"All religions are equal" Error: How do you defend this?

[Musikero31]

Hi guys!

I got trapped when I was confronted by a discussion that “All religions are equal”. I forgot how it went through but it went out that I agreed to it. That is why I am still feeling guilty for what I said.

But I would like to ask: How do you defend, or answer, this inquiry that “All religions are equal”? I know it’s an error, but I don’t know how to enlighten them when confronted by this again.

 

[Christy_Beth]

There are many good books out there that could help. I’d look to ones written by strong Catholic apologetics. The ones I have that might help are “Nuts and Bolts,” by Tim Staples; “Catholicism and Fundamentalism” by Karl Keating; "What Catholics really belive,: also by Karl Keating; “Catholic and Christian,” by Alan Schreck; “The Catholic Response” by Peter Stravinskas; and “Rome Sweet Home,” by Scott Hanh. I’m sure others might suggest other books as well. Remember that there is only one way to God, and that’s through Jesus Christ. A good and mindful reading of the New Testament would help as well. I can’t come up with any specific ones at this time (please forgive me), but there are many. Actually, you might want to start with the letters of St. Paul. I would start with the book of Romans. Talking with your priest about getting a spiritual director might help as well. You can’t just start spewing out scripture and expect it to stick.

 

[Musikero31]

Thank you so much for the help. I’ll be really doing that as I am just starting on becoming an apologetic. Thank you!

 

[sowinskija]

How? What is equality? Equality of truth? How is every religion correct? How is both Christianity, the belief of One God in 3 Devine Persons and atheism, the belief in no god at all, right? That defies reason.

How does Love God and your neighbor equate with “kill the infadels”?

It’s like saying that those who believe the earth is round and those who believe the earth is flat are equally correct. The earth cannot be both round and flat!

 

[AmbroseSJ]

Hi guys!

I got trapped when I was confronted by a discussion that “All religions are equal”. I forgot how it went through but it went out that I agreed to it. That is why I am still feeling guilty for what I said.

But I would like to ask: How do you defend, or answer, this inquiry that “All religions are equal”? I know it’s a heresy, but I don’t know how to enlighten them when confronted by this again.

That opinion is rooted in liberalism. It holds that all religions are personal opinions. There is no objective truth involved, just personal preference. This liberalism is the leaven of today’s culture. It embraces diversity, equality and open mindedness, and disdains doctrine, judgement, and objective truth as prejudice, bigotry and narrow mindedness.

 

[Musikero31]

It embraces diversity, equality and open mindedness, and disdains doctrine, judgement, and objective truth as prejudice, bigotry and narrow mindedness.

Yes! That’s correct. He even said to me this (regarding the commandments) “That’s so judgmental [to have commandments]. Just live your life with faith and everything will be ok.” (something like that).

 

[mymamamary]

1+1=2

Therefore, for something on a much larger and dangerous scale such as Religion, only one can be true as the OP’s above have stated.

 

[TimothyH]

I wish people would stop throwing words like heresy and heretic around so freely.

In Roman Catholicism, heresy is a denial of revealed truth by a baptized member of the Church.

CCC 2089: Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same;

Formal heresy can only be committed by a Catholic.

Material heresy is holding erroneous opinions or beliefs through no fault of one’s own and is not a sin. Protestants fall into this group. I live in the South. Here in Atlanta, you aren’t going to make friends in the office or get a date with the girl three cubicles down by throwning the word heretic around, that’s for sure.

These words are like hand-grenades. I wish people would stop lobbing them around so nonchalantly.

-Tim-

 

[christofirst]

Just to add an idea of ecumenism to the conversation: The fact that all religions may indeed have some elements of truth does not make all religions equal. As Catholics we believe the Church possesses the fullness of truth.

 

[FOlson]

It seems only logical that only one religion can be true. Either every religion is wrong or only one is true. So it makes sense that if someone believed all religions to be equal, they would also have to believe that all religions are false and that the only reason we have religion is to make us feel good.

Other religions have good points, but their good points are points which agree with Catholicism. The closer the religion is to Catholicism, the closer it is to the fullness of the truth. (as stated on the previous post)

 

[AmbroseSJ]

Yes! That’s correct. He even said to me this (regarding the commandments) “That’s so judgmental [to have commandments]. Just live your life with faith and everything will be ok.” (something like that).

The thing about liberalism is that it is so shallow and intellectually negligible. IOW, it’s just a bunch of nice “feelings” with no substance. Is it any wonder it pervades and directs everything in our culture? Everyone should just be “nice.” Then all would be well. The most liberal religions raise this thinking to doctrine; i.e. Unitarian Universalist. They don’t even insist you believe in God. In our culture the “doctrine” of liberalism is actually extremely intolerant and bigoted. Look at the plight of the Boy Scouts. Look at the horrible back lash in the Komen controversy.

The absolute WORST thing you can do today, is hold a belief (contrary to Liberalism’s doctrine) and say it out loud!

A Methodist Church here just had a HUGE imbroglio because it’s female pastor made an apology about a certain speaker, that COULD be interpreted to mean she was against the “welcoming” nature of their church. link No one is even sure what she said, or what it means, but it just SOUNDED intolerant.

 

[buffalo]

Most religions have kernels of truth. See if you can get agreement. Many have some opposed doctrines with each other. (you just need one example to show them the problem)

Then take them through some examples and how one would go about ruling them out. If the search is diligent and honest one will find one with more truth than others. We know the Catholic Church has the “fullness of truth”.

 

[St_Francis]

I wish people would stop throwing words like heresy and heretic around so freely.

In Roman Catholicism, heresy is a denial of revealed truth by a baptized member of the Church.

CCC 2089: Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same;

Formal heresy can only be committed by a Catholic.

Material heresy is holding erroneous opinions or beliefs through no fault of one’s own and is not a sin. Protestants fall into this group. I live in the South. Here in Atlanta, you aren’t going to make friends in the office or get a date with the girl three cubicles down by throwning the word heretic around, that’s for sure.

These words are like hand-grenades. I wish people would stop lobbing them around so nonchalantly.

-Tim-

Like many words in the English language, the word heresy has more than one meaning. Heresy is indeed an act, but the word also applies to ideas which are wrong. To say that the idea that all religions are equal is a heresy is merely speaking the truth. It is not making a judgement on the states of the souls of those who hold those ideas; it is simply a statement about that idea, much as saying that it is false to say that 3x7=85 is wrong.

I think that stating on a Catholic board that an erroneous statement is heresy is not something for which a person should be chastised.

 

[paul_c]

Hi guys!

I got trapped when I was confronted by a discussion that “All religions are equal”. I forgot how it went through but it went out that I agreed to it. That is why I am still feeling guilty for what I said.

But I would like to ask: How do you defend, or answer, this inquiry that “All religions are equal”? I know it’s an error, but I don’t know how to enlighten them when confronted by this again.

In concept, this is an easy argument to deflate. All religions are not equal because the Truth is eternal and only one religion can teach all the Truth.

When people argue that all religions are equal, knowing that they teach different things, then they are saying that the truth doesn’t matter.

 

[BobCatholic]

Want to refute this? It is easy.

All you have to do is ask them their opinion of [insert Politically Correct religion]

Watch them gush and sing their praises.

Then ask them their opinion of the Catholic Church.

Watch them rage.

“OK, I can see clearly that all religions are not equal then…”

 

[Musikero31]

Wow!!! Great answers guys! I’m fully enlightened by all of them. It’s quite hard when you’re still starting. But hey, I enjoy it a lot.

Just keep it coming!

 

[Ignatius]

Hi guys!

I got trapped when I was confronted by a discussion that “All religions are equal”. I forgot how it went through but it went out that I agreed to it. That is why I am still feeling guilty for what I said.

But I would like to ask: How do you defend, or answer, this inquiry that “All religions are equal”? I know it’s an error, but I don’t know how to enlighten them when confronted by this again.

biblechristiansociety.com/home.php has some very good free tracts and mp3’s on that (indeferentism) and other subjects.

 

[fred_conty]

Show them it isn’t true.

Christianity is the ONLY religion that:

• has claimed GOD, who is Jesus, for their founder.
• has claimed their founder died, and that he had the power to raise HIMSELF back to life while he was dead in a tomb as proof that he was God.

Within Christianity itself:

• only the Catholic church has not changed its teaching or faith for over 2000 years.
• the Catholic church still has the same sacraments given to us from Jesus.
• the oldest standing Catholic churches, dating back to the third century, all have an altar in the front of the church for the same sacrifice as it has today in its churches.
• only the Catholic church can show all the line of successors of St. Peter down thru the centuries to our current head of the church, the Pope.
• the Catholic church only ordains bishops by other bishops, passing the order of bishopric from one generation to another without breaking succession, maintaining this from the time of the apostles.
• only the catholic church determined what books were contained in the Bible, but especially what books, out of many, are to be considered the books of the New Testament from the earlist times.
• The Catholic church mirrors itself as the One church in the New testament.
• The oldest writers and historians of christianity were Catholic.
• The only church with one person as head, always as bishop over Rome, to preserve the church’s visibility on earth and to show its’ oneness.
• Whose worship is one worldwide whereever it is.

Just some thoughts.

 

[buffalo]

Want to refute this? It is easy.

All you have to do is ask them their opinion of [insert Politically Correct religion]

Watch them gush and sing their praises.

Then ask them their opinion of the Catholic Church.

Watch them rage.

“OK, I can see clearly that all religions are not equal then…”

Good one!