Last night in High School youth group, it got hot and heavy. We essentially discussed every other major holy book and asked the question: Can Muslims, Jews, Hindus,and Buddhists enter the pearly gates? Is Jesus the only way?
I argued that there only a few major religions that have Holy Books that claim to be God’s Word. The literature of most religions, Hinduism and Buddhism for example, is regarded by the religion’s adherents as being sacred and full of wisdom. Essentially no one other than Jesus is claiming to be God.
I have read Islamic books trying to prove the inspiration of the Koran, and Mormon books trying to prove the inspiration of the Book of Mormon, and I am not impressed. They simply do not have a character which the resurrection or the fulfilled biblical prophecy possess.
Holding to Christianity as the ultimate truth is not narrow mindedness. Narrow mindedness does not attach to what you believe, but how you believe it. If I refused to consider any perspective, any religious book, and any philosophy which disagreed with my own, that would be narrow minded.
No matter what you believe there will always be opposition. Test everything and anything and all claims of revelation to the same test, and you find, I contend that the Bible stands alone as the definitive “word of God.”
© 2009, Jeremy Zach. All rights reserved.
Amen. Good stuff. In Christ alone! But I have a question. What role does our presuppositions play on the topic of “narrow mindedness?”
What I mean is that every person under the sun with a brain and reason brings to the table their own preunderstandings. My presupposition, based on faith, guidance from the Spirit’s conviction, and reason, is that the Bible is authoritative and the only definitive written Word of God.
So, if I look at all religious Holy Books, I’m not going to view them on an equal plane until my reasoning elevates one as being authoritative.
Is this narrow mindedness?
I would say no it is not narrow mindedness.
I think “others” in our postmodern culture would view all Bible believing Christians as narrow minded because we believe Jesus is the only way, truth, and life. In my study and experience, no other holy book, except the Bible, has enough evidence to illustrate it’s authoritative nature.