Gear-Heads (that’s Petrol-Heads for my British
readers) have argued for decades regarding which auto manufacturer makes the
best cars. Please watch the below TopGear clip to see what I mean… Interestingly,
everyone has the same type of opinion regarding religions. While some may be
die-hard Mopar guys, like I am thanks to my father’s love of them. Others may
be die-hard Mercedes men, like my father in-law, because of his attraction with
any kind of German engineering. Likewise, many Americans are drawn to their religion
of choice because of their family, love of a different culture, or apologetic
conviction…
A historian once said that the first car to be imported
to the U.S. was a 1907 Rolls Royce, Silver Ghost. While the Rolls didn’t look
like any modern version of the Ghost, it was America’s first invading competitor.
With the invasion of not only the British cars, but also German, French,
Japanese and Korean cars, the loyalty to American versions lessened with every
new company. Like the auto industry, the religious landscape of America has
undergone the very same “invasion.” Since the beginning of Christianity in
America there has been other religious options. The result is the third most
common response I hear when sharing the Gospel. (I’ll handle #2 after this post) “I can’t
believe that Christianity is the only right religion…” Famously, Oprah
Winfrey stated it like this, “There are certainly many
more paths to God than just Christianity.” The motor industry equivalent
would be, “I don’t believe _____ American manufacturer is the best car maker.
There are to many import cars that provide the same experience and fulfill the
same needs.”
While the Gear-Heads’ argument can’t be settled,
the religious debate can.
While I am not a Theological Apologist like my father in-law I'd like to articulate my response to this response. Christianity’s eternal claim to be THE CORRECT
RELIGION is based upon history, philosophy and theology. Though there are other
belief systems that claim to be valid, they all are either “non-verifiable
historically or irrational internally.” Truly the automotive market is
completely subjective. The religious market is often hailed as the same, but is
it really? The various religions of the world
contradict each other. “But isn’t truth relative to each individual?” Well, no…
as stated, the religions of the world contradict each other. Therefore the
reply “I can’t believe that Christianity is the only right religion..” is
nullified by pointing out how none of the major world religions validate the
claims of another. So, to obliterate this common
response I simply state you are obligated to pick one religion, because they
all discredit the others, you can’t be neutral.
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| My Dream Car - 1970 Super Cuda with a Viper V12 motor |
Quick Overview of religious
differences in salvation:
Buddhism: Nonattachment to the world; Follow the eight-fold path;
Self-effort; Salvation is through reincarnation and working with the laws of
karma; Mahayana Buddhism has deities which function as saviors.
Confuciasm: Following social propriety
and offering sacrifices. In later stages some groups offered sacrifices to
Confucius.
Hinduism: Commitment to Atman-Brahman; Growth toward perfection by reincarnation
Islam: Submission to the will of
Allah; Living by the Five Pillars
Judaism: Faith and righteous living;
A Coming Messianic deliverance.
Shinto: Salvation comes from being a part of the chosen Japanese people
and living with honor and purity.
Taoism: Oneness with Tao; Pomp and
glory are to be despised.
Christianity’s unique salvation claim
is based upon the work of Christ Jesus. That is to say, Christianity is the only religion which doesn't require works because the God of the Christianity has already accomplished such necessary works, via his death on the Cross. The reason of reliance upon Jesus is because he was
and is the only religious leader to have ever claimed that he was God and to
defend such a claim with amazing miracles, culminating in his resurrection. Further
discussions regarding Jesus will help to defend these truth claims.
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