Aren’t there many different paths to God?
Shouldn’t Christians just leave people alone, letting others believe what they want? After all, if all religions feel fulfilling to those that follow them, why try to get people to change their beliefs? You may have heard people say that there are many roads up the mountain, but they all eventually lead to the same point at the top.
I guess it depends whether religion is like insulin or ice cream. For example, I prefer chocolate ice cream, while you might prefer vanilla, or butter pecan, or strawberry, or … great, now I’m hungry. But regardless of what your favorite flavor is, there’s nothing wrong with choosing one instead of another; it’s a personal preference. If someone told me they liked mint flavor best, I wouldn’t respond by saying “What the heck’s wrong with you?” or “How dare you choose mint instead of chocolate, you big jerk!”
The point is this:
That’s the beauty of ice cream – you can choose what you prefer. When it comes to medicine, however, it doesn’t make sense to choose what you prefer. Rather, it’s essential to choose what heals. It would be silly to choose NyQuil over penicillin simply because it tastes better.1
When choosing ice cream, you choose what you like. But when you choose medicine, you choose what heals you. Religion isn’t like ice cream, where you should choose whatever “tastes best”. You need to choose what’s true. The truth is often tough, but that doesn’t mean we should just ignore it and choose what we like.
The differences between religions aren’t trivial; they are structural, foundational. When we die, we either go to heaven, are reincarnated, are absorbed into the cosmic consciousness, or rot in the ground, but we can’t do them all at the same time. Either Jesus was a prophet but not God (Islam), a wise man (Hinduism), a misguided man (atheism), or God in the flesh (Christianity), but he can’t be all of them at the same time.
Jesus himself didn’t claim Christianity is ‘true like ice cream’. He didn’t say “Come, follow me, it’ll be fun!”. He in fact claimed something very specific, contradicting every single religious (or non-religious) person who lived before him. He claimed that it’s impossible to “earn” our way into heaven, and in fact need to trust in God (who Jesus himself claimed to be in human form) instead of trusting our own failing efforts.
But isn’t that pure arrogance? Isn’t that intolerant? Doesn’t it sound presumptuous for Christians to claim they have “the truth” and all other religions are wrong? Well, only if truth is like ice cream. If someone is dying and needs medicine, you need to give them what will heal them, not what they like best. In the same way, Jesus gives us what we need, and ultimately what is best for us.
There are many different paths, but they don’t all eventually lead to the top of the same mountain. Some veer off to the left and the right; others climb entirely different mountains! And if God is real, truth about God is not like ice cream; it’s like medicine, and only what is true can heal.
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1 Alan Shlemon, Stand to Reason,
http://www.str.org/site/DocServer/alanshlemonnews0503.pdf?docID=281
Lord, In a culture where everything is said to be relative and nothing true, thank You for cutting through the confusion. Thank You that You are Truth and that we are welcome to put all our faith, hope and trust in You! You are faithful and true; we are unfaithful, and so often full of lies, even lying to ourselves and imagining that we can lie to You. Thank You that You see through all our disillusions, know every weakness and shortcoming, and by these You bind us to Yourself as we repent and confess our faith in You as Saviour and Lord! Thank You for Your mercy and grace, for Your kindness and compassion. Thank You that You are eternal and immutable, and forgive us for thinking we know better than You when we are only dust. Thank You for having done everything necessary to save us from sin, and for wooing us into Your arms with Your unfailing love. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Thank you, but I feel compelled to suggest back to you that the truth is not like medicine either. Medicine does nothing for anyones eternal life. Some people believe that medicines are the only cure for a sickness or ailment and this temporarily gives them comfort. When a sickness returns or, more serious, becomes terminal some people look to medicines to save them. There is only one Path or one Word that solves every individuals issues, whether they are physical or psychological, and the Path or Word is Christ. Belief in Christ is more powerful than anything that this world has to offer right now. There is no need to compare worldly parallels in order to help someone understand and become Justified. If you are in Christ you know it, and if you are to be in Christ you will know it! Shalom!
thanks, do you mind if i share this with my cell group at school?