Nuggets from Seeking and Finding God—Contradictory Beliefs Cannot All Be True!

In his landmark book, The Closing of the American Mind, Chicago philosophy professor Alan Bloom pointed out that the one virtue in America these days seems to be openness to anything and everything as equally valid behaviors or points of view. Any and every opinion is greeted with equal tolerance—not conviction, but tolerance. It would be unacceptable dogmatism in most circles today to say that truth exists. That would mean that those who did not accept it would be wrong—and no one must be wrong.

Dr. Bloom points out that we have become so open to everything that our minds have been closed to the idea that something may indeed by true and something else false. The closing of the American mind through openness to everything! That is exactly what is happening in the post-rational era that has overtaken our universities and seminaries and the thinking of many church leaders.

Again, simple logic would refute this idea of all roads leading to the same place. If words have any meaning, then we must acknowledge that there are serious contradictions between various world religions. They don’t even agree upon the number of gods (millions for Hindus, one for Muslims, none for Buddhists), must less upon their identity or nature. Nor do world religions agree upon how to appease their god or gods—or how to reach their version of heaven after death.

Jesus claimed that He is the only way to heaven: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the Father, but by me” (John:14:6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
See All...). He went so far as to say, “All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers,” (John:10:8All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
See All...) and that includes Buddha, Confucius, and so on. Christianity stands not only in contrast but in opposition to all of the ways to heaven offered by the world’s religions. Christ says they all lead to destruction. Surely, because of the grave consequences they convey, His claims deserve careful investigation.