i'm not sure about all the theological conotations about religion...what it is and what it isn't, but i'm not sure it makes much difference what religion one is to the loving God i percieve. you remember mark twain's old saying, "i wouldn't belong to any club that would have me for a member"? well, when it came down to it and only one chruch would have me i quickly decided that he and i would part ways on this subject. that's the church i joined.
of course, as a christian, it would have to be a christian church. it turned out to be presbyterian and i found i liked it. really though, i don't think a church dogma matters much to me. i kind of have my own dogma. some things i agree with my chruch on and some i'm not all that comfortable with, most...i don't have much opinion about.
the church for me is more about worship, prayer, fellowship, stewardship, learning and helping me to stay focused on God's Word and His plan then on my own petty day to day ups and downs. i take your point about if you'd been born into a different culture you may have been of another religion. i think that would be far more likely then not....also, i don't think it would have made alot of differnce. all of the religions i know of point basically in the same direction. though there is diverse methodology and dogmas, the goal seems to pretty universal. i believe God talks to different people in different languages, so if you are listening you will hear. though He speaks in hindu, buddhist, judaism, christianity, nature based religions, islam and on and on, somewhere in there is a language you can understand and you can hear Him tell you of His great love and hope for you. what language you hear it in doesn't matter, only that you hear, listen and act.
