Any religion that claims it is the one and only way is inherently evil?

Question

This is stated in When Relgion Becomes Evil by Charles Kimall (a Methodist minister and a man who negotiated for the hostages in Iran) Where does this leave us? When we force our views onto others with the implication that we are right we are in fact assaulting them with untruth. Can this (given that it is from a Christian source) be true? How can we change entrenched Dogma so as to allow for tolerance?

Answer 1

I think the lord is in your heart.. You dont have to be of any religion to know the lord.. You dont have to go to a church to talk to him,you can do that any time you want, hes always there, just waiting...Teach people right from wrong but never force anyone, that is wrong. I really dont think Christ ever wanted anyone to be forced to love and believe in him, thats out choise in life.. Your friend from Tennessee...ROB

Answer 2

I would personally be skeptical of following any religion that didn't claim to be the one way (I mean, if there were other ways, why would following that one even matter?).
At the same time I would be skeptical of following any religion that says "all others are utterly wrong, and have zero truth." I think the danger and evil comes when people start rejecting the fact that most religions in this world do have truth to them (just at various degrees). When all others become utterly wrong, intolerance and violence is sure to follow.

Answer 3

its not as much as the intolerance as what comes from it.

If a person said that he was right and that I would be punished for being wrong I could care less what his opinion is. The problem comes when they try to "save me." At first its nice but then as time progresses and people dont change anger and hate soon replace that desire to help. It shifts from I want you to be like me to so if your not like me your are lower and I because I have the moral high ground I can abuse you.

this is when religious persecution comes into play.

That is why you find little evidence for religious persecution in religions like Hinduism that say their is more than one way. Or even Judaism that claims to be the best way but says their are other ways that are OK.

only in Christianity and Islam do you find records of religious violence

Answer 4

Well, I'm not the final and ultimate judger, and in actuality my religious beleifs are ambigious at best, but I can understand the rhetoric of it all. If you fully beleive something with all your heart. Let's take something easy like grass being green. You would want everyone to beleive that grass is greeen, if I came around and said no, no, no I beleive that grass is red you wouldn't beleive it and I couldn't get you to beleive it. Thus if you are a true devotee of any religion, you wouldn't no you couldn't listen to the other side of it. Either your a devotee of your not, there is no grey area. You can't say your a Jew, but you beleive in Christ, you can't say your Christian, but not beleive that Christ was God's son.

Answer 5

Just because a man thinks that declaring one "religion" the "true religion" makes it evil does not make that a fact.

I am tolerant of other religions. I am tired of people not being tolerant because of my beliefs. I do agree that we should all be more tolerant. Tolerance does not change fact though. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Answer 6

I am yet to find a religion that does not in some way believe that it is just a little bit better than the other religions. Each religion believes that it & it ALONE is the ONE TRUE religion. This kind of superiority thinking breeds exclusivity, discrimination, prejudice and bias which can gradually deteriorate into MINDLESS VIOLENCE TO KILL THE UNBELIEVER!

Answer 7

That statement is under the assumption that truth changes. But real Truth never changes. Too often we say what's truth for you may not be truth for me. But that's how people differ on their perception of truth. But real truth doesn't change. The truth that smoking cause the body damage is truth, whether you believe it or not. If you have a dog, the truth is you have a dog, it's not a cat or a fish, even if others believe it's a fish. Me saying it's a dog is not wrong just because someone disagrees. The point being is that there is a single truth on what it takes to get to heaven. There is questions on what that is. But it's not evil to believe in a single truth. It's wrong to force it on those that don't want it. But if a women has been pulled out of a lake, who's lungs are full of water and unless something is done will be past the point of being recovered, is it wrong for me to try and help her? Is it wrong for me to share the knowledge and truth of CPR. There are people who try to force their beliefs and they condem other people who belive differently. But that was never Jesus way. Jesus has what I beleive to be the truth, he gave us free will to believe in that truth, just like he gave us free will to believe in something else. My Job is to share that truth to those who are seeking answers. And if they choose not to belive, my job is not to badger them, but to continue to accept and show the love of Christ. It's not called being saved for nothing.

Answer 8

Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship. Jesus Christ is not evil, He represents love. Satan is evil, and he is Christ's enemy at work. Read John 14:6 in the Bible.

Answer 9

Religion this, religion that, all religions are different, and all believe something. Christianity is NOT a religion, but followers of Christ, and His teachings in the Bible, and of our Creator, who created everything.

There is a HUGE difference between believing in religion and believing in God and His Son Jesus Christ.

Answer 10

I can't speak for religion because that is man made rules and regulations, but if you ever come in contact with Jesus Christ, you will never be the same.