I read the other day a little excerpt from Max Lucado’s new book 3:16 - The Numbers of Hope. In the excerpt, he was discussing the popular notion that when it comes to religion and spirituality that “all roads lead to God.” In other words, it doesn’t matter what path you take – Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Christian – they will all lead to the truth that is God.
I’m grossly paraphrasing, but Max made the counter point that no where else in life would we ever accept this as true. All roads and all paths never lead to the same place. Each road leads to a particular destination. Each path has a different end point. And if you wanted to get to Rome, you would never accept from anyone that all paths/roads ultimately lead to Rome. Some, in fact, lead to Budapest, or Beijing. You would never call the airline industry trying to book a flight to Washington D.C. only to have the employee respond that all flights going into Washington D.C. are booked and then suggest you take a flight to L.A. because after all “all flights lead to Washington D.C.” The idea is absurd.
A college student wouldn’t go to their adviser to schedule another semester of course work to complete a degree in educationand accept the adviser’s advice to enroll in biology major courses because after all “all degree lead to a major in education.” NO they don’t!
Yet for some reason, in the realm of religion and spirituality we often hear the axiom that “all roads lead to God.” Such an idea is just as absurd and just as ridiculous as if it were spoken in any other area of our life. If you commit yourself to the path of Buddhism, you will end up at a different destination then if you committed yourself to the teachings of Muhammad. The teachings of the Vedas will lead you to a different place than if you committed yourself to the teachings of Jesus.
Each path has a final destination. But to say that all end up at the same place is counter to what we would accept in any other area of our life. And from a Christian perspective, this is counter to what Jesus himself teaches. For whether we like it or not, he seems to claim an exclusive place in regards to the Way in which we encounter the God of the Bible.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
What would be your comment to “all roads lead to God within Christianity”.
There seems to be different paths that we are all on, under the Christian umbrella. Do they all lead to God?
By: Voice in the Wilderness on January 24, 2008
at 1:13 pm
Not a single comment or response? Have I hit upon a taboo subject?
Ok, 10-15 years ago, I believed there was one Lord’s Church and it had a name, The Church of Christ.
That some how during all the years from Paul to the mid 1800’s, it was in hiding, a remnant, preserving the old ways and finally emerged as the Church of Christ.
Thankfully, by attending Living Stones Church, (then Donmoyer C of C) as lead by Sam and some progressive Elders (yes, Chuck, this means you too), I began to believe there were other Christians outside of our immediate fellowship. I could probably let the Baptist in. LOL
By reading and listening to other Christians, I have even expanded that fellowship circle, beyond personal preferences of worship, style, even what some would call glaring theological differences.
I even have to catch myself to not exclude those that don’t measure up to the “sins that I think are most important”. I mean, this person can’t be a Christian because of their views on abortion, but this person is a Christian because they share my same views, but on the other hand they don’t exhibit grace or mercy or love.
That all being said, kind of swing with these verses right now:
Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us
38″Teacher,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”
39″Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40for whoever is not against us is for us. 41I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.
I think this encompasses a lot of organized Christian religions right now. Maybe I’m becoming a liberal?
By: Voice in the Wilderness on January 25, 2008
at 1:30 pm
Voice,
)
I don’t know if I’d call you liberal, just because Jesus, a much earlier Voice in the Wilderness, seemed to have what we would think of (and people then did, too, it seems) as a curious mix of conservative views and liberal views.
(But if being liberal blows your skirt up, then we’ll call you that — as well as other names.
By: Kneip on January 25, 2008
at 2:00 pm
I think the both of you should go back and sing 728b and tell me what you think then…oh how quickly you forget.
By: sambarrington on January 25, 2008
at 2:10 pm
I recently went on a date with a man who was not a Christian and had some very interesting discussions with him along these lines. He observes the stars and believes in “celestial truths.” (I asked him how he knows it’s “true” and not just the human interpretations of observable patterns in something that is far greater that what we can see, and might have a different meaning if seen in the context of the whole. He told me I was “slightly offensive” and I haven’t seen him again!) He said the stars tell the same stories as the Bible and asked why the Bible doesn’t teach that. I told him the Bible isn’t exhaustive history, but a message of love and redemption, and that the stars telling the same story just reaffirms for me that we have one creator and one truth. So to get to my point, I believe there is one truth, the one taught in the Bible, and that if someone is honestly seeking that truth, he/she will find it even if he/she stops to chat with Buddha along the way.
By: Melissa on January 25, 2008
at 2:46 pm