Are All Religions True?

by Mark Karapetyan

A few summers ago, while I was speaking in Pennsylvania on the topic of ‘The Exclusivity of Jesus’, a newly converted Buddhist woman, named Suzanne, jumped to her feet and angrily interrupted me: “How dare you say that not all religions are true? How ignorant it is of you to say that there aren’t many paths to God? There are many ways to the same God, just like there are many ways to the same destination. God lets us decide in our own way how we know Him and how we go to Him, not you and not your Jesus. All of you Christians are very narrow-minded to claim that there is only one way to God. ”

“Fair enough Suzanne,” I replied. “Allow me to ask you a question then. Is it also narrow-minded and ignorant of me to claim that 2+2=4 ? Four is the only true answer, and we all know it. Any other answer is wrong. Five is wrong, eighteen is wrong, seven hundred is wrong, and any answer other than four is also wrong. Why can’t all these other answers be equally correct? One more thing ; do you realize that your belief itself is a worldview that alone claims to be true, while condemning as wrong all opposing beliefs?”

Without saying a word, Suzanne sat down and continued listening…

It is absolutely amazing to me that the majority of people around the world, including millions of Christians, believe that all religions are equally true (one religion isn’t necessarily the be all end all) and that there are many different ways to God. These people believe that if it feels right in their hearts and they sincerely believe in something, that means what they believe is true. The sad reality is that they fail to realize that feelings and experiences, and even personal beliefs, are NEVER measures of truth. The only people claiming that all religions are the same or that all religions are equally true are those people who know little to nothing about world religions, or who are unable to do a little bit of critical thinking (sadly, most Christians).

Truth by nature is exclusive. Everything cannot be true. If everything is true, then nothing is false. Truth excludes every opposite; otherwise, it wouldn’t be true. If something is true, every opposite MUST be logically and reasonably false – also, if something is true, it is true for everyone and at all times, because truth is always absolute.

In order for something to be contradictory, it must violate the law of non-contradiction. This law states that A cannot be both A and non-A at the same time and in the same sense. In other words, you have contradicted yourself if you affirm and deny the same statement. For example, if I say that I am married, then in the next sentence, I am a bachelor, I have just contradicted myself. (Isn’t this what corrupt politicians do when they lie to us every day?). I am either married, or I am not. I CANNOT be married and not married at the same time because the law of non-contradiction prohibits it. Similarly, because religions contradict each other, they cannot all be true. It is logically possible that all religions are false, but it is not logically possible that all of them are true.

Contrary to popular belief, not all religions teach the same thing. For example: theism, the belief that there is a God who created the universe, and pantheism, the view that God is the universe, cannot both be true. This is one instance of why you can’t rationally affirm that all religions are equally true. The law of non-contradiction forbids it. This does not mean that there cannot be elements of truth in all religions, but that all are not equally true.

I’ll give you more examples:

Hinduism strongly affirms a pantheistic, world-view and the karmic law while rejecting any system that states the opposite. Hinduism also says that since everything is divine it is in some way true, hence their view that all religions are true and all roads lead to God. This sounds all-inclusive, but when you press a Hindu, he will never let go of the doctrines of reincarnation or of pantheism. In fact, when you question him on his “all religions are true stance,” he will eventually exclude Christianity. This is because the Christian theist will claim that only Christianity is true, not that everything is true The Hindu will counter, “Christianity is false, and everything is true.” The problem is, he has just refuted himself. If Christianity is false, then not everything is true. But if Christianity is true, then Hinduism is false because Jesus claimed to be the only way to God.

Islam is also an exclusive world view. Muslims believe that Jesus is only a prophet, and that He wasn’t crucified. Christianity teaches that Jesus was the son of God, and that He was crucified. In Buddhism, salvation is through elimination of all desires. In Islam, salvation is when our good works and deeds outnumber the bad. In Christianity, salvation is a gift of God through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

As you clearly see, all of these religions cannot be true because they all contradict each other in various ways. They can all be false, but they can’t all be true. The law of non-contradiction will smack you if you violate it.

When the law of non-contradiction is applied to the claims of the world’s religions, it quickly becomes apparent that all religions cannot be equally true. Why? Because all religions of the world make mutually exclusive and contradictory truth claims about essential matters, like the nature of God and the way to salvation. Most people point the finger to Christianity when it comes to exclusivity. I believe that this criticism is unfair, because in reality, all religions claim exclusivity. As a matter of a fact, any statement that asserts absolute truth is by definition exclusive. Muslims claim absolute truth. Christians claim absolute truth. Pantheists claim absolute truth. Jews claim absolute truth. When applying the law of non-contradiction to the truth claims of the world’s religions, either one of these religions is true and the rest are false, or they’re all false. No one can escape this dilemma.

Now that you understand that all world religions cannot be equally true, you might ask, “which, then, is the true religion?”

Ask God! He will reveal the truth to you if you sincerely seek it.

Finally, next time someone tells you that all religions are true and all roads lead to God, ask them this question: “What if I created a religion? Would it be true as well ?”

“The truth that makes men free is for the most part the truth which men prefer not to hear”

Herbert Agar

0 Comments

APOLOGETICS - ARTICLES AND INFORMATION

WHERE DO I GO?

If you have questions or would like to catch one of our events, please do not hesitate to reach out using the form provided on this page or contact Mark with the email address provided below:

Mark Karapetyan
mark@whatifurwrong.com

Stay Connected

Follow us on social media to stay up to date on the latest news and events from What If UR Wrong Apologetics!

Are All Religions True?

0 Comments

WHERE DO I GO?

Stay Connected

Contact Us