ALL CHRISTIANS: How do you answer: "It doesn't matter which religion you 'pick'"

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Ok, this thread is more geared toward how you would respond to a particular type of non-Christian. Typically, they call themselves “Spiritual”. They believe the main reason people are in any particular religion is because they were raised that way. They also believe one’s religion should be like picking out something on a menu…it doesn’t really matter cuz it’s an individual choice. Yet when you hear them talk more and more, it is clear they are anti-Christian.

I’m not looking for an argument for choosing Catholicism vs. a Protestant denom. (so let the ecumenism fly! :grouphug: ) I’m asking all of us “Christians” to address how you respond to this:

It doesn’t matter which religion you pick.
 
my first response would be to encourage the person in the fact that they seem to be seeking… that is a good thing.

then i would ask what they are looking to get away from and why.
(i.e. why wasn’t it “working” for you? what feelings were you hoping for that you didn’t experience? is there a problem with specific doctrines? etc.)

then i guess, in a healthy dialogue, i would try to point out that all of these religions that are the “same” (God as the mountaintop and all paths lead up, etc.) have some very fundamental differences. they say contradicting things about this God. ultimately, one is right and the rest are wrong (in their perception of God, eternity, nature of man, etc.), or they are all wrong.

now, it’s pretty easy to get some one there. the problem is that the real attitude is one of “well, if i’m sincere in my beliefs, God can correct me on the things i’m wrong about” (or something to that effect). they still don’t see the need to find what’s really true. convincing some one that truth matters is key, but it must be done in love or we just push people further away.
 
The question reflects, in my opinion, the belief that religion is man-made so choose whoever tells you anything if you feel good about it.

My ansswer would be : it does matter because am not someone who depends of humanity’s versionS of Truth…humans change, perceptions chane, and humans err.
 
So far you guys are on the same line of thinking as me…they operate on the assumption that one religion cannot be “true”. Their goal is not “seek what is true”…it is “seek what is comfortable.”
 
This statement means that either all religions were founded by God or none were, and religion is merely man trying to know God. First I would ask to see which one the person accepted.

If he says that all religions are founded by God, I would ask him about all the contradictions between faiths. Abrahamic Judgement and Dharmic Reincarnation. Pacificism (Jainism, some forms of Christianity, maybe some forms of Buddhism) and Justified, Defensive Violence (like Augustine’s concept of a ‘just war’. This belief covers everyone else). Monotheism (Abrhamism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism), Polytheism (Hinduism [as far as I understand it], Shintoism, other indignesous religions), and Nontheism (Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism). Pantheism (Hinduism) and whatever you call not-Pantheism (Everything else). I could go on and on. All these differnces are irroconcilible and mutually exclusive If one is right, the other is wrong. This means that God founded many religions that intentionally contradict each other and are at least partially wrong. Why would God do this? Why would God leave people so confused about him? Is this not dishonest? Why doesn’t God just found a single religion, completely correct and true to him? That religion, I believe, is Catholicism.

And then, that no religions are truly founded by God and are merely attempts to know him. The question is, why doesn’t God tell us who he truly is? Why does God leave fallible humans to describe an incomprehensible being? Why does God leave us errorenous theories? I believe it is cruel, unloving and something God could not do.
 
this is really a simple philosphy question, first start by listing the various views of God, pantheism, atheism, polytheism, monotheism, etc., then list the different means of “salvation”. Basically, you want to point out the various contradictions between each of the religious systems including theories of knowledege. And, simply ask them to explain how they know what is truth? How do they know that source is reliable?

book: Truth In Religion; Mortimer Adler

radicalacademy.com/adler_truthtests.htm

radicalacademy.com/adlermulticul1.htm

books.google.com/books?ct=title&q=inauthor:Mortimer+inauthor:Jerome+inauthor:Adler&lr=&sa=N&start=40
 
I’m not sure most of you would consider me a “Christian” anyway…so I may not be the best one to offer an answer…William Penn stated

“There is a principle which is pure, placed in the human mind, which in different places and ages hath had different names. It is, however, pure and proceeds from God. It is deep and inward, confined to no forms of religion nor excluded from any, where the heart stands in perfect sincerity. In whomsoever this takes root and grows, of what nation soever they become brethren in the best sense of the expression.”

The Light of Christ in universal in scope…this Light touches all humanity drawing them to “relationship”, whether the English/Greek transliteration of “Jesus” is known or not, God seeks to make Himself known to all of humanity…sometimes we understand very imperfectly…other times more perfectly…but we are finite and the Infinite and Eternal can not be wholly known.
 
I’d say it does matter. Jesus came, suffered and died to save those who believe in Him. If there had been any other way to be saved, He would have had no reason to suffer and die for us. Spirituality isn’t a feel-good or self-improvement project. The soul is the immortal part of a person, and is the most important part. It is born in a dangerous world and needs protection. There are true statements and false statements in the world and in the case of an important subject such as how to treat one’s soul, determining the truth is the most central project of a person’s entire life.
 
I like to discuss which faiths answer the question of pain and suffering. Life sucks, but we know that it is not all bad…

Publisher,
Why would Friends not be considered Christians? I missed that in class somehow.
 
The assumption being made is that every religion is equal in truth - that any religion can bring you up to God just as much as any other one. Or they could also be assuming that religion has nothing to do with truth and only with comfort (which can be empirically disproven by the lives of all the religious, especially Christian, martyrs).

If someone thinks all religions are the same, then how could he reconcile the fact that two of the greatest faiths in the world claim to be the absolute revelation of God - the MOST true of any religion? If this man believes that all religions are equal in truth, then he must disagree with Christianity and Islam and say that their exclusive claims are untrue. But then the man is contradicting himself! He then clearly shows that he believes that a religion which makes no such judgments (like Hinduism) is more truthful than Christianity or Islam! So then there has to be truth in religion, doesn’t there? It’s a lovely bit of false assumption.
 
MarcoPolo said:
Ok, this thread is more geared toward how you would respond to a particular type of non-Christian. Typically, they call themselves “Spiritual”. They believe the main reason people are in any particular religion is because they were raised that way. They also believe one’s religion should be like picking out something on a menu…it doesn’t really matter cuz it’s an individual choice. Yet when you hear them talk more and more, it is clear they are anti-Christian.

I’m not looking for an argument for choosing Catholicism vs. a Protestant denom. (so let the ecumenism fly! :grouphug: ) I’m asking all of us “Christians” to address how you respond to this:

It doesn’t matter which religion you pick.
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I would primary open up a discussion about the nature of truth. While there can be a strong emotional, relational, or even ‘spiritual’ charge for a belief, that in and of itself does not make it true. I would carry on from there…[as you can imagine and probably have in other similar discussions]
 
Greetings and peace be with you all,

If there was absolute proof for the existence of God, then there would probably be absolute proof for the existence of one true religion. But God has not given us that final proof and hence there are a myriad of religions.

I sense that in heaven there will be no real need for religions, and we will live more by the greatest commandments. All the law and the prophets of God hang on the greatest commandments. Maybe we should hang all religions on the greatest commandments too.

In the spirit of praying for a greater interfaith friendship

Eric
 
There is a nice little Italian restaurant in my town that I prefer. THere are three different ways I can get there. At least three that I can think of. I don’t believe that any one of those ways are more true than the other. They all get me to my favorite restaurant.
 
Valke2 said:
There is a nice little Italian restaurant in my town that I prefer. THere are three different ways I can get there. At least three that I can think of. I don’t believe that any one of those ways are more true than the other. They all get me to my favorite restaurant.
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This is my belief as well. And I always get a little :confused: when someone brings up the “2+2=4, and 3+2 doesn’t” argument…no, 3 + 2 does not equal 4 as well, but 3 + 1 does. And 26 divided by 13, 8 minus 6, 1.25 + .75 + 2 and so on and so on. There is more than one legitimate way to arrive at the same place.
 
MarcoPolo said:
Ok, this thread is more geared toward how you would respond to a particular type of non-Christian. Typically, they call themselves “Spiritual”. They believe the main reason people are in any particular religion is because they were raised that way. They also believe one’s religion should be like picking out something on a menu…it doesn’t really matter cuz it’s an individual choice. Yet when you hear them talk more and more, it is clear they are anti-Christian.

I’m not looking for an argument for choosing Catholicism vs. a Protestant denom. (so let the ecumenism fly! :grouphug: ) I’m asking all of us “Christians” to address how you respond to this:

It doesn’t matter which religion you pick.
Click to expand...
I’d say that i personally have found that it is possible for me to be sincere, and yet sincerely wrong. I’d then respectfully ask the person if she has ever been sincerely wrong about something before, as i have.

Even if she does not answer, it might cause her to consider the possibility and investigate for herself whether it really does not matter to God what she believes.
 
Valke2 said:
There is a nice little Italian restaurant in my town that I prefer. THere are three different ways I can get there. At least three that I can think of. I don’t believe that any one of those ways are more true than the other. They all get me to my favorite restaurant.
Click to expand...
But they do not contradict one another.

When Jesus proclaims “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one gets to the Father but by me” it is at its core a message of exclusivity and you either accept it or contradict it by saying Jesus is NOT the only way.
 
MarcoPolo said:
…They also believe one’s religion should be like picking out something on a menu…it doesn’t really matter cuz it’s an individual choice. …
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There are certainly choices to make with regard to how and who one worships.

“Choose this day*** whom you will serve…as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.***” (Josh 24:15)

However, Christianity insists that you stick to the menu of “Truth” and “Love” because consuming things contrary to Truth and Love are harmful to you, as well as detrimental to the common good.

Those who promote Indifferentism hate to be “limited” in their freedom, and want to be able to choose things contrary to “Truth” and “Love” without having to suffer consequences. They want to be able to choose to eat any damnable thing, even when they know that eating any 'ol thing is not OK. If one knows full well that something is detrimental to their health, and with full consent one chooses to consume it anyway, then it is only fair that one suffers the consequences of their free choice.
 
Valke2 said:
There is a nice little Italian restaurant in my town that I prefer. THere are three different ways I can get there. At least three that I can think of. I don’t believe that any one of those ways are more true than the other. They all get me to my favorite restaurant.
Click to expand...
The path an individual takes towards Truth and Love certainly varies from person to person. For instance, the magi of the NT (Gk magus, means “sorcerers”), responded faithfully to that ray of truth presented to them by God and, as a result found their way toward Truth and Love, bowing down in worship before the King of Kings.

However, if one’s journey leads away from Truth and Love, then something is terribly wrong with choosing that path. Not all roads lead to Truth/Love.
 
ralphinal said:
I like to discuss which faiths answer the question of pain and suffering. Life sucks, but we know that it is not all bad…

Publisher,
Why would Friends not be considered Christians? I missed that in class somehow.
Click to expand...
For no other reason than Friends do not practice water baptism or other ordinaces/sacraments.
 
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