The Christian Case, rajkumarrichard blogspot
Wikipedia reveals that approximately 7% of the world’s population includes atheists or agnostics.1 If all religions lead us to God, a key majority of the world’s population will be on the right track with only a small minority going astray – denying or being unsure of God’s existence.
On the other hand, if all religions do not lead us to God, there is a definite crisis. A vast majority of the world’s population could be in jeopardy, for they could believe in falsehood, which jeopardizes their eternal life.
Wikipedia estimates that 24.1% of the world’s population is Muslims. If Islam is the only true religion, then a 75.9% majority of the world’s population does not believe in the truth.
This argument could be extended to every religion. If Hindus believe that their way is the only way to heaven, then they disqualify every other religion that contradicts them. So if Hinduism is the only way to heaven, then all the other competing religious worldviews cannot lead people to heaven. This implies a majority believing in a falsehood.
Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism are not the only religious worldviews that makes truth claims. In fact, every religion makes truth claims.
This brings us back to the question, ‘Could all religions lead us to God & heaven?’
Three reasons could be posited to explain why all religions cannot lead us to God and heaven:
1. Every major religion contradicts the other.
2. There can be only one God.
3. There can be only one means of salvation.
Every Major Religion Contradicts The Other
Every major religion claims exclusivity. I provided a glimpse of the exclusivity claims of the major world religions in an earlier article of mine, entitled Exclusivity Claims of Major World Religions. While discussing the exclusivity claims of Hinduism, I wrote, “Hinduism excludes other religions based on its core doctrines. Consider the doctrine of God in Hinduism. Brahman, the absolute God of Hinduism, is a mysterious being.4
Although Brahman is one God, he manifests in innumerable forms, “Hinduism is unique because it is essentially a monotheistic faith which acknowledges polytheism as reflective of the diversity in God’s creation. God is one, but also many. He manifests Himself in innumerable forms and shapes.”5 But the God of Christianity does not manifest Himself in innumerable forms. Hence, Hinduism should exclude Christianity or Islam on the basis of the Godhead. The same holds true for doctrines such as karma and reincarnation, which absolutely contradict Christianity and other religions.”2
Even Islam, Buddhism and Judaism claim exclusivity. So if every religion contradicts the other, then all religions are not teaching the truth. Only one religion would teach the truth, whereas the others do not.
Historic Christianity also claims exclusivity. Conservative Christians believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven. This belief renders every non-Christian as an eternal inhabitant of hell. But the conclusion that Jesus is the only way to heaven is predicated on the premise that Christianity is the only religion that makes valid truth claims.
Since every religion contradicts the other, all religions cannot lead man to God and heaven.
One God
God is the ‘maximally great being’ or the ‘greatest conceivable being’ or the ‘greatest being possible.’ The maximally great being should be omnipotent (infinitely powerful), omniscient (possessing unlimited knowledge), and morally perfect, to say the least.
Such a maximally great being ought to be singular. In other words, there cannot be two maximally great beings. They cannot be maximally great if they are equal. Maximal greatness signifies that one of the two would essentially be greater than the other.
Therefore, there can only be one God.
One Salvation
Salvation is the deliverance from the power and penalty of sin. Sin is an assault on God. In other words, sin is the transgression or violation of God’s commands.
If God is one, then the sin of mankind is essentially against that God (because there are no other Gods). Hence, there can be only one means of salvation, for it is that one infinite God who offers the means of salvation to erring finite humans.
But what if God offers two or more means of salvation to the erring humans? Is this possible? It is possible as long as the means of salvation do not contradict each other.
There are two major means of salvation offered by the major world religions. While Historic Christianity offers salvation by the grace of God through faith in Christ, the other major world religions teach salvation through good works.
Salvation by grace through faith is a non-negotiable tenet of Historic Christianity. Historic Christianity teaches that mankind cannot perform good works (i.e. be perfectly obedient to God) to go to heaven because man is a perpetual sinner. Hence, God graciously sent HIS Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to die on behalf of all (the sins) of mankind, thereby paying the penalty for sin, which is death. Christ then overcame death through HIS resurrection and ascension. Thereby, those who believe in Christ are saved by virtue of Christ’s one-time perfect sacrifice and their belief in HIM.
Contrarily, the other major world religions teach that mankind would have to perform good works i.e. being obedient to God, to go to heaven. For instance, Islam teaches that worship of God and obedience to his commands are the prerequisites for salvation.
Hence, salvation by grace through faith contradicts salvation through good works. Since the means of salvation in other religions and Christianity contradict each other, there could only be one way to be saved.
Conclusion
There is only one way to God. All religions cannot lead us to God. Those believing that all religions lead to God are treading dangerously. They are risking their eternity.
If you are in that boat, think this through and make sense of your life. If you pray to God to lead you to the right path, HE will. May the truth set you free.
Endnotes:
1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_atheism#Studies_and_statistics
2https://rajkumarrichard.blogspot.com/2017/08/exclusivity-claims-of-major-world.html
https://rajkumarrichard.blogspot.com/2019/01/three-reasons-why-all-religions-do-not.html
I’d say the best determinant is asking which one has the best credentials.
Did the Buddhists or Hindus have an emissary sent from heaven to counsel them? No.
Did the Moslems have such an emissary? They claim that an outlaw named Mohammed received messages from an angel. But what did he do to prove it? Nothing, just more brigandage. After his death those who believed in his messages chose to call him a prophet and wrote down from hearsay what he allegedly said, all of which was brigandage oriented as though their inscrutable god were also a brigand.
Did the Christians have such an emissary? Yes, his name was Jesus Christ who performed many miracles to prove His origin as the Son of God.
Alas, his own people’s authorities wouldn’t accept His words of Truth and had him put to death, which is exactly what the heathen Muslims would do. But He rose from the dead and revealed Himself to many, further proving His authenticity as well as the way to salvation from the wages of sin, which is death, to those who would heed Him.
Alas there are still many others who won’t heed Him, others who only seek the rewards of this world, their thirty pieces of silver, or their own greater glory, not God’s.