Answering Skeptics: “People of different religions all think theirs is best. One isn’t better than the other.”

I sometimes hear: “People of different religions all think theirs is best. One isn’t better than the other.” When you stop to think about it, the logic just doesn’t make sense. Here’s my response.

You can listen here, or follow along with the text below. Enjoy!

Text version:

In this episode (and blog post) I’d like to respond to something I sometimes hear. Perhaps you’ve heard it too. Who knows—maybe you’ve even said it.

Here it is. “People of different religions all think theirs is best. They are sincere in their beliefs. I don’t think one religion is particularly better than the other.”

In a way, when someone says something like this I get where they’re coming from. On the surface, it kind of makes sense. Everyone thinks their own religion is better, mostly because it’s their own. “Don’t they all say basically the same thing, anyway?”

As a part of an undergraduate degree, I spent time studying various religions. I read sacred Hindu texts and the Qur’an. I read about Zoroastrianism and Buddha. And even though some of these traditions share some things in common, there are a lot of differences too.

Back to our question.

The argument I outlined above presumes that if someone “sincerely” believes something then that somehow gives more credibility or weight to what they believe. But that isn’t logical. I can “sincerely” believe a fire won’t burn me, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. These religious traditions make statements that are meant to be treated as objective facts—about things like salvation or peace or heaven or hell. They are either true or they aren’t, period.

So, how do we solve the issue about which one may or may not be “better than the other”? In short, you do what thoughtful people have always done. Study the evidence and then make a conclusion. Let me use an illustration.

Imagine five different people from five different countries saying that their country is the best to live in. One is from Canada, one from Germany, one from North Korea, one from South Sudan, and one from Iran. Are they all correct? No. We would need to study the conditions in those five countries. We would ask questions like: Is there access to health care, education and clean water? Is there religious freedom and other personal freedoms? Is there a lot of armed conflict? Is it democratic or communist?

Eventually, we would come to a conclusion. We would prefer that our children or grandchildren live in certain countries more than others. If we’re not willing to admit that, I don’t think we’re being honest.

A similar thing happens with religion. We look at what various traditions say and believe. Is their holy book (or books) reliable? What do they teach about God? What is the purpose of life? How do they account for pain and suffering? How do we interact with others? Is there an understanding of right-relationship with God or salvation? How does it work? Do they provide hope?

Eventually, we would come to a conclusion. Although various religions have some things in common, they have a lot of differences too. Like people have always done, as thinking people, we consider the evidence and make a conclusion.

Recently, someone said to me that “all religions are basically the same.” In my experience, when someone says that it often means that they haven’t really looked into it. They are either making a conclusion based on something they haven’t personally researched, or are simply repeating something they’ve heard someone else say, either in person or online.

In either case, here is how I responded. “Although some religions have some things in common, they have a lot of differences too. If one of them says one plus one equals two, and if another says that one plus one equals three, and a third one says one plus one equals ten, are they all correct?” Of course not.

When you expose the faulty argument, it crumbles pretty fast. And, it should be said, the point isn’t to crumble someone’s argument. The point is to avoid overly simplistic conclusions that don’t make sense, and to instead engage in thoughtful conversation about the merits (or de-merits) of a particular tradition.

I am a Christian. At the same time, I respect that there are different religions and different beliefs. People should be free to explore their faith (or someone else’s) and come to their own conclusions. I hope we can continue to build a society of mutual respect and understanding.

At the same time, I can hold confidently to my own beliefs which I have taken time to explore, deeply. I believe in the inspiration of the Bible and what it says about God, humanity and reality. There is undeniable uniqueness in the Christian message and good news. It doesn’t exist anywhere else. God became man in the person of Jesus Christ, the long-awaited Messiah. He proclaimed repentance from sin and the coming kingdom of God. He healed the sick, cast out demons, fed the hungry, and taught of love, holiness, justice and forgiveness.

He died on the cross in the place of his people and (physically) rose from the grave. We are forever forgiven and made right with God, not through what we have done, but through what Christ has done on our behalf. We are redeemed by his grace—which, as we sing, is amazing—and are called to respond in faith. His victory is ours—and so is his joy and hope.

We are made on purpose and for a purpose; we are his ongoing hands and feet in the world by the power of the Holy Spirit. And yes, Jesus will come again in the renewal and renovation of all things as he ushers in the new heavens and the new earth.

There’s a whole lot of incredible happening in John 3:16. It says: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

All religions are not the same. I would rather my children live Canada than Iran. One plus one cannot equal both two and ten. As thoughtful people have always done, let’s consider the evidence and make a conclusion. And may we do it all for the glory of God.

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