The false belief that religions are more or less equal

[eptatorata]

michael777:

so you dont believe all faiths are of the truth?

I believe that all religions, excepting those that have a transparent profit motive or other non-spiritual agenda, are equally valid. In other words, either there is no truth to any religion or they all interpret whatever truth there may be in their own way.

 

[mlchance]

eptatorata:

In other words, either there is no truth to any religion or they all interpret whatever truth there may be in their own way.

Today’s logical fallacy: the false dilemma.

There is at least one other option: One religion in particular enjoys the fullness of truth through divine revelation with that truth’s integrity secured by divine action in history.

– Mark L. Chance.

 

[eptatorata]

mlchance:

Today’s logical fallacy: the false dilemma.

There is at least one other option: One religion in particular enjoys the fullness of truth through divine revelation with that truth’s integrity secured by divine action in history.

Fair enough, even if you subtly misinterpret a statement of belief as a statement of fact. Let me amend what I said. If there is an objective spiritual truth, then any combination of religions may have a credible claim to it, i.e. any given religion may be right or wrong, in full or partially. I evaluate the chances of a single religion being fully right and all the others as fully wrong as close to zero. What seems most likely to me is that either they all are fully wrong, i.e. there is no sprititual truth at all, or they all are partially right.

Matters of opinion aside, is this acceptable to you?

 

[mlchance]

eptatorata:

Matters of opinion aside, is this acceptable to you?

Matters of opinion aside, no. Opinion divorced from possibilities and logic doesn’t cut it. Now, admittedly, you believe what you believe, but then that begs the following question: Based on what evidence? Have you honestly examined all of the religious truth claims of even one religion, let alone of all religions? Or, more to the point, have you honestly examined the specific truth claim of Christianity, which is that Christ Jesus is God Incarnate who rose from the dead?

The latter question is of special importance. If the answer is “No,” then there is no rational basis for your opinion.

Everything hinges on the answer to that one question. If there is credible evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that Christ Jesus is who the Church says he is, then everything else the Church says follows. If, OTOH, there is no credible evidence, then nothing the Church says follows.

– Mark L. Chance.

 

[eptatorata]

mlchance:

Matters of opinion aside, no. Opinion divorced from possibilities and logic doesn’t cut it. Now, admittedly, you believe what you believe, but then that begs the following question: Based on what evidence? Have you honestly examined all of the religious truth claims of even one religion, let alone of all religions? Or, more to the point, have you honestly examined the specific truth claim of Christianity, which is that Christ Jesus is God Incarnate who rose from the dead?

In other words, you didn’t notice another formal fallacy?

The short answer is that I hold this particular opinion based on my life experience, which leads me to summarily reject Christianity’s truth claim. I have no obligation to exhaustively examine a truth claim that I do not myself make, until I try to prove the other party wrong.

 

[bjcros]

mayra hart:

does it make any difference which christian denomination i join? although it is very clear in scripture and early church history that christ left only one church,today we have over 33,000 christian denominations. does it matter which of these you join? it most certainly does! if christ founded only one church, then all the others christian churches were foundedby men. although they believe much that it is true, and have many members who are sicere christians, we simply cannot choose any of them over the church founded by christ.

Very good point, but then the question is which one is the church founded by Christ? The differencees between most of those denomoinations are very slight. So long as the denomination doesn’t deny the essentials then it doesn’t matter which church or denomination you join. It is a personal decision.

 

[JeffreyGerard]

You really can’t give someone Faith by arguing with them.
It is truly a gift from God.

People who are not members body and soul of The Catholic
Church and are members of some other religion are in that
religion because they believe it they are in the “true religion”
– they wouldn’t belong to it if they didn’t!

I recently read something that made a lot of sense –
the writer contended that it is possible for people to be
part of the soul of The Church that are not members of the
body of the The Church. In other words, they are not
Catholics per se, but do exhibit many of the characteristics
of Catholics and obviously do receive Grace by the fact
that they do lead virtuous lives – something impossible to
do without Grace. Ever observed a Protestant spouse
agree to raise his children Catholic or agreed to get married
in the Church? These, I think, are events not possible without
the Grace of the Holy Spirit. The former imposes a
very serious and difficult commitment that is simply impossible
to accomplish without God’s help. Some people’s souls may
be members of The Church and they are just not yet bodily
present with us.

Don’t read this wrong, I do think that Catholicism is the
one True religion that is easily shown as the Church
given to us by Christ though the Apostles. History bears
this out. Therefore, not all religions are equal. You can’t
have several different versions of the complete truth.

Jeff