EXPLORE
THE CHURCH
Do
Christians believe followers of other religions
are doomed?
Some
years ago there was a phrase coined by others of "the
ugly American." It seemed to refer to the arrogance
of an American who behaved as though he or she knew it all
and had it all. Maybe that phrase applies to Christians who
would "doom" other religious traditions.
--The
Rev. Dr. Douglass M. Bailey
Do
Christians believe that followers of other religions are
doomed? Some do, but others don't. Christianity consists
of people who disagree diametrically on many subjects. Some
take the Bible so literally that they include in God's plan
only a small minority of the world's population. Other Christians,
however, view Christ in a larger perspective and emphasize
inclusion rather than exclusion. God is a God of love, and
those who live in love know God. That is the emphasis of
the First Epistle of John, "Beloved, let us love one
another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of
God and knows God" (I John 4:7). I believe that Christ
came to reveal to us a God who cares for all people. He constantly
broke boundaries and found faith in unexpected places. In
a Roman Centurion, he discovered a faith greater than any
among his own people (Luke 7:1-10). In John's Gospel Jesus
said, " I have other sheep which are not of this fold…" (John
10:16).
My
own feeling is that Christianity is unique but it is not exclusive.
Let me illustrate: A magnifying glass focused on the bare
shoulder of a person can burn and burn deeply. That glass
makes more intense the heat of the sun. But that sun is shining
all over the world--it just burns more intensely through the
magnifying glass. My
belief is that God is trying to make his love known through
every source possible-- this includes religions other than
Christian. In their religion they find a magnifying
glass.
To
us who are Christians, Jesus of Nazareth brings God's love
to us in a way that makes us aware that we are loved and accepted
and transformed. Making Christ known to people who do not
know God's love is our way of pointing them to an understanding
of the true character of God. Perhaps it would be helpful
if people of different religions could dialogue with each
other on the meaning of God's universal love for all people.
--The
Rev. Dr. Brooks Ramsey
Some
people believe that their religion is the only true religion,
and that all other religions are heresy and their followers
doomed. This belief is convenient for them, but it isn’t
the way God works. Over the years of humanity’s journey,
God has revealed himself in many ways. The Old Testament alone
uses at least four different names for God, and it has dozens
of images of God. The New Testament conveys several different
accounts of Jesus’ life and what followed from his ministry.
The
reason for that has to do with us. We hear different things,
we see different things. Even the same event, like the crucifixion,
gets remembered in different ways. That testifies both to
our limitations in understanding God and to the richness and
mystery of God’s being. Those who proclaim their way
as the only way generally are presenting a small and narrow
God.
When you add to that the many ways people perceive God outside
the Jewish and Christian traditions, you realize what a vast,
complex and mysterious God we worship.
In
my opinion, we need to appreciate that there are many pathways
to God, and that when Jesus said, “I am way, I am truth,
I am life,” he probably was adding himself as another
way to God, not declaring all other ways invalid.
I encourage you to reach your own conclusion. For one thing,
become familiar with Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and other faiths,
see what they truly proclaim, see how faithful adherents of
those pathways actually live. I think you will find them very
similar to the ways decent Christians live.
We
make God too small when we declare that only people like us
can know God.
--Tom Ehrich
No.
At least this Christian does not. Jesus said that He has "other
sheep, too, in another fold. I must bring them also" (John
10:16). I do not know to whom He was referring. It might have
been people who follow other religions, or He might have been
telling us that we are not alone in the universe. Maybe He
was saying both things at once.
I
believe that God is calling out to ALL of us to turn to Him,
regardless of our religion, race or background. It seems
to me that we were created for that purpose. Unfortunately,
it is very difficult for us to reach Him — the distance
between Him and us is simply too great. He is the Creator
of all that is. He is perfectly holy. How can we even comprehend
Him?
This
is where Christ comes into the picture. God understands our
dilemma. He reaches out to us in many ways. He even became
a man Himself in the person of Jesus Christ. Christ bridges
the enormous gulf between God and man. I believe that God's
plan is for us to discover Him through Jesus Christ. Jesus
experienced all of the longings, temptations, pain, suffering,
loneliness, and, ultimately, death that we do. By studying
his actions and words, we begin to understand God. As we
draw closer to Christ, we grow closer to God.
C.S.
Lewis — author of the vastly popular book Mere Christianity,
among many others — said there are people who call themselves
Christians who are not Christian at all; there are other "Christians" who
are moving further away from Christ all the time. On the
other hand, there might be Buddhists or Hindus or Jews that
are sincerely seeking God through their religions. Christ
said, "ANYONE who seeks, finds." I believe that all who sincerely
seek God will find Him — through Christ — even
if they are not aware it is happening.
--Nick
Some
do. As an adult searching for a place in a Christian community,
I am guided by principles I retain from my early religious
instruction from the friars of the Franciscan Province of
Santa Barbara. Jesus did not come to exclude. I believe that
being a Christian is not about separation or discrimination.
Being a Christian is not about deciding who is right and
who is wrong. I do not expect to find Christians among adherents
to a doctrine that prescribes who is not acceptable in the
eyes of God.
--Bill
Recently,
I had an intense discussion with a friend who is a member
of a very conservative church. That church professes that
only members of its congregation are going to heaven. While
my friend said he did not hold this belief, I still felt
he must support it somehow, even subconsciously, since he
chose to be a member of the church. I passionately defended
my conviction that there are many roads that lead home to
God. Yet, even so, I felt cut off and a little wary of this
group of people who claimed to love the same God as I do,
and I looked at my dear friend with skepticism and a little
fear.
After
we talked, I prayed that God would bless what I'd said and
my intentions. I fell asleep feeling a little sad and lonely.
That
night, I dreamed of a house with many rooms. Someone was
gently leading me as we flew slowly around the outside of
this house. Even though the house did not appear to be very
large, I never ran out of windows to look in. Through one
window, I saw a conservative, literal room, through another,
a room with people in turbans. In one, there were people
meditating, in another no one had cut their hair. I soon
realized I was looking in the windows of God's house, and
we were all there. There was enough room for everyone who
believed in Him, regardless of their form of worship. I also
realized that we are being called to "visit" one another's
rooms. Not to stay, but to appreciate another way of living
in God's home.
The
house had no external light source. The only light came from
within. And I understood that in order for the light to reach
all the dark corners in the world, all the rooms needed to
turn on their lights in unison, in community. Both to light
our way Home and to illuminate a path we can show others.
The
dream deeply comforted me. I believe God was reassuring me
that we all have a place in his home, and we are being called
to come out of our rooms to mingle, to create a greater community
that will shine a more brilliant light into the darkness
of the world. Some may choose to stay in their own rooms
with the doors tightly closed. Unaware of other rooms, they
may feel theirs is the only one. Yet their room is only one
room in a great big house. There is room and rooms for everyone.
--Robbin
|
