Two common statement I hear are, "I think all roads lead to heaven" and "there is no one TRUE religion."
I understand why people say this. Nobody wants to think about other people going to hell. Especially people who, from the surface, appear to be "trying" to do the right thing. Nobody wants to think of THEMSELVES as going to hell either! Other's may also say this because they do not want to submit to the teachings of any one religion. The post-modern mindset is that each one of us can be our own god deciding what is wrong and right for the individual. While those short little statements seems to bring people a little comfort and peace, I don't think they realize all of the ramifications those statements have. What do I mean? Well, when you make one of those statements you are actually making a large series of statements that your original statement is supported upon. So, if you are one who likes to say, "all roads lead to heaven" let me raise some points that you are actually saying without even realizing it…
1. If all roads lead to heaven, then you admit that following Jesus would lead to heaven… therefore you just admitted that Jesus IS Christ. The Bible says, "No One Comes To the Father, But Through Me" John 14:6 But if other roads also lead, then you assert there was no actual need for Jesus (God incarnate) to come to Earth, live a sinless life, be crucified, and resurrected from the dead. If Jesus then wasn't needed… then why would God have humbled himself to enter as a human and suffer greatly without having needed to??? So if you say, "all roads lead to heaven," are you first saying that Jesus was who he said he was, but that he wasn't really necessary… so, are you not also saying that Jesus wasn't who he said he was at the same time?? Aren't you really saying he was a liar and offers no real salvation? Therefore your statement that all roads lead to heaven makes no sense because in its assertion it proves itself wrong. It excludes itself.
2. If you say, "There is no ONE true religion" then you are actually admitting to multiple realities. Would you go to court and say, "your honor, I know you think I didn't pay my taxes this year because that is what actually happened for the IRS, but for me I actually did pay my taxes. You see there are multiple realities. Multiple truths." NO! There is no way for there to be multiple realities or multiple "truths". You can have multiple perspectives on the actual truth, and I assert that the TRUTH about God is not even fully known even from the worlds truest religion because the full truth is probably only available from the perspective of the creator himself. If we examine the many world religions, many of them may have some perspective of the truth… containing some amount of truth about God in them… but would it be good to say that they are all equal? If their perspectives on the Truth are different, then one of them must be nearer the actual Truth than the other. And if God did in fact reveal himself to us in this world then one religion is more near 100% truth than all the others. If God is real and an afterlife is real… I want to get as close to the Truth as possible, not settle for a religious perspective that gets me only 20% of the way there. What if 20% isn't enough to gain entrance into a glorious afterlife?
3. If all roads lead to heaven, then maybe you assert that God didn't reveal himself to us through one religion therefore He didn't reveal himself to us at all, and all religions are manufactured by our minds… or if he did, he did it multiple times and represented himself DIFFERENTLY each time. This raises more issues:
A. If God didn't reveal himself to us, and we are just making up all religions. If there is a God who didn't reveal himself to us, does he really love us or is God is indifferent to us? That sounds to me he would be indifferent to us. He neither cares if we go to a heaven or hell. Neither heaven, nor hell may even exist… and if so, then why would he have even bothered to create us in the first place. Billions of years to create a civilization that exists for a flash and is gone? what's the point there?!
B. If God did reveal himself to us, but did it multiple times (for those claiming multiple religions are true) and represented himself differently each time, thus creating much confusion about what it actually takes to be right with him and what it takes to enjoy the many different afterlife's then God isn't really interested in revealing his true self to us, he is lying to some… Or he changes all of the time. What kind of a God would change all of the time? You could follow one religion and then when you die, he could change the rules and now you're tormented in hell. That's not love. Also, if he did represent himself differently, then wouldn't you want to choose the religion that offers salvation as a gift instead of having to earn your way back into good graces? And if one religion offered salvation as a gift, why wouldn't he offer that to everyone? If he really represented himself differently to other peoples where there was no free gift of salvation, he must not love them like he loves the Christians... and that makes no sense.
4. Many who say, "all roads (religions) lead to heaven." Don't actually ascribe or follow any religion. They just do as they please. If they really believe all roads lead to heaven, then why on earth are you not following one? You just admitted that there is a God and that there is a glorious afterlife that can be achieved… but you have doomed yourself to hell because you sit on the sidelines and are not pursuing "salvation" or "transcendence" through any religion?!! If this is you… you are actually saying, "I don't like to think about these things, and I want to do what I want to do and I want to pretend that there are no eternal consequences… so when I say this, I feel better in my own deception."
A. If you read number 4 and think... well, then I believe all people go to heaven. Then you should ask, then what is the point of Earth? How can evil people exist in God's holy presence for eternity? That wouldn't be heaven, that would be Earth… and evil mandates death and thus you just eliminated heaven by your own argument and you argued that the only thing that exists is Earth… no heaven. Also… If all people went to heaven, why even bother with having an Earth. Why not just have a heaven from the start?
B. If you then say, "okay, there is no heaven, just Earth." then I say, why would a God spend 200 billion years creating a universe only to have humans exist for 10,000 years or so and disappear? That is such a flash in the pan, I have a hard time believing a divine being would go through all of that for just a blink of an eye experience.
What are your thoughts?
David
I understand why people say this. Nobody wants to think about other people going to hell. Especially people who, from the surface, appear to be "trying" to do the right thing. Nobody wants to think of THEMSELVES as going to hell either! Other's may also say this because they do not want to submit to the teachings of any one religion. The post-modern mindset is that each one of us can be our own god deciding what is wrong and right for the individual. While those short little statements seems to bring people a little comfort and peace, I don't think they realize all of the ramifications those statements have. What do I mean? Well, when you make one of those statements you are actually making a large series of statements that your original statement is supported upon. So, if you are one who likes to say, "all roads lead to heaven" let me raise some points that you are actually saying without even realizing it…
1. If all roads lead to heaven, then you admit that following Jesus would lead to heaven… therefore you just admitted that Jesus IS Christ. The Bible says, "No One Comes To the Father, But Through Me" John 14:6 But if other roads also lead, then you assert there was no actual need for Jesus (God incarnate) to come to Earth, live a sinless life, be crucified, and resurrected from the dead. If Jesus then wasn't needed… then why would God have humbled himself to enter as a human and suffer greatly without having needed to??? So if you say, "all roads lead to heaven," are you first saying that Jesus was who he said he was, but that he wasn't really necessary… so, are you not also saying that Jesus wasn't who he said he was at the same time?? Aren't you really saying he was a liar and offers no real salvation? Therefore your statement that all roads lead to heaven makes no sense because in its assertion it proves itself wrong. It excludes itself.
2. If you say, "There is no ONE true religion" then you are actually admitting to multiple realities. Would you go to court and say, "your honor, I know you think I didn't pay my taxes this year because that is what actually happened for the IRS, but for me I actually did pay my taxes. You see there are multiple realities. Multiple truths." NO! There is no way for there to be multiple realities or multiple "truths". You can have multiple perspectives on the actual truth, and I assert that the TRUTH about God is not even fully known even from the worlds truest religion because the full truth is probably only available from the perspective of the creator himself. If we examine the many world religions, many of them may have some perspective of the truth… containing some amount of truth about God in them… but would it be good to say that they are all equal? If their perspectives on the Truth are different, then one of them must be nearer the actual Truth than the other. And if God did in fact reveal himself to us in this world then one religion is more near 100% truth than all the others. If God is real and an afterlife is real… I want to get as close to the Truth as possible, not settle for a religious perspective that gets me only 20% of the way there. What if 20% isn't enough to gain entrance into a glorious afterlife?
3. If all roads lead to heaven, then maybe you assert that God didn't reveal himself to us through one religion therefore He didn't reveal himself to us at all, and all religions are manufactured by our minds… or if he did, he did it multiple times and represented himself DIFFERENTLY each time. This raises more issues:
A. If God didn't reveal himself to us, and we are just making up all religions. If there is a God who didn't reveal himself to us, does he really love us or is God is indifferent to us? That sounds to me he would be indifferent to us. He neither cares if we go to a heaven or hell. Neither heaven, nor hell may even exist… and if so, then why would he have even bothered to create us in the first place. Billions of years to create a civilization that exists for a flash and is gone? what's the point there?!
B. If God did reveal himself to us, but did it multiple times (for those claiming multiple religions are true) and represented himself differently each time, thus creating much confusion about what it actually takes to be right with him and what it takes to enjoy the many different afterlife's then God isn't really interested in revealing his true self to us, he is lying to some… Or he changes all of the time. What kind of a God would change all of the time? You could follow one religion and then when you die, he could change the rules and now you're tormented in hell. That's not love. Also, if he did represent himself differently, then wouldn't you want to choose the religion that offers salvation as a gift instead of having to earn your way back into good graces? And if one religion offered salvation as a gift, why wouldn't he offer that to everyone? If he really represented himself differently to other peoples where there was no free gift of salvation, he must not love them like he loves the Christians... and that makes no sense.
4. Many who say, "all roads (religions) lead to heaven." Don't actually ascribe or follow any religion. They just do as they please. If they really believe all roads lead to heaven, then why on earth are you not following one? You just admitted that there is a God and that there is a glorious afterlife that can be achieved… but you have doomed yourself to hell because you sit on the sidelines and are not pursuing "salvation" or "transcendence" through any religion?!! If this is you… you are actually saying, "I don't like to think about these things, and I want to do what I want to do and I want to pretend that there are no eternal consequences… so when I say this, I feel better in my own deception."
A. If you read number 4 and think... well, then I believe all people go to heaven. Then you should ask, then what is the point of Earth? How can evil people exist in God's holy presence for eternity? That wouldn't be heaven, that would be Earth… and evil mandates death and thus you just eliminated heaven by your own argument and you argued that the only thing that exists is Earth… no heaven. Also… If all people went to heaven, why even bother with having an Earth. Why not just have a heaven from the start?
B. If you then say, "okay, there is no heaven, just Earth." then I say, why would a God spend 200 billion years creating a universe only to have humans exist for 10,000 years or so and disappear? That is such a flash in the pan, I have a hard time believing a divine being would go through all of that for just a blink of an eye experience.
What are your thoughts?
David
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