Aren't All Religions Basically the Same?

America has slowly become a place where many different religions and spiritual beliefs are openly accepted. People often find themselves asking the question, “Which one do I believe?” or, “Don’t they all say the same thing? Be nice, do good things, and you will go to heaven.” It has become very popular to take certain beliefs from one religion and a couple of beliefs from another religion and lump them into one. Spirituality seems, to some, to be a fast food menu. You pick what you want, buy it, and leave the rest. Another common metaphor is that of a mountain upon which God stands. There are many roads that lead to the top of the mountain (God/ Heaven). One of those roads may be Christianity, another Buddhism, another Judaism, another Islam, etc… It doesn’t matter which road you follow, as long as you follow one.
According to the words of Christ, this can’t be so. In John 8:24 He says, “…Unless you believe that I am He you will die for your sins.” A few chapters later Jesus states, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6-7). In saying this, Jesus is rejecting any other religion that preaches a different message. He is rejecting the Mountain Metaphor and saying that there ARE NOT many roads that lead to heaven. There is only one road and it is found in Jesus Christ alone.
Because of this belief, many Christians are labeled as close-minded, and disrespectful of other religions. These are common attacks that Christians should not be surprised by. A proper response would be, “I am only obeying what the scriptures say in Galatians. ‘But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed’” (Galatians 1:8).

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Josh McDowell

John Piper