learn why Mormon theology rejects salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8–9). Mormonism practices a works-based, polytheistic belief; its historicity is unverified by credible archaeology. The “Jesus” of Mormonism is not the Jesus of Scripture—He is stripped of His divinity, deity, and sinlessness. Mormonism presents a different Christ altogether. The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price—texts elevated to equal status with the Bible—are not inspired by the Holy Spirit but are man-made works of fiction.
Message #3 – Scientology
Scientology, a celebrity-attracting belief system, masquerades as a church but is rooted in science fiction philosophy and works-based self-redemption. You will learn its unique terminology, recruiting tool of “auditing,” teaching that humans descended from thetans, and its beliefs in engrams and reincarnation. We will contrast these deceptive beliefs with the biblical message of free salvation through the substitutionary death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Message #4 – Unity
This mind-science religion, once popular but now in decline, was founded in 1889 by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore in Unity Village, Missouri. Drawing from Hinduism, Spiritism, Theosophy, and Christian Science, Unity teaches that Christ is merely an idea—the essence of “divine mind.” Jesus, they claim, was only a man who attained perfection through many reincarnations. We will expose how this syncretistic philosophy denies the true deity of Christ and the authority of Scripture.
Message #5 – Secular Humanism
Secular Humanism is an ideology that deifies reason, rejects God, and dismisses the moral authority of Scripture. It elevates science and human autonomy as the solution to all problems. You’ll gain a biblical response to its core beliefs and understand how this philosophy has permeated education, government, and culture.
Message #6 – The New Age Movement
The New Age movement is a spiritual buffet—blending Hinduism, Buddhism, astrology, witchcraft, parapsychology, and more. It teaches the essential unity of all creation, the innate goodness of humanity, and that vision and intuition—not Scripture—reveal truth. Its roots trace back to 19th-century Transcendentalism, a movement that exalted experience over revelation and ignored the Bible altogether. In this message, we’ll contrast New Age mysticism with biblical truth and the clear revelation of God’s Word.
Message #7 – Hinduism
Derived from the Sanskrit word Sindhu (“Indus” or “river”), Hinduism began as a polytheistic and ritualistic faith that evolved into a complex religious system supporting the caste hierarchy and reincarnation. You will learn about its four castes—Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (rulers), Vaishyas (merchants), and Sudras (peasants)—and how the teachings of karma and reincarnation enslave millions. This message equips you to share the freedom of Christ’s Gospel with those trapped by this ancient belief system.
Message #8 – Judaism
Judaism began when Abram (Abraham) received God’s call to leave his homeland and follow the one true God (Genesis 12:1–11). You’ll explore the 19 key beliefs of Judaism, its revered Scriptures—the Hebrew Bible, the Mishnah, and the Talmud—and the major branches of modern Judaism: Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, and Messianic. Together, we will identify where Christianity and Judaism align—and where they differ.
Message #9 – Islam
In this study, you will discover Islam’s origins, teachings, and vision of salvation, including the Five Pillars and the Qur’an’s contrast with biblical truth. We will compare the core doctrines of Islam and Christianity, showing how the Gospel of Jesus Christ offers what Islam cannot—assurance of salvation and a personal relationship with the living God.
Message #10 – Examining Buddhism
Buddhism seeks to liberate the human mind from suffering through discipline and detachment. Its foundation rests on three pillars: the life of the Buddha, his philosophical worldview, and the institution of Buddhism itself. As Christians, we must understand Buddhist thought to compassionately present God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ—not by enlightenment, but by grace.
Message #11 – Christian Science
Another mind-science religion in steep decline, Christian Science, rejects medical science and distorts the person of Jesus Christ, elevating its own texts above Scripture. Throughout its history, Christian Science has rejected medicine, immunizations, and doctors, urging members to deny physical suffering as an illusion of the senses. Founder Mary Baker Eddy claimed, “There is one way to heaven… Divine Science shows us this way. The Second Appearing of Jesus is unquestionably the spiritual advent of the advancing idea of God, as in Christian Science.” This final message exposes the spiritual isolation and doctrinal errors of this movement and contrasts them with the biblical hope of Christ’s salvation and redemption.
This eleven-message series will equip your mind, help you to become Christian Strong, and prepare you to engage the world’s religions with truth and compassion. Discover how to stand firm in biblical conviction while lovingly presenting the Gospel to those caught in non-biblical beliefs.
Source: American Worldview Inventory, 2023–2025, Cultural Research Center, Arizona Christian University (George Barna).
Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (Boston: The First Church of Christ, Scientist, 1910), 98.
