Can every path be true?
The Hindu claim
Truth is one, but the wise speak of it in many ways (). People come to God by different paths suited to their nature. In the , says he receives people however they approach him.
The apologetic argument
- Religions make claims that directly contradict one another about the self, God and salvation.
- Two contradictory claims cannot both be true in the same sense.
- Saying they are all true "at the ultimate level" empties them of meaning.
- So either fails logically or quietly becomes one more exclusive view: that is right and everyone who disagrees is wrong.
This is an old Indian parable, told in Buddhist, Jain and Hindu traditions, and often used to explain why religions seem to disagree. Several blind men meet an elephant for the first time. Each touches a different part and tells the others what the animal is like:
- The one holding the trunk says, "It is a snake."
- The one at the leg says, "It is a tree."
- The one at the side says, "It is a wall."
- The one at the tail says, "It is a rope."
They begin to argue, each sure the others are wrong. The lesson drawn is that every one of them is partly right, and that no one has the whole truth. In the same way, the religions are said to describe different parts of one God, so none can claim to be the only true one.
What your friend may sayWhat Hindus often say
- "The blind men and the elephant." Each religion touches part of the truth, like the men who each feel one part of the elephant (the story is told above).
- "Logic is limited." Ultimate reality is beyond categories, so does not apply there.
Your strongest answerHow a Christian answers
The elephant story only works because the narrator sees the whole elephant, which is the very position the pluralist says no one has. "Logic does not apply to ultimate reality" is itself a claim that uses logic and expects to be believed over its opposite. Then point to the itself: does not end with "all paths are equal" but calls to abandon other duties and come to him alone (). Even the makes an exclusive call. The question is which exclusive call is true, and Christianity rests that answer on a checkable event, the resurrection. Jesus Christ is not one voice among many: He rose from the dead, and He alone says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."
Jesus does not offer Himself as one path among many. He says, "I am the way" (), and there is salvation in no one else (). God has given Him the name above every name, and every knee will bow to Him (). He is Lord.
Opposite claims cannot both be true, and even the Gita ends with an exclusive call. The question is which call is true, and the Bible rests its answer on the resurrection.
Why the next step followsThe four questions are asked. Next: how were the texts passed down, and can we check them?How the texts were passed down →Why is it more loving to tell a friend the truth about Jesus than to say every path leads to God? How could you say it with both truth and gentleness?
Can every path be true if the paths say opposite things? What would it mean for you if Jesus really is the way?