Religious_Diversity

Pg.1 Diversity Edwin Irizarry Corey B. King June 05, 2011 Pg.2 Anyone can claim to be the only to GOD. In fact, quite a few religions have made this assertion throughout history. The real issue is why anyone should believe Jesus was telling the truth when he said it - “I am the way, the truth, the light”. On one hand, you can say that the resurrection of Jesus established him as being the son of God. If that were true, then all other faith systems cannot be true because they each assert something contrary to the divinity. And of course, the historical record concerning the resurrection is extremely compelling. On the other hand, you can approach the issue by looking at four fundamental questions that every religion seeks to answer: Origin, meaning, morality, and destiny. Pg.3 Some people say that when you strip away everything, all the world religions are essentially teaching universal fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of humankind. This point should not be taken lightly because it is possible to lovingly claim exclusive truth. Just as a scientist can very gently say, “This is the second law of thermodynamics’ without adding, ‘Now, we can vote on how many of us cooperate with it or not'”” Consider Buddhism, though it is technically atheistic – still no creator. The Hindu religion – every birth is a rebirth. If every life pays for the previous, then what were you paying for in the first place' We have the Muslims who radically claim exclusivity – not just theologically, but also Pg.4 linguistically. Muslims believe that the sole, sufficient, and consummate miracle of Islam is the Koran. They say, however, it is recognizable in Arabic, and that any translation is sacrilege. And it is not just a basic understanding of Arabic that is required, but a sophisticated knowledge of the language. Since Allah is responsible for the Koran, does he state he is the only path to GOD' Christianity says we rejected the divine will. The tempter in the garden said if you eat the fruit, you will become as gods knowing good and evil. The implication is becoming the definer of good and evil. Humanism was born right there; man became the measure of all things. The willful rebellion and rejection of God corresponds to reality. The simplest way to describe it is that God does not call us to meaning by asking us to be good people. Pg.5 He does call us to meaning by telling us to love one another. It is only in the experience of worship that meaning comes to be. Christianity says morality is not culturally based, but instead it grows out of the very character of God. Therefore, the statement that Christians are arrogant by claiming exclusivity ignores the reality that every major religion does as well. Destiny is based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the historical event that proved his divinity and opened the door to heaven for everyone to follow Him. Where else do you have anything close to claiming this' Pg.6 How a person lives and how he treats his neighbor is very important. It is more important than he believes because the way he lives is reflective of what he believes. Regardless of whether he has signed a doctrinal statement, what he really and truly believes is what he will ultimately live out. Edwin Irizarry Pg.7 Ravi Zacharias. Jesus among other Gods. Nashville: Word 2000 Paul Copan. True for You, Not for Me. Bethany Home 1998, pgs 71 - 77 R.C. Sproul, Reason to Believe, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Lamplighter Books, 1982 Acts 4:12 Bible, King James Version John 1:1-14, Gen. 18:25, Matt 20:1-16, Acts 17:26-27, King James Version