“I am absolutely against any religion that says that one faith is superior to another.  I don’t see how that is anything different than spiritual racism.  It’s a way of saying that we are closer to God than you, and that’s what leads to hatred.” ~ Rabbi Schmuley Boteach

“I am the way and the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father but through Me." ~ John 14:6

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” ~ Acts 4:12

This is a very difficult question that ultimately finds one of two answers- “All religions are the same, therefore it IS arrogant for Christianity to argue for exclusiveness” or “The world religions are all different and they CANNOT all be right”.  So let’s review Christianity’s claims.  The overall description of God’s plan to restore human beings from the ruins of our attempts to be our own leader are described in the answer to Question #1.

The Christian faith, in a nutshell, is simply this: We have abandoned God and have experienced the consequences- suffering and death.  It is just as much a universal principle as the laws of physics.  If you step off the edge of a building, there are unavoidable consequences.  If you step out from underneath the authority of God- our very Life Source, there are also unavoidable consequences.  But, Jesus Christ- the God-Man, the perfect intermediary between rebellious human beings and a holy God, satisfied the justice of God by paying for every sin- past, present and future so that anyone willing to surrender their life to Him will be restored to union and friendship with God.

We start here to talk about whether or not all religions are the same and why Christianity both is inclusive in that anyone may come, yet exclusive in that there is only one way to come.

Aren’t all roads leading back to God?

Are the major religions basically the same?  While it is true that there are some basic common moral teachings in the world’s religions, the surface parallels are not nearly as stark as the blatant differences.  Consider the orthodox Hindu perspective when seeing a dying derelict in the gutter.  The Hindu who uses their faith system would be reluctant to help this person because:

• The body is ultimately only an appearance; a non-reality, thus bodily death is not a crucial issue.
• Since everyone must work out their own karma (moral fate), to help this person may be to interfere with their fated learning experience.
• Since after death, we go through more and more reincarnations until we reach a fully enlightened state, this person’s death is not very tragic since he or she will get more rounds.

Now, someone following an orthodox Christian, Jewish or Muslim faith system would help this person because:

• The body is very real and important. 
• Suffering is not fated but free.  While God is sovereign over the events in history, He employs human beings to be His agents of mercy and change.
• Life is very precious since one only goes around once.  And thus, the soul, too is very important.

• Can salvation be BOTH by God’s unmerited mercy through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ AND through the merits of going through multiple cycles of reincarnation and education?  Isn’t salvation unmerited in Christianity and merited in Hinduism?  Can they both be true?

• Can the solution to suffering be BOTH the arrival and full restoration of God’s Kingdom (the ultimate desire of reborn hearts) AND the purely human endeavor to arrive at a state of enlightenment and denial of all desire?  Isn’t one solution God-initiated and the other solution human-initiated?  Can they both be true?

• Can the Bible which clearly articulates that Jesus was deity, died on the cross for sin and was resurrected from the dead AND the Quran which clearly articulates that Jesus was merely a prophet (and not divine), did not die on the cross and did not rise from the dead (Qu’ran 3:55; 4:156-158, 171; 5:72, 116) BOTH BE RIGHT?  To deny Christ’s deity, death and/or resurrection is to eliminate THE core elements to salvation in the Christian faith.  Do these two roads lead to the same place?

What then shall we say?  Since the major religions ARE vastly different and the law of non-contradiction shows that they cannot all be going to the same place, ultimately one (or none) must be right and the rest must be wrong.  Hinduism, for example, cannot be correct if Christianity is correct.  If Hinduism REALLY accepts that all religions are true, we have a serious problem since Hinduism would accept Christianity which asserts that Hinduism is false.  Christianity and Hinduism cannot both be true.

Well, what then DOES Christianity assert as true?  If it is proclaiming an all-or-nothing road to redemption, what is its plan, and is it a plan that would match up well with a God who is both just and merciful?


The claims of Christ

• Jesus alone is the way to God- Jesus was very clear on this point.  There was no fudging here.  At several junctures, Jesus proclaims that He Himself is God (John 8:58-59; 10:27-30; 14:6-10), He clearly states that He is the only way (John 6:40; 10:9; 14:6).  The apostles were also clear on this point- Jesus is the only way to God (Acts 4:12; Philippians 2:6-11; 1 Timothy 2:5).  There is no question on whether or not orthodox Christianity teaches only one way to God.  The question is whether or not it is true.  Again, we refer back to Question #4 where it was argued that the Holy Writings of the Bible offered a proof of their divine origins that no other “sacred writings” could match.  It would seem that the Bible is a trustworthy source not just of history, but also of spiritual issues. 

Secondly, one must ask the question- “If God were to go to the drastic extreme of taking on human form and suffering the physical and spiritual agony of the cross so that anyone could return to Him, why would He then say, ‘Oh, you can come any way you like.’?”  It’s an analogy that falls woefully short.  But picture the scenario of a woman putting her life savings into an anniversary celebration.  She exhausts her every resource to win back a husband who has left her.  She has planned an all-out trip to his favorite vacation spot.  She has bought him the best set of golf clubs money can buy and a five-day package to golf on the most exclusive courses in the country (yes, the man loves golf).  She has planned every night to have his all-time favorite meals and afterwards, romance that he’ll never forget.  Then, when she brings him into the room where the brochure with all that is planned is displayed, he says, “That’s nice.  But, I’d rather go to MacDonald’s with the other woman.”  Can you imagine the wife saying, “Well, we can do this any number of ways.  If that’s what works for you, then I say, ‘Let’s do it that way.’?”  Of course not.  If we could be saved by some other way (our own sincerity, religious rituals, being good enough), then the cross is a ridiculous event that has no meaning.

• We are saved by God’s grace alone, and not by any deeds we have done!!  This is such an important point because it is the separating point of orthodox Christianity with heretical Christianity as well as ALL OTHER RELIGIONS.  Most religions teach one of two things: either everyone goes to heaven (universalism) or you need to work to get into heaven (legalism).  There are some that are combinations: that everyone will get there, but some have to go round and round the reincarnation cycle before they get it right.  No other religion besides Christianity suggests that a just, yet merciful, God would Himself supply the means to return to Him. 

Again, we must ask the question: If God accomplished everything at the cross, why would He require either nothing or something extra?

• Surrender to Christ will result in God’s work in you to transform you into a person that reflects the love and grace of Jesus Christ.  This isn’t a free-pass into heaven no matter how you behave.  God WILL transform us by either calling us to submission (Romans 12:1-2) or disciplining us through the circumstances and consequences of our choices (Hebrews 12:7-11).  Our faith will produce good works or that faith is dead (James 2:14-26).  We do not have the resources to combat our sinfulness (Psalm 51:5-6; John 15:5; Romans 7:14) nor can outside instructions like the Law make us godly (Romans 3:20; 8:3)!

Your call:  After even a casual comparison between the various religions, we see that they cannot all be true, nor do they lead in the same direction.  So which path do you think best reflects a God or justice and mercy?  A path that is either reserved for a mystical elite (e.g. Buddhism) or the diligent few (e.g. Hinduism, Islam, Judaism) OR a path that anyone offers mercy to anyone who will come to receive God’s mercy and justice (e.g. Christianity)?

Now what?  See for yourself whether all religions are the same.  Consult some local clergy from various religious traditions.  Ask them according to their faith tradition the following questions:

• What does their religion say about who God is?

• How does their religion explain the existence of sin and suffering?

• What is the root cause of evil?

• Are people inherently good or bad?  Do people have a nature to sin?

• How does one get right with God?  What are the specific steps?

• Who is Jesus?  What is His importance to God’s plan for humanity?