Chances are you know people of a different religion than yours. Our post-modern society tells us that tolerance requires us to just accept that everyone believes what is best for them individually. This sounds nice, and it makes it easy to get along with each other, but this is incompatible with the unavoidable exclusivity of truth. The undeniable fact is that different religions make different, often contradictory, claims about universal truths. We don’t all live in separate universes – we share a common reality, so how can we be intellectually satisfied describing the overarching, fundamental truths of our reality in contradictory terms?
We cannot be afraid to step out into the marketplace of ideas and have discussion and respectful debate about the truth of this one universe we share. We cannot be afraid of truth, of engaging with others about what they believe and where it comes from, and how well it maps on to the daily reality they experience. Of course, this necessarily starts with a prayerful heart of love.
Please see the document below, containing charts I excerpted from a book called The Compact Guide to World Religions (Bethany House Publishers, 1996), which I recommend for an overview of the major world belief systems of today and how to effectively engage them with the gospel of Jesus Christ. These charts give comparisons of how Buddhism, Islam, New Age thought, and Secularism (my selection from the book) differ from the Christian view of reality and ourselves, thus providing discussion points with which we can engage others. The book has much more.
Also click on the video link to see Christian thinker Greg Koukl’s brief thoughts on what sets apart Christianity.
Want more? Check out Ravi Zacharias’ book Jesus Among Other Gods (W Publishing Group, 2002), which compares the origins of the Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu belief.
Have you had chances or experiences discussing your beliefs with someone of a different religion? Feel free to comment and share…
Chart: World Religions
Video: Greg Koukl on Christianity’s exclusives