- "All religions lead to God.
- "It is up to you what you make of Christianity."
- "Is Christianity the 'only way'?"
- "The important thing is to be sincere."
- "Why do Christians think they are right all the time?"
- "Isn't it a bit arrogant for Christians to insist they are right and everyone else is wrong?"
- "Christianity is just 'one way' among many ways."
Several years ago my wife and I went to the British Isles. I had a great time, but the most difficult part for me emotionally was driving in Great Britain. I would never drive in London, but when we got back from Ireland, the rail was on strike, so we had no choice but to rent a car and drive through the Cotswalds, i.e., the countryside.
I could not believe how horrifying it was for me to drive on the wrong side of the road. Everything within me said I was to drive on the right side, but I had to venture over the line to the left. I was totally freaked out. Then, when we came to intersections, we entered the world of round-abouts—big circles of traffic, everyone driving around in a circle. There were no stop signs or lights, just everyone driving "around about" and at a split second having to decide when to venture out of the circle, hopefully onto the right road.
I screamed the first few times, and just continued to drive around and around the circle until my niece and my wife got me calmed down enough to take the risk and make a turn off the round-about. I was so scared on one occasion, I had to pull off to the side of the road to stop shaking. A whole lot of years of driving told me I was going the wrong way.
The situation is complicated by another problem. I sometimes have a tendency to go on automatic pilot when I am driving. For example, one time I was driving from Los Angeles to San Diego on the I-5 freeway. My wife and kids were sleeping. I got so engrossed in what I was thinking about, I drove right by San Diego and did not even see it. (San Diego is not an easy city to miss!) The only way I knew something was wrong was when I woke Nancy up and asked her why they were blocking off the roads. I was at the Mexican border.
So, in other words, I have a tendency to drive instinctively. When I was in England, everything I would normally do while driving no longer worked. I had to pay attention, and I had to drive on the wrong side of the road at 60 miles an hour. (Scream.) If I had arrived in England by myself and done what was normal and natural for me, even instinctively, I would have been wrong. I would have driven down the right hand side of the road, and quite possibly been killed as a result. My belief about driving on the right hand side would have been 100% sincere, but 100% wrong.
Why have I told you this story? It illustrates what many people do when it comes to their belief system. Lots of people sincerely hold the view that all roads lead to God, and all religions are basically the same but in different packaging, a bit like brands of corn flakes at the supermarket.
Some will say, "It is narrow-minded to say that Jesus is the only way to God. Jesus, Muhammad, Krishna are all symbols of God. God isn't limited to Jesus Christ."