Shouldn’t Christians just leave people alone, letting others believe what they want? After all, if all religions are basically the same, or at least are fulfilling to those that follow them, why try to get people to change their beliefs? The idea goes that there are many roads up the mountain, but they all eventually lead to the same point at the top. Thus, many paths … thus, any religion may/will ultimately lead you to God.

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 miserable heretic!"

But 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." (Alan Shlemon, STR.org)

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.

Jesus 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. Christians don't want to "force" their religious beliefs on anyone; instead, since religion is decidedly not like ice cream, it really does matter what people believe. And people who believe that we have found that truth, that medicine that cures what plagues humankind deep in our hearts, can't help but want to share it with other people.

(This article was originally written for the From Today On website, although it hasn't been posted yet.)

Related reading:

• Insulin or Ice Cream? – Greg Koukl's lectures that are part of the Ambassador Basic Curriculum were the inspiration for this post; unfortunately this short clip from it is the best one I could find on the STR site.
• Jesus and World Religions: How do they compare? – Is it politically correct to "compare" religions? Why not? As long as we know what tolerance is, then there's no harm.
• Story: I researched all the major religions – In my own story, I researched world faiths before becoming Christian. Here's someone else who did the same.

I was re-reading Case for Christ by Lee Strobel last week, and the following quote jumped out at me. Here, Gregory A. Boyd, near the end of the chapter where he has commented on and dismantled the assumptions of the ultra skeptical "Jesus Seminar", Boyd moves on to comment on the nature of faith and evidence:

"Let me get this straight," [Strobel] said. "Your Jesus -the Jesus you relate to- is both a Jesus of history and a Jesus of faith."

Boyd clenched his fist for emphasis, as if I’d just scored a touch-down. "Yes, that’s it exactly, Lee!" he exclaimed. Moving to the very edge of his chair, he spelled out precisely what his scholarship -and his heart- have brought him to believe.

"It’s like this: if you love a person, your love goes beyond the facts of that person, but it’s rooted in the facts about that person. For example, you love your wife because she’s gorgeous, she’s nice, she’s sweet, she’s kind. All these things are facts about your wife, and therefore you love her."

"But your love goes beyond that. You can know all these things about your wife and not be in love with her and put your trust in her, but you do. So the decision goes beyond the evidence, yet it is there also on the basis of the evidence."

"So it is with falling in love with Jesus. To have a relationship with Jesus Christ goes beyond just knowing the historical facts about him, yet it’s rooted in the historical facts about him. I believe in Jesus on the basis of the historical evidence, but my relationship with Jesus goes way beyond the evidence. I have to put my trust in him and walk with him on a daily basis." (Case for Christ, 125-126)

Although Boyd is a somewhat controversial figure in certain evangelical circles, I find him to be right-on in his commentary here.

Please see the "Links" area in the sidebar to the right for further resources on this topic and related areas of inquiry.

I do believe that in the other world there are neither Hindus, nor Christians nor Mussalmans. They all are judged not according to their labels, or professions, but according to their actions, irrespective of their professions. (Mahatma Gandhi, source)

Do Christians believe they have a monopoly on religious truth? They shouldn't. Truth should be accepted wherever it is found; be it in the Bible, the Qur'an, or in secular writings. That's why on the About this Site page of WhyFaith.com I state that "I will search for and accept truth wherever it is found". I think that Mahatma Gandhi was in many ways a wise man, and we could learn much from him.

However, note carefully that I'm not in any way implying that all religions are equally true. Since they teach very different things, the claim that "there are neither Hindus, nor Christians nor Mussalmans" is insulting to Hindus, Christians, and Mussalmans. This view seems tolerant, but actually is quite intolerant to these groups. What if the same rule was applied to political groups? What if we were to say "there are neither Democrats, Republicans, Liberals, or Communists"? The absolute view of religious inclusively necessarily excludes the exclusitivists (that is, the vast majority of people around the world). It may be easier to wave a dismissive hand at religions and say they are all basically the same, but that is, IMHO, lazy and inaccurate.

Note too that Gandhi has, perhaps due to his desire for religious harmony, apparently misunderstood or has mistakenly stated Christian belief. Unlike other faiths, Christians do not believe "They all are judged … according to their actions", at least not how Gandhi seems to mean it. The Christian concept of grace says that we cannot save ourselves, but rather God has taken the initiative to save us, if only we will accept His offer: "God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners" (Romans 5:8) The Four Spiritual Laws do a good job of explaining God's grace in a very succinct fashion. Gandhi's quote makes it seem like we are saved by our own actions in a sort of spiritual bank account, which is not the Christian belief.

I don't know if this one particular quote reflects Gandhi's beliefs accurately, but this attitude is prevalent in western society nonetheless. And I do know that if you, like millions (billions?) of people around the world are relying on being "good enough", hoping (but never quite sure, honestly) if you're meeting your own standard of goodness (let alone God's!) that perhaps there's another way … (see the resources below for more on this topic)

Related reading:

• Do Good People Go to Heaven? – The Christian answer might surprise you.
• For students: How "good" do you have to be … ?
• How good is "good enough"?

I have unfortunately lost the source of these quotes. I saved them in a text file to reply to later on this blog, but the quote does not appear (anymore?) on the url I saved with it. (The quote was likely from a review of another book on Amazon.) Regardless, here are the comments and my replies.

One never has a "moral obligation" to impose beliefs that are not solidly backed up with proof. In fact, doing so is an insult and an offense to the person whose beliefs you attack with the well-intended suggestion that yours are better.

I agree, although I would substitute the word "evidence" for where he/she has written "proof", thus Paul says "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15,16)

Think about it. Where did your beliefs come from? Someone told you to believe, and probably told you you would go to hell for not believing. Am I right?

Actually, no. I grew up in an atheist/agnostic home and came to my own conclusions based on my personal investigation (and, I believe, God's grace). Many people are Christians because they were brought up Christians; but that proves nothing about whether the Christianity is true. (See: Genetic fallacy.)

Don't arrogantly foist your belief system on people who have their own. Be a little meek and humble, the way the Bible tells you to be. Leave people to believe the way they choose to.

I certainly don't support "arrogantly foisting" things on anyone. Evangelism is about sharing the good news, not forcing anyone to do anything. But note that the implication here is quite stunning. Here's what is basically seems to be suggested: "If you believe all of those people are headed for eternal torment/destruction, just leave them alone. Don't try to help them. Don't even mention this to them, even though they may not be aware of it." If you believed someone was putting his life in danger, wouldn't you want to help them? Christians don't share their faith because it's always a fun time for them. It's often a frustrating and thankless endeavor. Christians share their faith (at least, in theory) because of their concern for others.

And respect that maybe – just maybe – what you think and believe doesn't matter one whit. Maybe it's just how we behave, and how well we follow the Golden Rule that counts.

Here we come to the crux of the issue. If "how we behave, and how well we follow the Golden Rule" are really what counts, then this author is right, we should stop all of this religious talk and just get on with being as "good" as possible. This is indeed what most religions believe, albeit they have different ideas about what being "good" means. But, unlike all other faiths, this is NOT what Christians believe. Christians do not believe what saves us is being good. What separates Christianity from other faiths is grace.

The question is: How good is good enough? Are you "good enough"? I mean, you're probably a pretty swell guy/girl. Compared to the jerk down the street who runs his lawnmower early Sunday mornings, or that "bad" uncle no one talks about, or … well what about, Adolf Hitler? Compared to them, you're a saint. But where, exactly, is the 'line' that determines goodness? 50% goodness? That seems a little low. What about 90% goodness? Remember now, if God exists, He is 100% holy, righteous, and "good" in every sense of the word.

It's something to think about. How good is good enough? This is not a rhetorical question … it has eternal consequences! The fact is that the common assumption (often not thought about and hardly ever challenged) that "good people to to heaven" is wrong.

Go deeper:

• Jesus: Fact or Fiction? – God's grace: A nice idea, but is it true? Only if Jesus is real …
• How Good is Good Enough? – Short, easy to read book, highly recommended