In what ways do you see his article discrediting science?

How do you know that the way you have answered those questions is a fairy tale?

I also agree that many people have taken the label “Christian” but could not be called “a follower of Jesus”. Jesus said the evidence would be in the “fruit” of their life, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit… Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:15-20) If someone claims to be a Christian but they do not love others the same way Jesus did but instead they persecute others and act cruelly, then you can know that they are not a follower of Jesus because of the fruit they produce.

You say there are those that have followed dogmatic religious beliefs have shed much blood, but there are far more who have followed dogmatic religious beliefs and have spent their lives in service to others. Many of those are well known but even more have gone about their life in a quiet humility and never received any accolades except from the people they served. So it is not the dogmatic religious beliefs that identify those who are followers of Jesus and those who are not but rather it is the fruit of their lives.

I appreciate your reference to the house built on the rock and the house built on the sand. Those words of Jesus are powerful statement of the need to hear what He says and to follow Him. His Word is trustworthy and you can know that if you follow Him He will help you to build a good life. But if you build your life on any other worldview, religious belief or moral standards you will be building on something that has no substance or staying power. Your life will collapse because it lacks a solid foundation. Jesus is the only sure rock.

I will combine the first two, i.e., “Why are they true?” and “And how do you know that they are true?”
Answer: “Cogito ergo sum”

Have you walked all the paths and know that they all lead to God?
Answer: No, I have not. I have only walked my path.

Have you received confirmation from everyone else that their paths have led them to God?
Answer: No, I have not. I prefer to take “the road less traveled”. (Roads that are heavily traveled are full of potholes.) Even a cursory assessment of the overall deplorable state of humanity would suggest that the vast majority of those who are in positions of power and authority are on the wrong path. And most of the sheep are following the wrong shepherd. Sheep follow what they want to hear, not what they need to hear.

On what basis can you affirm that no matter what path people walk that they will end up knowing God?
Answer: Your question defies logic. However, history clearly demonstrates that those who have followed dogmatic religious beliefs have shed more blood that they can ever hope to atone for. Another example of the sheep following the wrong shepherd.

“I looked for God. I went to a temple, and I didn’t find him there. Then I went to a church, and I didn’t find him there. And then I went to a mosque, and I didn’t find him there. And then finally I looked in my heart, and there he was.”
Answer: If God does not reside in the hearts of men, then why would he reside in a house of worship? There are many “good” people who never go to church and many “evil” who attend on a regular basis.
“Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool”, “What house will ye build me?”, “What is the place of my rest?”
“Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car”.

“How many paths are there to God? There are as many paths to God as there are souls on the Earth”.
Answer: The path to God is a personal journey, and it must be freely followed. Too many are driven down the wrong path out of fear.

Jamie, you need to take a journey of self-discovery, and break free from the chains of dogma. If nothing else, listen to what the bible tells you, and what it really means to you. One does not need a religious institution to interpret its meaning. Institutions are devices of man, and are often corrupted by self-interest, i.e., the “truth” is the first casualty.

Consider the following:

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

Why do you keep on saying that I am your Lord, when you refuse to do what I say?
Anyone who hears my words and obeys them is like a man building a house that digs deep and lays his foundation on the rock. When the flood rises, the stream will beat vehemently against that house, but will not shake it, for the house is founded on the rock.
But anyone who hears my words and does not obey them is like a man building a house that does not dig deep, but lays his foundation on the sand. When the flood rises, the stream will beat vehemently against that house, but the house will fall, for it is founded on the sand. And the ruin of the house will be great.

Sheep that follow the wrong shepherd are being not coming to dinner; they are the dinner.

“The pluralist view by definition excludes all views that differ from it (ex, it excludes the “exclusivitsts” like Christians, Muslims, atheists, etc).”

Here are some other definitions…

A condition or system in which two or more states, groups, principles, sources of authority, etc., coexist.

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/pluralism

Religious pluralism is an attitude or policy regarding the diversity of religious belief systems co-existing in society. It can indicate one or more of the following:

As the name of the worldview according to which one’s religion is not the sole and exclusive source of truth, and thus the acknowledgement that at least some truths and true values exist in other religions.

As acceptance of the concept that two or more religions with mutually exclusive truth claims are equally valid. This may be considered a form of either toleration (a concept that arose as a result of the European wars of religion) or moral relativism.

The understanding that the exclusive claims of different religions turn out, upon closer examination, to be variations of universal truths that have been taught since time immemorial. This is called Perennialism (based on the concept of philosophia perrenis) or Traditionalism.

Sometimes as a synonym for ecumenism, i.e., the promotion of some level of unity, co-operation, and improved understanding between different religions or different denominations within a single religion.

As term for the condition of harmonious co-existence between adherents of different religions or religious denominations.

As a social norm and not merely a synonym for religious diversity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_pluralism#Inter-religious_pluralism

Religious pluralism holds that no single religion can claim absolute authority to teach absolute truth. Religious pluralists point out that nearly all religious texts are a combination of an assortment of human observations documented, for example, as historical narratives, poetry, lections, and morality plays. Religious texts are, therefore, open to interpretation and no religion is able to comprehensively capture and communicate all truth. Although all religions attempt to capture reality, their attempts occur within particular cultural and historical contexts that affect the writer’s viewpoint.
Many religious pluralists claim that members of other faiths are searching for the same truths in different ways, and that all religious knowledge is limited by human fallibility. Pluralism does not preclude holding one’s own ideas or participating in the rituals or spiritual life of one particular religion or community, while recognizing the validity of a host of other practices or interpretations.

Many people hold that it is both permissible and imperative for people of all faiths to develop some form of religious pluralism.

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Pluralism#Religious_pluralism

Darren and/or Jamie: Do you agree or disagree with the following quotations?

“I looked for God. I went to a temple, and I didn’t find him there. Then I went to a church, and I didn’t find him there. And then I went to a mosque, and I didn’t find him there. And then finally I looked in my heart, and there he was.”

“How many paths are there to God? There are as many paths to God as there are souls on the Earth”.

Jan