If a christian doesn't investigate any other belief system, how can they know that they are right?

Question

I received two very close minded answers about christians reading other holy books.

(Granted there were also christians who had read about other belief systems. And good for them. Though maybe they should keep reading other books instead of just going back to the bible.)

Anyway, here are the two statements:

"When you search for an answer to something in "your" life,.and you find that answer,......why would you continue looking? Why would anyone "continue" looking for something they have already found?!
It is not intolerance to other religions, I simply do not need a second opinion."

"Why would I want to? The Holy Bible is all I need to find out how to go to heaven. I just love and know my own The Holy Bible. It really is the only holy book available to mankind. How about you? Have you ever read The Holy Bible? Try it, you'll be surprised and maybe even learn how to get to heaven. This is my prayer for you."

For the record yes, I have read the bible.

and the only thing that surprised me (not really) was how violent and intolerant that book is. That and it has unicorns in it.

Answer 1

they believe they are right and brow beat others into the same way of thinking, its a cult

Answer 2

the answer is right in your question. Look up the word "Belief" and see what it says. Most people are looking for facts in their religion when that is the opposite of Faith (belief).

I looked into others and the problem I saw is that most others (including some Christian based ones) had 1 pastor or leader that always did the teaching. How can 1 person know what multitudes of people shoud do at any given time? And whos to say what they get from reading the scriptures is the same as someone else will?

If someone really read the Bible they would note that is does mention there are other books to be brought forth. I can't remember all of them but Isaiah 29 is one chapter. Here is some of the verses from there. "For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep asleep, and hath closed your beyes: the cprophets and your rulers, the dseers hath he ecovered.
And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a abook that is bsealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:

This and others like it state that the true church was taken from the Earth and would not return until God decided it to be. There are some that mention other lands (America) and the people who wrote records there. So that states there are other records. You just have to find the true ones.

Also The Bible has been re-written several times over. The Romans were the last to attempt this and tried to include their own gods in it. some of these errors still found their way into the revised edition later. but these errors are few and small.

Answer 3

I must exert that this is a very rational question, and a majority of people (in every religion, including Christianity) only insist on the validity of their belief system because essentially most of the time its a product of their upbringing. Some people, on the other hand, came to their religion by investigating other belief systems not just what they were raised to believe is correct and the only way. Every religion, to a certain exert, have excluvisitic tendancies. After all, the good majority of people will never break from previous generations and will always say: "My religion is right." When an individual ask why then the answer is normally is : "Because that's what it says in The Bible" (or another Holy Text if not Christian). By investigating other belief systems, people will have an intellectual foundation to justify why they "know" they are "right."

Answer 4

This is a simple answer to a very simple question. I believe that you sincerely want to know the answer. My way of knowing truth is by "THE HOLY GHOST". There is nothing wrong with exploring other books like the Quran I do it all the time because it only validates the truth of the Holy Bible more. Islam and Muhammad has thousands of contradictions. Did you know Muhammad's interpretation of heaven is every man would have as many virgins and wine as he want, to do as he wills. But if you read the Bible Revelations chapter 4 and 5 give you explicit details on the throne room of God. Did you know that every time Muhammad claims to have had an encounter with God, God supposedly gave him a spiritual beat down. That's no God I want to know. All can be found in the Quran.

THE LANGUAGE OF THE BIBLE

LITERAL-adhereing to fact or to the ordinary or usual meaning

SYMBOLIC-something that stands for something else

ANALOGY- inference that if two or more things agree in some respect they will probablyagree in other.

Answer 5

In all fairness the first answer you had a problem with was not close-minded, the Bible happened to give her the answers she was looking for. Doesn't mean you have to find them there yourself, nor does it mean they can't be found anywhere else, just that that is where she found them.

Now the second one I'll give is a little close-minded but her heart was in the right place, just her thinking was out of whack. She is just telling you to read the Bible as one of the books you should read (along with the others like the Qu'ran or any other book you'd like) to try and find the answers as well. It is obvious by what she says that she believes you will only find them in the bible, but it was her intention to lead you to a spiritual awakening (even if she limits it to only the bible).

Personally I agree with you that Christians should read everything they can to make sure they have the right one, to make sure that it answers all the questions. Personally I have read the Qu'ran, various mythologies (I don't include the Qu'ran in this), the Talmud (which I also don't include in mythology), the teachings of Buddha, and anything else I can get a hold of to help in my search for answers. But I have found that the Bible in its entirety (both Old and New Testaments) were the best for me (but that doesn't mean it is the best for everyone or that it will answer all their questions). Which is why what your question says is true, we must always be on the search and read and learn all we can if we are to make such an important decision.

Answer 6

They don't call it the Holy Bible for nothing, it has more holes than anything I know of. I actually believe as another answer, that they are a cult (unknowingly). Everything you ask them, they can only answer from the bible, without that bible they have no answers, their minds are extremely limited. Lots of them can not think on their own, and life will always supply people like that. It is always better to understand another's religion or point of view, even if you do not believe it, but to understand where they are coming from and maybe why they feel that way, it is only then that true communication will arise and the answers will be provided.

Answer 7

I too have read the bible. It is usually good for a laugh and some times after speaking to one of my christian friends horror.I only can wonder how someone can claim to have read the entire book and still believe. It is so anti humanity, so internally contradictory. I suppose that if you accept the bible you do not need any other book as in the bible are injuctions to do and not do exactly the same thing some where in those pages. Why read any other book when the book argues against itself?Why go elsewhere when the bible questions all its answers?

Answer 8

I personally feel that God will never be finished telling us things to grant salvation. Once we have mastered what the Bible tells us (or at least put its concepts into practice) then we should go in search of anything that might bring us closer to God. I am not saying a change a religion is nessisary but that it could be. I believe all that God has revealed all that he does NOW reveal and I believe that he will YET reveal many great and important thing pertaining to His kingodm on earth. The foolish stand by and idol away there time professing to "know all God will" this is the great falicy about knowledge for until we know all that God knows do you think He would have us not progress. It may seem radical and even blasphemious but I personally believe that God would have us be like Him to some extent. To know the things He knows and to follow in His footsteps. He created life and through us He continues to create life. He becomes more glorified by teaching us to become more perfect. So study my friend. Take in every truth that exists out there and incorporate it. Never turn away anyone who might provide you with further knowledge of God's Light. Seek for the truth and ye shall find, knock and I will open unto you.

Answer 9

any person of any religion should understand that the values and morals that make up religions are merely a set of BELIEFS, and BELIEFS ARE NOT FACT, so they can't be true. Just because one BELIEVES something to be TRUE, DOES NOT make it so. So basically a christian can go and read every other holy book available but it doesn't mean that Christianity is right and others are wrong or vice versa, it just means that different ppl of different religions have varying beliefs, there is no definite truths are falses to religions. Facts are universal, 2+2=4 all over the world, but Jesus is not a prophet, Messiah, or the Son of God, in every religion. I hope that helps.

Answer 10

Here is an answer from a Christian of 37 years. I am inquisitive and study other religions but not looking for answers to my inquiries but to compare beliefs. The more I study other beliefs the more I know about my own. Remember, I compare so I am ever in the Word of God to verify my faith. I have notebooks full of comparisons that continually point to the Bible as the absolute truth.
It is not necessary to do this comparison to trust your faith but no one can say to me that I am ignorant of a possible better faith. To date I have found none other than that expressed in the Bible. And I use various versions including the original Hebrew and Greek.

Bravo for your stand on faith. The federal reserve teaches it's money analyzers what a correct currency bill looks like in every detail. they don't teach all of the counterfeit bills. When a counterfeit shows up the analyzer knows immediately because the minutest thing is out of place. Your faith in the Bible and active study will do the same for you when a counterfeit faith shows up you will know it. But only if you study, study, study.

Answer 11

I think you may be looking at this from a very different angle than how Christians see it.

We don't have to prove we're right to anyone else. We merely show and offer the knowledge that has been given to us. It's your choice to find what you believe the truth to be is.
It's not about my faith being right and someone else's being wrong. Different faith's can still have the core belief of salvation but be different...just look at the many different types of what we would probably classify "Christian" churches.

We believe that God will reveal to us what is right and what is not. It's a hard experience to explain....the Holy Spirit acts through our concscious (or so I find) urging us to act or search out the truth in situations.

As well, for Christians, it's not that we don't want to learn about other faith practises - quite the contrary. We enjoy knowing and understanding other peoples beliefs. The greatest commandment is love....not hatred of other beliefs. We would openly listen to anyone elses beliefs, try to understand where they are coming from, and offer our own beliefs. That is all we can really do. For some Christians who are not strong in the faith, reading up on many different faith based beliefs can be hard and confusing and they may choose not to do so because they believe what the relationship they have with Christ is all they want.

Choosing not to inquire about other beliefs is not being closeminded. How many non-christians try to find out the history of all religions or peoples in the world? People sometimes just aren't interested.

I agree with the first quote...when people find the truth, why would they keep looking for something they already have. We instead, search deeper within our faith to grow more in the knowledge of the person God is trying to create us to be.

Thank you for your question...I hope I have shed some light from my view point. I speak only for myself & not Christians as a whole.