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During his debate with Robert Dole in 1996, President Bill Clinton was asked a question by a minister about returning our nation to strong godly principles. In reply, he offered the following sweeping generalization: "The fundamental tenants of virtually every religion are the same."
His mental blender was on high speed that day.
Are there really no vital distinctions between the great religions? Does it matter what faith you claim as long as you are true to it? Is it really even necessary to be true to it?
Many of the great religions do share a host of ideas and practices in common. Some more than others. However, when it comes to the diverse foundations that religions offer for hope, one faith is fundamentally different from all the others. The Christian understanding of grace and forgiveness, rooted in the cross of Christ, has no serious comparative counterpart among all the philosophies and ideologies on earth (yes, that
includes the ancient Greco-Roman mystery cults).
This topic calls for a huge amount of research and a lifetime of interest. Yet, a few mind-opening field trips with my youth group served to clarify my understanding of the uniqueness of Christianity. We visited various centers of faith, including a Hindu temple, a Jewish synagogue, a Buddhist temple, an Islamic mosque and a Mormon temple. Each time, we let our hosts and guides speak for themselves. It was very illuminating.
In Los Angeles, our Buddhist host criticized the Christian perspective on sin. She proudly claimed there was no such thing as sin in Buddhism. There are only smart or foolish actions and you are proportionately rewarded or punished for them yourself. You reap exactly what you sow, for good or ill. Thus, it is foolish, not sinful, to be cruel or dishonest. Hindus teach basically
the same thing.
An inquisitive fifteen-year-old in our group raised her hand. She asked, “If there is no such thing as sin in Buddhism, is there any forgiveness?”
The priestess was honest enough to pause and admit, “I guess not.”
In America, you are free to choose Buddhism over Christianity if you wish. But you must admit, they are profoundly different in essence and in earnest. Without forgiveness, there is not even a trace of Christianity.
Both the synagogue and the mosque we visited displayed a picture of a pair of scales. The rabbi and the host at the mosque both explained their belief that man's ultimate hope depended on him tipping these scales toward the good side. If our good deeds outweighed our bad ones, we could then realize our ultimate hope.
Grace and forgiveness were not front and center concepts in these faith-systems when it came to realizing one’s highest hope.
At a Mormon temple, we saw people in white robes preparing to be baptized for the dead. Long forgotten souls could not get into heaven without this vicarious ritual or work performed by humans. Our host made an impassioned case to our group for the centrality of
“obedience,” down to the smallest details. For him, that’s where human hope ultimately rested.
All these major religions did not share in the Christian concept of grace. For them, hope was hinged on human merit and obedience.
At the heart of the Christian faith, there are no scales. There are only nails in the hands and feet of a Savior on a rugged cross where our forgiveness was purchased and we were redeemed. The most fundamental tenant of Christianity (God’s grace operating through His Son on that cruel cross) is not even approached by other major religions.
As a professed follower of Jesus Christ, President Clinton (in his debate with Dole) ought to have known this. He would have been more correct had he said that the fundamental tenants of Republicans and Democrats are the same. However, most politicians apparently care far too much about the distinctions in politics to put their diverse parties into a mental blender.
I prefer the atheist who denies all religion to the people-pleasing theist who denies any meaningful differences between the world’s religions. Atheism is far less damaging than warm and fuzzy theism that cannot find its way out of the fog.
It is one thing to respectfully believe, as I do, in religious freedom. Politicians and preachers alike have no right to dictate the religious beliefs of anyone else. It is quite another thing, however, to put all religious convictions in a mental blender and turn the knob to high speed.
We all treasure our nation's religious liberty. Our Christian faith does not diminish our personal respect for the religious rights of others. It does, however, inspire us to freely and lovingly articulate the unique Christian gospel of grace and forgiveness for all to
hear.
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