Exclusivity and Truth

Nonbelievers often complain about Christianity’s claims of exclusivity, that there is only one God and the Christian way is the only way to God. They want to use their definition of tolerance to say that all religions are valid and teach essentially the same things.


However, if you actually examine what different religions teach, even superficially, you can quickly see that it is most certainly not the case that all religions teach the same concepts. In fact, most religions have one or more contradictory claims that would preclude them from all being true.

McDowell and McDowell explain: ‘While all religions could possibly be wrong, it is not logically possible for all of them to be right when their claims differ so radically. Either they are all wrong or only one is right.’ (xliv) Anyone with sense should be able to understand this, yet people still persist in asserting that there is no difference from one religion to the next.

There is a handy chart provided in the book listing the basic beliefs of the five major world religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Christianity. All but Hinduism believe that all other religions are false, each has a completely different belief about salvation, and they all have completely different views on God – Buddhism believing in no God, Hinduism many, Islam and Judaism have (different) Unitarian Gods, and Christianity believes in a Trinitarian God. (xliv)

It is impossible to reconcile these different religions or say that they teach the same essential doctrines. There may be some similarities in moral teachings, but that is not the point of religions. At least, that’s not the point of Christianity.

Christianity is about God sending His Son, Jesus, to save people from their sins. That is its most important doctrine, and if you don’t believe that, you aren’t a Christian.

‘But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. this was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.’ – Romans 3. 21-27, NASB

McDowell, J., & McDowell, S. (2017). Evidence that Demands a Verdict: Life-Changing Truth for a Skeptical World.Thomas Nelson, Nashville.

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