If I were to identify the true god among the possible candidates (religions), I would have to think about endurance and relevance. For instance, where are the Egyptian gods, the Roman gods, and the Greek gods today? The answer is that they are just a memory and they are history. And what about the human beings considered to be gods? All the Roman Emperors, Pharaohs, Dalai Lamas, and Inca Emperors are in the same place as the Japanese Emperor Hirohito (considered a god). Every single one of them is in the grave, lunch for the worms. I wonder what all those Japanese soldiers who died for the Emperor during WWII must think after they find themselves in the same place as their emperor (especially the Kamikaze!). Unlike Jesus, no one has resurrected from the tomb; unless it is a well-kept secret!

My point is that endurance and relevance are required to determine who the real god might be. If a god died with the culture of a society, then it did not pass the test of endurance. So under this parameter, we could say that only 2 religions are worthy of competing for the title of true god. These are Hinduism and Judaism. Both of them have endured for millennia. Hinduism for 4000 years while Judaism also around 4000 years. Buddhism has been around for 2400 years. In contrast, Islam is a lightweight with less than 1400 years. Christianity can be considered an offshoot of Judaism. There are, of course, many other religions but these are irrelevant in this modern world. Based on the behavior and ideas displayed by the philosophy of atheism, I include this in my list of religions (since their beliefs are clearly faith-based, not proven facts). In the list of the still irrelevant religions, I may say, although gaining ground rapidly.

In addition to not having the longest endurance, Islam (the second largest religion) not only is not positively relevant in most of the world today, but some of their precepts and behaviors are simply shocking, and very negative. Although Hinduism has been around for a long time, from the perspective of relevance, it does not pass this test. The Indian subcontinent is the only area where it matters today. Even then, many of the followers of this religion constantly experience difficult lives. In fact, quite a few of them are barely surviving. Thus, I am not impressed with the Hindu gods. On the other hand, people from every religion are immigrating in large numbers to Judeo-Christian lands. They are voting with their feet. People from atheist countries, if given the opportunity, also emigrate in large numbers. Therefore, Judeo-Christian philosophy is the only religion that passes the test of time and relevance.

Based on the previous parameters, Judeo-Christianity is it. Interestingly, many people in affluent Christian societies are becoming irreligious or atheists. There is a direct correlation between suffering and religious devotion. More suffering often translates into more religious devotion. They are trying to get their god to help them end their suffering by expressing more zeal and ardor. Suffering in atheist countries is also very common, but through indoctrination, people have successfully been taught not to seek refuge in religion.

Based on the real possibility that Yahweh (the Jewish god) is the true god, it is a great idea to determine what his mentality might be. Based on the Torah (the Jewish sacred scripture), we can see that when Yahweh’s followers behaved honorably, good things happened to them, while whenever they misbehaved, they were eventually punished. So, people in those affluent Christian countries, who are becoming agnostic, and even atheistic, should expect a negative reaction from Yahweh sooner or later. I am living in an affluent country today and can see that things are not getting better, but increasingly worse. God in this society is becoming irrelevant, so maybe some suffering will serve as a correction.