Are All Religions Good: Dialogue with an Objectioner
Acts 4:12 (NASB)
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.
A Christian apologist writes, “Christianity is the only true faith, all other religions are of the Devil . . .” Undoubtedly, he will hate what Dwight Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States (1953-61), once said about religion: “Our government makes no sense unless it is founded on a deeply held religious belief—and I don't care what it is.” This statement appears to align well with the popular slogan, “All religions lead to the same God.”
At first, I wasn’t too enamored with Eisenhower’s assertion; now, however, I agree with what was meant: Since the proper functioning of democracy (with fewer and less coercive laws) is contingent upon conscientious people, moral values advocated by any religion serves that purpose, since they are similar to one another. I came to see this after encountering the functional view of religion—first advanced by the French sociologist Émile Durkheim—that sees “religion as a vast symbolic system which made social life possible by expressing and maintaining the sentiments or values of the society.” This is to say, if the only goal of religion is to maintain public order and security, then, Islam or Buddhism is as good as Christianity. For instance, the Koran discourages stealing: “As to the thief, male or female, cut off his or her hands: a punishment by way of example, from Allah . . .” (5:38). Of course, Moses discouraged stealing as well, saying, “If a man steals an ox or a sheep . . ., he must pay back 5 head of cattle for the ox (Ex. 22:1). As for Buddhism, its followers are told to avoid “killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct, lying, divisive speech, hurtful speech, idle chatter, covetousness, malice . . .” On this account, we break with the aforementioned apologist.
What’s substantially different among them is their afterlife strategy: Buddhism exhorts its followers to do good on earth to achieve a better reincarnation, while Islam demands that its adherents obey the Five Pillars of Faith (the confession, daily prayers, almsgiving, fast, pilgrimage to Mecca). In short, these are man’s effort to save himself. On the contrary, the Christian faith declares that since man cannot save himself because of sin, God saves him through the atoning death of His Son Jesus. In short, this is God’s effort to save man. On this account, we break with Eisenhower: Our salvation makes no sense unless it is founded on the belief in Jesus Christ.
We don’t need to trash religions of the world: Give them credit for making valuable contributions toward building a safer and orderly society; but we should respectfully disagree when it comes to salvation, “for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved”— except Jesus.
Objection from a Reader
Religion exists because of two things. The first reason is that we are created by God to worship. It is a yearning and part of the fiber of our very being, we are made with an inbuilt need to worship. The second reason is that Lucifer (Satan, the Devil) hates God and everything God has made and desires to destroy it. Religions have been crafted mainly by Lucifer and the other fallen angels which were hurled to earth when they lost their place in heaven when they rebelled against God -vainly trying to usurp His throne. To be sure, some humans have crafted religions as well, albeit under the guiding hand of their spiritual father (Lucifer). It is a dangerous and foolish attitude to take that some religions should be given “credit for making valuable contributions toward building a safer and orderly society.” Those things have absolutely NOTHING to do with religion. Religion is Lucifer’s counterfeit substitution to the Truth that he feeds to those who are Lost yet still have a built-in need/desire to worship. We were made to worship our Creator, but our sinfulness separates us from having that proper relationship with Him. Lucifer understands this and does everything in his power to lead man away from God, away from the Truth that will set them free. He knows that the road to hell is broad and many are they that walk it, much to his delight and glee. As God’s redeemed children, we must always stand firm to clearly and unequivocally call what is evil evil. Religions are evil. Saying they should be commended for what little ‘good’ things they contain is like commending chocolate coated poison for being covered in chocolate.
My Reply
Dear reader, my blog was presented under the rubric of God's common grace, which does not include salvation, that has been given to all, not just the elect or believers (Mt. 5:45; Lk. 6:35). God's love for the pagans is clearly shown in what the apostle Paul says to the Zeus and Hermes worshiping Lycaonians. Paul writes, "[God] has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy" (Acts 14:17). This shows that God doesn't take any pleasure when pagans suffer, whether it be due to hunger or social chaos that often bring death and destruction. Isn't that why God instituted some of form of civil authority in all societies so that it will "hold . . . terror . . . for those who do wrong" (Rom. 13:3). Isn’t that why we are told to pray for kings—beginning with the terrible Emperor Nero—so “that we may live peaceful and quite lives” (1 Tim. 2:2b). In this respect, and only in this respect, world religion can serve a useful purpose in providing a basis for conventional morality, which is necessary but not sufficient for a stable society.
Dear reader, regarding your comment about the devil, I wouldn't want to give him too much credit. Even though he is a liar and accuser God's general revelation (Rom. 1:18-20) and God's law written in human hearts (Rom. 2:14-5) are still powerful enough to reach us, albeit weakened by “darkness” comprised of Satan, that is, “the god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4), fallen world, and sinful nature. To that end, John 1:5 is an interesting verse because of the presence of the Greek verb katalambano, which means "overtake" or "apprehend" (Metzger). On the one hand, most English bibles prefer "apprehend" (understand), thus rendering John 1:5 as (NIV 1984), "The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." On the other hand, most Spanish bibles prefer "overtake" (prevalecer), thus rendering it as, "The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it" (This is also found in the footnote of most English bibles.) The premise of my blog is based on the latter: the power of God’s general revelation and law written in human hearts is such that darkness cannot completely obfuscate it. This is how Buddhists can come up with moral codes similar (but not exact) to biblical moral codes, and how Hammurabi, the famous Babylonian king whose moral codes antedate the Mosaic moral codes by 3 centuries, could come up with laws against stealing and disobedient acts against parents.
What does this reveal? That human nature is good? That the devil has some good in him after all?
No, nothing can be further from the truth. Rather, it shows how great and powerful God's love is for all creatures under heaven—regardless of whether they believe Him. He is a God who longs to "fill [the hearts of pagans and heathens] with joy" (Acts 14:17). Is that enough for salvation? If it were, God would have never sent the apostle Paul to Lystra, but He did. Why? Because it is only through believing in Jesus Christ, the one who paid for the penalty of our sins, that we can be saved from eternal damnation. And that was the message that Paul brought to the Lycaonians.
Dear reader, I know where you are coming from—and I can appreciate it since too many evangelicals today, having long lost their chest, secretly crave for the approval of the world. While you don't appear to be one, you seem to think that I am. While I have no desire to change your perception of me, do consider what I have presented here because it is based on the very Scripture you seek to honor. World religions don't save but they can be useful on this side of heaven, however tangential, only because God can always penetrate through the enemy's thick layer of darkness to do accomplish His will.
We need to present to the angry world (against our faith) a God who truly loves atheists and Muslims alike only because it is true, for, "He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked" (Lk. 6:35) and cares that pagans have plenty to eat and that they are reasonably content. Give it a thought.
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.
A Christian apologist writes, “Christianity is the only true faith, all other religions are of the Devil . . .” Undoubtedly, he will hate what Dwight Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States (1953-61), once said about religion: “Our government makes no sense unless it is founded on a deeply held religious belief—and I don't care what it is.” This statement appears to align well with the popular slogan, “All religions lead to the same God.”
At first, I wasn’t too enamored with Eisenhower’s assertion; now, however, I agree with what was meant: Since the proper functioning of democracy (with fewer and less coercive laws) is contingent upon conscientious people, moral values advocated by any religion serves that purpose, since they are similar to one another. I came to see this after encountering the functional view of religion—first advanced by the French sociologist Émile Durkheim—that sees “religion as a vast symbolic system which made social life possible by expressing and maintaining the sentiments or values of the society.” This is to say, if the only goal of religion is to maintain public order and security, then, Islam or Buddhism is as good as Christianity. For instance, the Koran discourages stealing: “As to the thief, male or female, cut off his or her hands: a punishment by way of example, from Allah . . .” (5:38). Of course, Moses discouraged stealing as well, saying, “If a man steals an ox or a sheep . . ., he must pay back 5 head of cattle for the ox (Ex. 22:1). As for Buddhism, its followers are told to avoid “killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct, lying, divisive speech, hurtful speech, idle chatter, covetousness, malice . . .” On this account, we break with the aforementioned apologist.
What’s substantially different among them is their afterlife strategy: Buddhism exhorts its followers to do good on earth to achieve a better reincarnation, while Islam demands that its adherents obey the Five Pillars of Faith (the confession, daily prayers, almsgiving, fast, pilgrimage to Mecca). In short, these are man’s effort to save himself. On the contrary, the Christian faith declares that since man cannot save himself because of sin, God saves him through the atoning death of His Son Jesus. In short, this is God’s effort to save man. On this account, we break with Eisenhower: Our salvation makes no sense unless it is founded on the belief in Jesus Christ.
We don’t need to trash religions of the world: Give them credit for making valuable contributions toward building a safer and orderly society; but we should respectfully disagree when it comes to salvation, “for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved”— except Jesus.
Objection from a Reader
Religion exists because of two things. The first reason is that we are created by God to worship. It is a yearning and part of the fiber of our very being, we are made with an inbuilt need to worship. The second reason is that Lucifer (Satan, the Devil) hates God and everything God has made and desires to destroy it. Religions have been crafted mainly by Lucifer and the other fallen angels which were hurled to earth when they lost their place in heaven when they rebelled against God -vainly trying to usurp His throne. To be sure, some humans have crafted religions as well, albeit under the guiding hand of their spiritual father (Lucifer). It is a dangerous and foolish attitude to take that some religions should be given “credit for making valuable contributions toward building a safer and orderly society.” Those things have absolutely NOTHING to do with religion. Religion is Lucifer’s counterfeit substitution to the Truth that he feeds to those who are Lost yet still have a built-in need/desire to worship. We were made to worship our Creator, but our sinfulness separates us from having that proper relationship with Him. Lucifer understands this and does everything in his power to lead man away from God, away from the Truth that will set them free. He knows that the road to hell is broad and many are they that walk it, much to his delight and glee. As God’s redeemed children, we must always stand firm to clearly and unequivocally call what is evil evil. Religions are evil. Saying they should be commended for what little ‘good’ things they contain is like commending chocolate coated poison for being covered in chocolate.
My Reply
Dear reader, my blog was presented under the rubric of God's common grace, which does not include salvation, that has been given to all, not just the elect or believers (Mt. 5:45; Lk. 6:35). God's love for the pagans is clearly shown in what the apostle Paul says to the Zeus and Hermes worshiping Lycaonians. Paul writes, "[God] has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy" (Acts 14:17). This shows that God doesn't take any pleasure when pagans suffer, whether it be due to hunger or social chaos that often bring death and destruction. Isn't that why God instituted some of form of civil authority in all societies so that it will "hold . . . terror . . . for those who do wrong" (Rom. 13:3). Isn’t that why we are told to pray for kings—beginning with the terrible Emperor Nero—so “that we may live peaceful and quite lives” (1 Tim. 2:2b). In this respect, and only in this respect, world religion can serve a useful purpose in providing a basis for conventional morality, which is necessary but not sufficient for a stable society.
Dear reader, regarding your comment about the devil, I wouldn't want to give him too much credit. Even though he is a liar and accuser God's general revelation (Rom. 1:18-20) and God's law written in human hearts (Rom. 2:14-5) are still powerful enough to reach us, albeit weakened by “darkness” comprised of Satan, that is, “the god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4), fallen world, and sinful nature. To that end, John 1:5 is an interesting verse because of the presence of the Greek verb katalambano, which means "overtake" or "apprehend" (Metzger). On the one hand, most English bibles prefer "apprehend" (understand), thus rendering John 1:5 as (NIV 1984), "The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." On the other hand, most Spanish bibles prefer "overtake" (prevalecer), thus rendering it as, "The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it" (This is also found in the footnote of most English bibles.) The premise of my blog is based on the latter: the power of God’s general revelation and law written in human hearts is such that darkness cannot completely obfuscate it. This is how Buddhists can come up with moral codes similar (but not exact) to biblical moral codes, and how Hammurabi, the famous Babylonian king whose moral codes antedate the Mosaic moral codes by 3 centuries, could come up with laws against stealing and disobedient acts against parents.
What does this reveal? That human nature is good? That the devil has some good in him after all?
No, nothing can be further from the truth. Rather, it shows how great and powerful God's love is for all creatures under heaven—regardless of whether they believe Him. He is a God who longs to "fill [the hearts of pagans and heathens] with joy" (Acts 14:17). Is that enough for salvation? If it were, God would have never sent the apostle Paul to Lystra, but He did. Why? Because it is only through believing in Jesus Christ, the one who paid for the penalty of our sins, that we can be saved from eternal damnation. And that was the message that Paul brought to the Lycaonians.
Dear reader, I know where you are coming from—and I can appreciate it since too many evangelicals today, having long lost their chest, secretly crave for the approval of the world. While you don't appear to be one, you seem to think that I am. While I have no desire to change your perception of me, do consider what I have presented here because it is based on the very Scripture you seek to honor. World religions don't save but they can be useful on this side of heaven, however tangential, only because God can always penetrate through the enemy's thick layer of darkness to do accomplish His will.
We need to present to the angry world (against our faith) a God who truly loves atheists and Muslims alike only because it is true, for, "He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked" (Lk. 6:35) and cares that pagans have plenty to eat and that they are reasonably content. Give it a thought.
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