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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Are all religions the same?

It sounds tolerant.
It sounds accepting.
It sounds like a statement of understanding.
Really?

I wonder about those who utter this statement.
I wonder because it isn’t any of the descriptions above.

When I hear this statement, the words that pop into my mind are either ignorant or wilfully dismissive.

I’ve previously said that all religions, at the core, seek to answer five questions. The reason I wonder if the person making this statement is ignorant, is due to the incredible differences that exist in the answering of these five major topics.

Perhaps, with good intentions, the questioner is unaware about what the various faiths teach. They may not know the divergences in doctrine.

Since when did different mean the same?

For example...

There are either many deities or one God. It can’t be both. Buddhism says very little about God.

There either is or isn’t more than one lifetime/existence. Some religions believe in reincarnation and others flatly deny it. Both cannot be true.

A supernatural being is in what He created, or God is separate from the creation. Not both.

Ditto for the existence of Karma or if you could work your way into heaven.

Either God could become an incarnate human or not. Some say that God become a man two millennia ago, others hold that this is outrageously blasphemous. Some say that Jesus rose from the dead whilst others think this is rubbish.

Various faiths hold that their religious texts are God’s accurate revelation about Himself and how He wants people to live.

In light of these, only two options remain in the mind of the “all-religions-are-the-same” proponents.

Either all religions are wrong (since none absolutely subscribe to religious uniformity... but Baha’i would be close) or the significant differences that exist are inconsequential.

Neither of these positions seem tolerant or understanding. At worst, the underlying motive could be arrogance.

How else would you call someone who genuinely held the opinion that “you are ALL wrong” or that “none of your truth claims REALLY matter”?

Wouldn’t it be more tolerant to understand what each faith, including atheism, holds to be truth and at least acknowledge that, IF one of them is accurate, then there will be specific consequences?

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