 Questions
you can ask in return:
The Big, Big Question: Who is Jesus?
This is a question you should become very diligent in asking
anyone who is not a Christian. For some great reading on
this particular question CLICK HERE to read sample chapters from God's
Greatest Passion that are dedicated to exactly that topic.
Why don't we think this way in other areas of life?
In boarding a plane, we want to make sure we are on the right
plane to our destination so we do our research, ask questions, and
apply care in making sure we are boarding the right plane.
In taking medicine, we want to make sure we take the right
medicine so we ask questions, do our research, and listen to
people who have spent years studying medicine. In areas of
nutrition we realize that there is healthy food and unhealthy
food. Not all foods are the same. There are right ways
and wrong ways to handle money, to conduct our relationships, and
to drive our cars down the road. Isn't it possible that
there is a right way and a wrong way to view spirituality and
religion?
Do you really believe all religions are the same?
Hindus believe there are many, many Gods. Jews believe
there is only one God. Jews believe God is personal and
knowable. Buddhists in general believe that if God exists he
is probably distant and unknowable. Buddhists believe you
get multiple chances at life (reincarnation). Muslims
believe you get only one chance at life and are then judged.
Muslims believe that on judgment day your works will be measured
and if your good works outweigh your bad works you go to
Heaven. Christians believe that no one has been or ever will
be good enough for Heaven. Christians believe we should die
to self but Satanists believe doing your own thing is the highest
ideal.
The bottom line is that they can't all be right. The
differences between religions across the world are irreconcilable.
Just like in any other area of life, we must carefully do our
homework to find out which one(s) are true and then discard the
rest.
Why do you believe there are many roads to God?
Usually this is a non-objective belief that is founded only in
the person's desire to avoid the idea that there could be a
truth or a correct religious path to go down. For
many it is simply an escape mechanism used to avoid seriously
contemplating matters of faith. It is usually without any
rational basis but instead founded on "it just seems right to
me."
Christianity (and most major religions) are founded on
something objective. Whether it is the Bible, the Koran, or
the Torah, at least people of exclusivistic faiths have something
definitive they can say they believe in. There is an object
they can point to and say "This is why I
believe. Typically the pluralist (one who believes in many
paths to God) has only their own bias and feelings to fall back
on.
Isn't the pluralist position self-defeating?
Doesn't a pluralist usually take the position that all
religions have some truth but no religion has all truth? If
so, which part of the pluralistic worldview is incorrect?
Which part do they have wrong? It's like saying "No one
knows anything for certain. I am certain of it."
The pluralistic worldview can be both arrogant and self-defeating
as it says, "no one has all truth, except of course those who
believe that no one has all truth. They have the
truth."
Doesn't "All roads lead to God" and similar
expressions ultimately mean "Do what seems right to
you"?
The pluralist worldview eventually breaks down to "Do
what seems right to you." "Do what seems right to
you" of course is the chief tenant of Satanism (usually
phrased "Do what thou wilt"). Isn't it possible
that the view that what you believe is good for you and what I
believe is good for me is actually a seemingly innocuous worldview
that is rooted in spiritual pride, selfishness, and a refusal to
submit to the one true God? Is that possible?
What if you are wrong?
This is always a good question to ask just about anyone. (I
ask myself this question often.) If nothing else, it is good
to challenge the unbeliever to admit that it is at least possible
that their worldview is incorrect. God says in Jeremiah that
if we will seek God we will find Him. It can be a very
effective tool to simply challenge people to seek truth for
truth's sake, not to satisfy their own desires or biases.
What about Jesus' claim to be the way?
This is covered more in The Big Big Question
above but Jesus claimed to be The Way, The Truth, and The Life.
What do you think about that claim? He was also the only
major religious figure to claim divinity and convince a large
portion of the world that He actually was divine. People
were convinced that He performed outstanding miracles, that He
lived a perfect, sinless life, and ultimately that He Himself was
resurrected from the dead. How does one convince others of
truths like this?
Related Bible verses:
Jeremiah
29:13 Hebrews
10:28-30 John
14:6
Colossians
1:15-20
Related quotes:
"These are the days when the Christian is expected to
praise every creed except his own."
-G.K. Chesterton
"The problem is not that people lack knowledge of
God. The problem is what we have done with that knowledge -
WE, including Christians, including people of all religions and no
religion and halfway between religions. Something is broken
in our relationship with our creator. We are not where we
should be in relation to this God who made us."
-Dale and Sandy Larsen
7 Myths about Christianity
Related media:
Do
All Roads Lead to God?
Don't all religions have a little bit of truth but no
religions have all of the truth? Aren't there many roads up
the mountain but the view from the top is the same?
Watch this video from H.L.
Hussmann and find out.
Related Websites or Articles:
Do
all Roads Lead to God?
An article by Colin Webster of Cornerstone Evangelical Church
THEN:
Life now. Life Then. Life after death.
An article from everystudent.com addressing the question: How
good do you have to be?
Related Books:
True
For You But not For Me Paul Copan
Jesus
Among Other Gods Ravi Zacharias
* Inclusion of links should not be considered an
endorsement of the entire content of these websites or websites
which may be linked therein.
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