Choose

“And Elijah came near to all the people and said, ‘How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him.’ And the people did not answer him a word.” - 1 Kings 18:21

A Barna survey of Americans found that two out of every three American adults believe that all religions basically teach the same thing. Four out of every 10 Americans said that when Christians, Jews, Buddhists, or others pray to God they are actually praying to the same God just using different names. Oprah Winfrey, one of the most famous people on the planet, once said, “One of the biggest mistakes we make is to believe there is only one way to live. There are many, many ways, many paths to what you call God.” Pop singer Madonna similarly said, “I do believe that all paths lead to God. It is a shame that we end up having religious wars because so many of the messages are the same.”

What would you say if I told you these statements and beliefs are dead wrong? One of the most politically incorrect statements you can make today is to say that only the Christian faith found in the Bible is right. There are certainly truths in other religions besides Christianity. Buddhism teaches the pursuit of honesty, charity, and service. Both Orthodox Judaism and Islam believe in a personal Creator and one God. Other religions affirm that Jesus was a great prophet and teacher. However, just because Christianity doesn’t have the monopoly on all truth does not mean that all religions are the same. And while we should certainly have charitable tolerance toward all religions, that tolerance doesn’t mean agreeing that all religions teach the same things or are equally true.

Some religions teach that there are many gods. On the other hand, some reject a belief in God altogether. And some religions teach that there is only one God – but even these radically disagree about that God. No matter which belief system you adopt, you are going to be saying your system is right and everyone else is wrong. If there are many gods then there can’t be just one. If there is one God then there cannot be many. If there is no God at all there can’t be one or many. One belief has got to be right and other beliefs have got to be wrong. That is not narrow-minded…it is just fact…common sense.

The question you have to answer, that we all have to answer, is what do you believe about God and His Son Jesus Christ?

Father, Help me to stand firm in the truth, even when it is unpopular. I pray that I will be a bold witness of the gospel. In Jesus’ name, amen.