Other Religions

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?Why do people often accuse Christians of being arrogant and bigoted for making exclusive claims about Jesus Christ?

How do people use the fact of other religions to challenge Christian truth claims?

Three challenges

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‘All religions are basically the same’

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?How can we respond to the challenge that all religions are basically the same?

What significant differences are there?

A right-wing extremist . . .

. . . believes that there are inferior races.

. . . believes that there are inferior religions.Joe Klein

is this true only of the major religions?

what about historical religions?

© Swamibu, used under a Creative Commons licence

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what about cults/extreme sects?

how do we define a religion?

are all religious beliefs valid?

are all religious practices valid?

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do all religions lead to the same ultimate reality?

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do all religions even have the same view of what reality is?

do all religions have the same view of morality?

do all religions see salvation in the same terms?

‘Religion focus on parts of a bigger truth’

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2

?How can we respond to the challenge that there is some bigger, deeper truth to which all religions point?

The blind men and the elephant

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how do we know that there is a bigger truth?

‘Religions are culturally conditioned’

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3

does a specific cultural background mean something

can’t be true?

isn’t this criticism a product of western secular culture?

. . . if I had been born of Muslim parents in Morocco rather than Christian parents in Michigan, my beliefs would have been quite different. [But] the same goes for the pluralist. . . . If the pluralist had been born [in Morocco] he probably wouldn’t be a pluralist. Does it follow that . . . his pluralist beliefs are produced in him by an unreliable belief-producing process?

Alvin Plantinga

The real problem of religion

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all beliefs are exclusive

which set of exclusivebeliefs is most inclusive?

?Why are all beliefs exclusive?

How would you show that Christian beliefs are actually inclusive or are best at helping people to flourish?

Religion is a problem

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religion leads to legalism

religion can lead to arrogance

religion can lead to hard-heartedness and division

Jesus is the answer

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gospel = grace

gospel ⇒ humility

gospel ⇒ openness/compassion

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