Do Christians believe that Christianity is the only true religion?

[InterestedAtheist]

I'd like to pose a question for all users. Does Christianity claim to be the one true religion?

This question is for Christians and non-Christians alike. It doesn't matter whether you believe that Christianity is true or not. If you could choose an option and vote in the poll, I'd be grateful.

(Edited to add)
If your answer is that yes, Christianity is the one, true religion, could you tell us why you think that? What do you mean by saying it is the "true" or "correct" religion? And if you vote for one of the no options, please could you let us know why? I'd be very interested in hearing your thoughts.

And another follow-up question: which is more important? Whether a religion is true or not, or whether it promotes goodness?

Thank you!

 

[Aussie Pete]

I'd like to pose a question for all users. Does Christianity claim to be the one true religion?

This question is for Christians and non-Christians alike. It doesn't matter whether you believe that Christianity is true or not. If you could choose an option and vote in the poll, I'd be grateful. And if you vote for one of the no options, I'd be very interested in hearing your thoughts on why.

Thank you.

By the way, Christianity is not a religion. It is unique in that it offers new life, not a better set of rules than any other belief system. Religions generally have a dead founder and a book. Christianity is a relationship with God, through Christ. Reading a book about someone is one thing, knowing them personally entirely different and infinitely better. I serve a risen Lord!

 

[Sketcher]

^ I disagree with saying that Christianity isn't a religion, mainly because those who say that define "religion" differently from everyone else. But that's not what the OP asked for in the thread.

I do believe that Christianity is the one true religion. Jesus is the one, true Messiah for everyone.

 

[InterestedAtheist]

Thank you, Pete and Sketcher, for your answers!

By the way, Christianity is not a religion. It is unique in that it offers new life, not a better set of rules than any other belief system. Religions generally have a dead founder and a book. Christianity is a relationship with God, through Christ. Reading a book about someone is one thing, knowing them personally entirely different and infinitely better. I serve a risen Lord!

^ I disagree with that assessment, mainly because those who say that Christianity isn't a religion define "religion" differently from everyone else. But that's not what the OP asked for in the thread.

I do believe that Christianity is the one true religion. Jesus is the one, true Messiah for everyone.

Perhaps we could compromise. How about Christians say that Christianity is the only religion that offers a relationship with the living God?

 

[Sketcher]

Thank you, Pete and Sketcher, for your answers!



Perhaps we could compromise. How about Christians say that Christianity is the only religion that offers a relationship with the living God?

I'd say it is the only true religion that offers a relationship with the living God. It might be a little redundant, but I'm fine with a little redundancy if it provides more clarity.

 

[InterestedAtheist]

I'd say it is the only true religion that offers a relationship with the living God. It might be a little redundant, but I'm fine with a little redundancy if it provides more clarity.

Coming from a Christian, I agree that your version sounds better.

 

[SkyWriting]

I'd like to pose a question for all users. Does Christianity claim to be the one true religion?

Not really. To your question, True religion is spelled out and Jesus is not mentioned.

James 1:26-27
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

God did make claims to be the one true God in the Old Testament and Jesus was clear that was His Father. But I don't recall Jesus bad-mouthing other religions as followers are so giddy to do.
There are warnings about false prophets, but most other religions don't seem to rise to that level.

 

[InterestedAtheist]

Not really. God did make claims to be the one true God in the Old Testament and Jesus was clear that was His Father. But I don't recall Jesus bad-mouthing other religions as followers are so giddy to do.
There are warnings about false prophets, but most other religions don't seem to rise to that level.

Fair enough. But would it be reasonable to say that there is nothing in the Christian religion that would lead you to the conclusion that another religion is equally valid with Christianity?

I'm trying to phrase this as precisely as I can, and hope I express myself clearly.

 

[SkyWriting]

Fair enough. But would it be reasonable to say that there is nothing in the Christian religion that would lead you to the conclusion that another religion is equally valid with Christianity?

I don't look at it that way. There is only one God. Jesus seems to me to have 100% embodied Him. All the other religions seemed to not be tuned in as well. But most all seeing the same one God. Just not describing Him well. But that's what humans are best at, being ignorant of God.

 

[Magnanimity]

I'd like to pose a question for all users. Does Christianity claim to be the one true religion?

And if you vote for one of the no options, please could you let us know why? I'd be very interested in hearing your thoughts.

One hates to quibble with options listed in another person's poll. That would seem to be bad form because it isn't my poll. I know this, and yet I feel compelled to question the underlying assumptions of the poll.

I think it would be helpful to define what is meant by "the one true/correct religion." What would it mean for a religion to be true or correct? Would we mean that every proposition asserted by the religion is true (assuming we could even codify a list of said propositions)? Would we mean that the general thrust and message of the religion is true, even if not every little particular claim were entirely accurate? Would we mean that the religion has great utility in that it fosters an overall increase in goodness and fraternity in the world? I could go on... So, could you specify what might be meant by a true/correct religion?

I'd also like to note that there was an equally viable option that was not listed--one could say that she believes that Christianity is the best of the religions while simultaneously believing all other major world religions possess substantial truths and increase the human family's overall goodness and charity.

Put more succinctly, even if you were to somehow establish that all the truth-claims of Christianity were accurate, you would not thereby establish that the truth-claims of other religions were inaccurate. The latter does not follow from the former. Not all truth-claims of the particular religions are mutually exclusive. In fact, many of them are not.

Logically, all of these options are possible:
1. All religions contain much truth within them, though more or less equally.
2. All religions contain much truth within them, but one of them contains quite a bit more truth than the others.
3. The project of religions is not so much concerned with truth as it is with goodness, so asking which one is true/correct is a category mistake. Religions are primarily concerned with increasing goodness, charity and mindfulness in the world, and are only secondarily concerned with ensuring that the practitioners know the truth.

I'm not advocating for any of the above necessarily (though I have my suspicions). I'm just saying that we should probably lay down parameters of what might count for a true/correct religion first. Or, maybe better, we should first establish that religions are primarily concerned with increasing truth in the world.

I hope you'll forgive me if this seems like quibbling. But, I think these concerns are important.

 

[InterestedAtheist]

I don't look at it that way. There is only one God. Jesus seems to me to have 100% embodied Him. All the other religions seemed to not be tuned in as well. But most all seeing the same one God. Just not describing Him well. But that's what humans are best at, being ignorant of God.

Would you say that the Ancient Greeks (Zeus, Apollo, Hermes, etc.) were also worshipping the same God as the Christians do, just in a different form?

 

[com7fy8]

Perhaps we could compromise. How about Christians say that Christianity is the only religion that offers a relationship with the living God?

James 1:27 says >

"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." (James 1:27)

I would say this "religion" is or is included in Christianity.

And keeping ourselves truly not spotted by this world can come only through Jesus.

 

[Aussie Pete]

Thank you, Pete and Sketcher, for your answers!



Perhaps we could compromise. How about Christians say that Christianity is the only religion that offers a relationship with the living God?

Would you say that a family relationship is a religion? How about marriage? What kind of relationship would have coded rules and regulations that must be slavishly obeyed? Now many Christians turn Christianity into a religion, and miss out greatly because of it. I'd rather be a son in God's family.

 

[InterestedAtheist]

I think it would be helpful to define what is meant by "the one true/correct religion." What would it mean for a religion to be true or correct?

Fair enough. Christians? If you think that Christianity is the one, true religion, what do you mean by that?

 

[InterestedAtheist]

Would you say that a family relationship is a religion? How about marriage? What kind of relationship would have coded rules and regulations that must be slavishly obeyed? Now many Christians turn Christianity into a religion, and miss out greatly because of it. I'd rather be a son in God's family.

You know, you have a good point, and yet it makes me go the opposite way from you.

No, I wouldn't say a family relationship is a religion, nor a marriage. But the thing is, there are rules in Christianity. Quite a lot of them, actually. And the penalty for disobeying the rules is severe.

I don't know what your take is on the character of God and on the existence of hell. Maybe you believe that there is no hell, and that all people go to heaven? Or maybe that the question isn't important? But surely you're aware that there is a long tradition of fearing God as well as loving Him; that there is a long tradition of God commanding people to do things and punishing them if they don't; and that there is a widespread view among Christians that hell exists, and that people who disobey or reject God get sent there.

That doesn't sound much like a family to me.

 

[public hermit]

I voted, yes. I think the vast majority of Christians believe Christianity is the only true religion, because most are exclusivists.

That being said, I think there is also a growing number who are inclusivists, i.e. creation and redemption happens through Christ alone, having a cognitive acknowledgement of that fact is not a prerequisite for participating in Christ. In other words, one need not be of the Christian religion to "be saved." I know some (many?) folks don't like Karl Rahner's notion of the "anonymous Christian," but it makes better sense to me. His one caveat being, they are anonymous "through no fault of their own." How one cashes out that stipulation might be up for debate. PersonaIly, I would come out on the more generous end of that debate.

Anonymous Christian - Wikipedia

 

[Kenny'sID]

I don't know what your take is on the character of God and on the existence of hell. Maybe you believe that there is no hell, and that all people go to heaven? Or maybe that the question isn't important? But surely you're aware that there is a long tradition of fearing God as well as loving Him; that there is a long tradition of God commanding people to do things and punishing them if they don't; and that there is a widespread view among Christians that hell exists, and that people who disobey or reject God get sent there.

That doesn't sound much like a family to me.

Actually, you just described a good earthly father that cares enough for his kids to bring them up right, or in short, a perfectly normal family.

I used to fear reprisal from my dad if I did something bad wrong. And he would tell me to do and not to do things, and if I didn't, some kind of punishment would ensue.

Do you really take the stance we should just let the kids run amuck? Or in Gods case where we are the kids, how do you expect them to learn? And before you go on about the intensity of the punishment, it takes more for adults, and he needed to make some points in the OT, as well as the fact, he only has one major punishment since Christ, its simple and to the point.

How do you think God should deal with us? I personsly apreciate literally having the hell scared out of me, because I want nothing to do with that place. Simple tough love.

 

[InterestedAtheist]

Actually, you just described a good earthly father that cares enough for his kids to bring them up right, or in short, a perfectly normal family.

But I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to @Aussie Pete , who said that he didn't think a family should have "coded rules and regulations that must be slavishly obeyed."

 

[InterestedAtheist]

Actually, you just described a good earthly father that cares enough for his kids to bring them up right, or in short, a perfectly normal family.

You may think this sounds like a perfectly normal family, in which the father tells his children he loves them and sends them to a dungeon to be beaten if they won't obey Him. But apparently Aussie Pete thinks that rules and regulations don't feel like a family.

 

[InterestedAtheist]

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