The day after Jesus was arrested by the Jewish leaders in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was taken before the Roman governor Pilate. The Jews did not have the authority to execute Jesus; only the Roman official could ultimately pass that a sentence that severe. Pilate began to interrogate Jesus concerning His identity. During the interview he asked Jesus, "What is truth?" (John 18:38).

This is the great question of the ages that philosophers, sages and religious people have continually been asking themselves. Today in our world, it is estimated that there are over 5,000 religious systems vying for our attention. They all claim to have the keys to truth and the afterlife. If we will just follow them and give them our allegiance (and presumably our pocketbooks as well!), they will become our guide to a peaceful, eternal rest.

There are many religious systems that encourage--and in some cases insist--that you accept their "truth" on the basis of a feeling or other subjective experience. Included in this category would be groups such as: The New Age Movement, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Way International, The Spiritualist Church in America and The Unification Church, to name a few.

Not many years ago I was at the Unification Church headquarters in downtown Minneapolis meeting with a couple of members. We were discussing their sacred book Divine Principle. A young woman told me that if I read Divine Principle and prayed I would receive a burning in the bosom to show me that this great book was from God. This, of course, is the same experience that you are supposed to receive when you pray and read the Book of Mormon. This approach to discerning truth is outlined in the Book of Mormon, Moroni 10:4: "And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask of God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost."

The Unification Church and the LDS Church have radically different theological constructs, yet they espouse an identical test to determine whether they are from God. They each promote a "burning in the bosom" experience which, as both groups would have us believe, is God's totally subjective answer to prayerful inquiry as to the sacredness of their holy writs (Divine Principle and the Book of Mormon respectively). Members of the Unification Church and members of the Mormon Church have each applied this "test" and believe they have received answers from God. If they claim the exact same experience as proof for their divergent beliefs how are we to know which burning answer is correct and which is counterfeit; for they certainly cannot both be true? In fact, it might not be a metaphysical happening at all, but rather the three pieces of chicken and extra large helping of potato salad consumed at dinner last evening.

Then how are we to judge between correct and incorrect teaching and doctrine if the subjective approach is found to be insufficient? We are to test all truth against what is found in Scripture (1 John 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:21, 22). When the Bible is studied diligently it becomes clear that all the revealed knowledge of God and His Divine Kingdom is found within it (2 Timothy 3:16).

When you analyze religious claims from the vantage point of the Bible you can have confidence that the objective truth found in its pages will navigate you through the uncertain waters of the world's false religious systems.

If someone comes and explains that they have a new, improved gospel message, or that Christianity is old and without relevance in today's society, be assured that--regardless of their impressive resume detailing personal feelings and myriad experiences of how this new truth has transformed their lives--they are peddling another gospel (Galatians 1:8). Do not be taken in by their requests for you to pray about it or to experience it. If you succumb to the temptation to place your trust in "truth" claims unsupported by God's Word--notwithstanding a rhapsodic encounter--the price you will pay is eternal separation from Jesus Christ. The truth is that only the revealed Word of God can show you the genuine path to eternal life.