Is it arrogant for me to think Jesus is the only way for heaven? Have you observed that the faith of a Muslim in their God is just as strong as my faith is in my God? So what’s the difference? Why can’t I jump on board with other religions and respect them like I respect my own beliefs?
I have four options at this point to: a) dismiss my views, b) ignore my views, c) delude my views, or d) keep my views.
I cannot simply dismiss my views because I have been internally convinced of the truth of the message of Jesus Christ. This stems from the answer to the question of why am I a Christian. It is because of two sets of reasons. The first set of reasons is the emotional, existential and experiential reality of the truth of Jesus/God. This is a personal reality that persuades a part of me that cannot be explained on paper.
The other reason why I am a Christian is the logical, empirical, historical, and philosophical side of the truth of Jesus/God. This includes the Kalam Cosmological argument, the historicity of the resurrection, and the moral argument for Christianity. These arguments alone do not lead me to believe all that I believe within Christianity. I cannot lean solely on logic because I know that logic on its own is meaningless. Simply put, there is no good reason to believe logic is the best way determining truth. There is no proof that leads you to the statement: all truth must be logical and proven. This statement sits on its own, as a belief in itself. So even in intense rationality – we need faith. And so I have determined that mere logic will not bring me to the complete truth, but both my emotional heart and my rational brain can lead me to the truth. And so far, that has lead me to Jesus.
I cannot ignore my views and act as if they do not exist because my views are too real to me. They motivate me, influence me, captivate me, and persuade me on a daily basis of their reality. Setting these views aside is not a practical option at this point.
To delude my views I could simply attach them alongside other religions. The views that I am speaking of are the good message of Jesus Christ; Jesus Christ created the world with God, humans are responsible for the way they turned from God, Jesus came into the world to turn people back to God. Is it possible for me to say that this way of Jesus is simply one of many true ways of viewing the world? Although people believe in different things, if I really do respect and admire Jesus [as God] I am always going to be tied down to him because of his message: “I am the way, the truth, and the life – no one gets to the Father except through me”. Yes, there are many ways but the ultimate way is going to be the one my God instructed. I can’t say to my God “oh good idea but my friend has his own thoughts so I’m going to try that out”. That would be dishonest. My views can’t be deluded in order to fit in with the views around me.
Keeping my views is my only option left. At this point in my life, there is no good reason to pursue another avenue of reaching up to God. God reached down to me! Within the world of disunion, I will continue to look to the triune God, and attempt to bring community to the world. Love God, the only God, and love people. I have no other choice.
No Bull... from Noble. 