Biblical Christianity is the one true religion.
Some may react negatively to that statement, so let’s all think together about a few objections to it and what might be said in response.
“All religions are equally valid and basically teach the same thing.”
Are we really willing to agree religions requiring child sacrifice are equally valid to those that don’t? There are religions that have this horrific practice. There are also religions that teach child sacrifice is an abomination. They obviously don’t teach the same thing. Are we willing to agree they are equally valid? I don’t know many modern people who would say so.
Or take religions like: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity and compare them to Buddhism and Hinduism. Islam, Judaism, and Christianity believe there is only one God. Buddhism and Hinduism believe there are millions of gods. They can’t be all right at the same time. There’s either one God or there are millions of gods, but it can’t be “all of the above.” To believe it’s possible for there to be one God and millions of gods is like saying it’s possible for there to be such a thing as a married bachelor. Somebody is wrong. They can’t all be right.
“It is arrogant to insist your religion is right.”
Why? If insisting my religion is right and the others are wrong makes me arrogant does that mean my religion is wrong? Does my arrogance make my religion wrong? I don’t see how the two are connected. Just because somebody is arrogant about what they believe doesn’t mean their belief is wrong. Just because you charge somebody with being arrogant about what they believe doesn’t mean their belief is wrong. The belief is going to be right or wrong independent of the person’s arrogance.
Imagine a medical scientist who finally discovers a cure for cancer. Suppose, that people think this scientist is really full of himself. Sure, on occasion he lets people know he has discovered the only cure for cancer. When asked about it, he always gives them a straight answer: “Yes, my cure is the only cure for cancer.” Maybe people think that this constitutes arrogance. But does that do anything to undermine the truth of his claim to have discovered the only cure for cancer? If you had cancer, would you refuse his treatment because you think he’s arrogant? This cure for cancer is going to be a cure for cancer independent of whether or not this guy is arrogant.
If somebody says to me, “Brian, you’re arrogant to believe your religion is the only true religion.” My response would be, “Well, that may be. But that doesn’t mean my religion is false.
“Belief is culturally conditioned and therefore one can’t be truer than another.”
The argument goes like this, “If you were born in Pakistan, you’d be a Muslim. If you were born in India, you’d likely be a Hindu. If you were born in Myanmar, you’d likely be a Buddhist. If you were born in the U.S. you’d likely be a Christian, therefore no religion can be the one true religion.”
How somebody comes to believe something has no bearing on whether or not the belief is true. If you were born in ancient Greece, you’d likely believe the sun orbits around the earth. So does that mean if you believe the earth orbits around the sun, you’re wrong? Obviously not! How you come to believe something has no bearing on whether or not the belief is true. The belief is going to be true or false independently of how someone comes to believe it.
Additionally, would you believe no religion can be the one true religion if you were born in Pakistan? Most likely not. You’d believe Islam is the only true religion. The reason you believe “no religion can be the true religion,” is that you were born in the US or some other developed western nation. The belief that says, “no religion can be the right religion” is as culturally conditioned as the Muslim born in Pakistan believing Islam is the one true religion.
How somebody comes to believe something doesn’t make the belief right or wrong. The belief is going to be right or wrong independent of how they come to believe that thing.
That’s a lot to digest!
