Do All Religions Lead To God?
Luke 13:22-30; Acts 17:16-23 May 29, 2005
Intro:
Do all religions lead to God? Aren’t they really just different paths to the same place, different perspectives on the same thing, different names for the same “higher power”? Isn’t the important thing that we all just be nice to each other, be sincere in what we believe, and then just trust that “god”, whomever or whatever you might believe that to be, will accept us all based on our belief that all of us are pretty good, or at least more good than bad?
Furthermore, aren’t we as Christians pretty ignorant and bigoted and self-important to say that we are the only ones who have the truth, that others are all wrong and destined for hell? Nowadays, shouldn’t we certainly be more enlightened than to presume and suggest that Jesus is the only way – we couldn’t possibly, really believe that everyone else is going to spend eternity separated from God. Could we? That is simply too intolerant, too narrow, too egotistical. Isn’t it? Shouldn’t we just love others, accept them for who they are and what they believe, respect their views of religion, and DEFINITELY not try to impose our views on them?
Isn’t it better to believe that we are all, ultimately, headed in the same direction, and thus it doesn’t really matter if you follow Jesus or Mohammed, if you are into Zen or Hinduism or ancestor worship or Confucianism? Doesn’t it make more sense to believe that we are all fellow travelers on this road of life, headed to the same destination but taking very different routes? Aren’t we all headed to the top of the mountain? - we’ll meet on the peak, but we start at very different places, take very different paths, use many different tools, but ultimately, don’t we end up at the same place?
It’s Not That Easy…
I wish it were that easy. Then we wouldn’t have to worry about sharing Jesus, we wouldn’t have to have unpleasant disagreements, we wouldn’t have to talk to each other at all about important topics like “religion”, we wouldn’t even have to think too deeply about any of this – just leave it alone, and it will all turn out ok. We could maybe even end many of the conflicts in our world that are, at least on the surface, “wars of religion”. And on a more personal level, we wouldn’t have to wrestle with the question of what happens to others we know and love when they die. Wouldn’t all that be great?
But it isn’t that easy. The questions are more complicated, and the stakes are too high to leave eternity to a vague hope that sincerity will triumph over truth, that it doesn’t matter what you believe or practice, God will just work it all out perfectly for everybody in the end.
Besides, many of the claims of the different world religions are just plain contradictory, so how could they possibly all be true?
The Same Root…
I do believe, however, that the search for God in all the cultures and corners of our world arise from the same root – that we are more than the physical, that there is a broader reality with which we can begin to make sense of our lives, that there are universal principles in how we should interact with one another and with our world, physical and spiritual. As Christians in our world, we must listen for those starting points, identify with the need, and then find ways to journey together to truth. But just because we start with the same question does not necessarily mean that all the answers are equally valid, are equally true, or lead to the same conclusion.
Shouldn’t Everyone Be Saved?
A big part of the driver behind the idea, prevalent in our culture, that all religions lead to God, is our sense of fairness. If there is a God, and God is loving, then surely He must save everyone. Shouldn’t He? Let’s see what Jesus says in response to this question:
Luke 13:22-30: “22Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?"
He said to them, 24"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ’Sir, open the door for us.’
"But he will answer, ’I don’t know you or where you come from.’
26"Then you will say, ’We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’
27"But he will reply, ’I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’
28"There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last."”
The short answer, from Jesus’ lips, to the direct question of universal salvation for all is a resounding “no”. The door will close, and some – those to whom Jesus says “I don’t know you or where you come from, away from me, all you evildoers” – will be left outside.
This is not an isolated occurrence. We find the same teaching in Matt 7:13-14, where Jesus says: “13Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
Jesus makes that same claim to exclusivity in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
It seems to me that Jesus is pretty clear. The only way to God/heaven/life/the Kingdom of God, is through Jesus.
A Neat Conversation:
A couple of years ago, I had the privilege of having a spiritual conversation with a woman from a native background. She was an Indian, and came to talk with me about spiritual things. As we talked about what she believes, one phrase stuck out to me, loud and clear. She said: “I know God – whom you call Father and I call Creator. And I know the Great Spirit – whom you call the Holy Spirit. But I can’t figure out Jesus.”
It’s All About Jesus:
It really all does come down to Jesus. Jesus is the hinge-point, the dividing line, the narrow door, the stumbling block. What do we do with Jesus, in this whole conversation about the relationship of Christianity to the rest of the religions of the world? Jesus was pretty clear in His answer to the question, “are only a few people going to be saved?”. What does that make our message as those who claim to be followers of Jesus?
Background Survey:
Before answering those questions, let’s take a very brief step back and survey the other main belief systems in our world.
First, where did they come from? (chart from Eerdmans Bible Handbook)
Where are they now? (chart from adherents.com).
What do they actually believe? I can’t answer that question for you today, as we simply do not have enough time to even begin. I will refer you to an excellent summary that Leanne Attwell prepared for me, and which I found immensely helpful in my preparation. I’ve made extra copies for the table at the back, and encourage you to take those and have a look.
Things In Common:
Having read Leanne’s summary, I did pick out some things in common among the world religions. Like I said before, we begin with the same questions:
• is the physical, observable, is all there is to life?
• where do we come from?
• what happens at death?
• why is there suffering in the world, and how do we overcome it?
• what is the main goal or purpose of life?
As soon as you answer those questions, you have a “religion”. You have a faith system, a set of beliefs about the world which guides your understanding and actions, a “world-view”.
Now this might surprise you, but our answers to many of those questions might be more similar than you originally think. As Westerners trained to believe that our way and culture and beliefs are superior, we generally toss out everything in other religions as nonsense, as suspect, even as “demonic”. But when you actually take a look, there is more in common than we expect. I can go so far as to say, even, that we might discover some ideas and views that are more consistent with the Bible than our own! Of course, there are also many things that are diametrically opposed, but I’ll tease you with those ideas and leave the digging to you as you take Leanne’s summary and read through it.
Lessons From Mars Hill:
Some of you might be thinking, “Isn’t that all a little dangerous?” Shouldn’t we ignore all those other religions, never look at the books they regard as sacred, and just live as Christians?
Not if we share God’s love for our world. Not if we care about the eternal destiny of 2/3rds of our planet. Not if we want to be effective witnesses in our own culture, which believes that all paths lead to the same place. Not even if we want to follow the example of Scripture.
Do you remember the story of Paul, when he went to Athens? Let me read it to you from Acts 17:16-23. “16While Paul was waiting for (Silas and Timothy) in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean." 21(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
22Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.”
Notice carefully Paul’s approach – it will work with your neighbour. He began with a word of encouragement: “I see that in every way you are very religions.” – he found a place where he could connect with people. He “looked carefully at their objects of worship” – in other words, Paul sought to understand. He wanted to know what they believed. And then he found some common ground, and began to tell them about Jesus.
Paul didn’t believe the same things as the Athenians, but he did believe that God was active there ahead of his arrival, and that there was at least something that prepared them to hear the message of Jesus and of resurrection.
Back to Jesus:
Which brings us back to the question I posed earlier: what do we do with Jesus? Are we, as Christians, nothing more than narrow bigots eagerly condemning everyone who doesn’t agree with us to hell? Are we so completely intolerant, so exclusive, so heartless as to suggest that we are the only ones who are right, and that everyone else is wrong?
The heart of those accusations are at motive and attitude, not at truth. If our faith leads us to an attitude of superiority, to a heartless lack of compassion, to a suggestion that we are “know-it-alls” and “holier than thou” types, then we are completely wrong. We have not even begun to grasp the heart of God for people, and we have missed the central truth of all of Christianity, which is love. If we begin any conversation, with anyone who does not believe the same things as we do, with an attitude that we are right and they are wrong, we are not being faithful and effective witnesses. Paul didn’t begin that way. Instead, Paul began by identifying something in their belief system that he could encourage, that he could build on, that he could agree with. Then, out of compassion and love for them, he proclaimed Jesus.
But beyond the motive and attitude, then yes; Jesus claimed exclusivity. Jesus said He was the only way to the Father. And so while we begin with understanding and an earnest love and desire to listen, we then must proclaim Jesus. We must be witnesses for Jesus. We must stand on the truth that Jesus taught, backed up by how our lives are enriched by our personal relationship with God.
That’s Not A Popular Message:
I know that isn’t a popular message, and in fact is one that many today will reject. It might even offend some of you. But it is the message Jesus taught, even though it offended many of the people He said it to also.
And by the way, I really do hope that I end up being wrong. I have no desire to see anyone condemned for eternity; in fact I share God’s desire, which is “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Pet 3:9). I would love to be a universalist, but Scripture will not let me.
Leave With A Question:
Most often I try to sort of wrap things up, pose some questions and then leave you with some answers. Today I want to close a little differently. I want to close by reading a passage of Scripture that just might, for you, just create a whole bunch more questions. It does, at the end, return back to this central question of who Jesus is: John 10:1-21
“1"I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice." 6Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
7Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
11"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."
19At these words the Jews were again divided. 20Many of them said, "He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?"
21But others said, "These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"
