Christianity and Pluralism

In my last post I addressed the problems I see with relativism, and my main point was to show that there must be absolute truth. However, I in no way attempted to prove that this absolute truth is found in the Bible, the Qur’an, or any other particular holy book. So in this post I intend to discuss the implications of our results concerning Christianity. In particular, I want to address the possibility of absolute truth being found in more than one religion. As I have previously been in the habit of writing overly long introductions, this time I have limited myself for your sake. So let’s dive right in!

I find very often that those who most despise Christianity have met an unfortunate lot of Christians in their times. Sadly, especially in America, it is much easier to meet the “wrong” lot of Christians than the “right” one, so it is not surprising to me at all that one of Christianity’s deepest wounds is self-inflicted. Let me explain what I mean, so as not to come across as some pompous elitist. A very quick internet search tells me that roughly 75% of Americans as of 2004 claimed to be Christian (see, e.g., this website). This seems about right to me, but the exact number is unimportant. The vital fact is that a clear majority of Americans say they are Christians, and in the South, my homeland, I would bet the numbers are even higher. But what do most of them actually mean when they say this? I would claim that a large portion of them do not actually mean that they believe even the central tenet of Christianity, but rather that they believe there is a God, they go to church occasionally for Christmas and Easter, and that they feel like they are basically good people. The reason I believe this is because in my experience, young though I may be, more and more I meet people who claim to be Christians and also say that other religions are just as valid. Even more, not only have I heard rumor of this same sort of doctrine being taught from pulpits, but I could actually give names of a number of large churches who preach these ideas. Some of you may be confused as to why this is a problem and how it relates to people disliking Christianity, so let me explain.

First, to be specific about why many people find Christianity distasteful (in my experience), when someone calls himself a Christian he creates a certain image, which depends on who is listening. But one thing is sure, if that person were to go read what Jesus had to say, they would expect that the Christian at least vaguely upheld the morality taught by Jesus, since that is who the person is claiming to follow. This is a just and right expectation. Unfortunately, many people claiming to be Christian simply do not attempt to live by the standards in which they claim to believe. So, again very justly, many are compelled to view Christians as hypocrites from the onset.

I believe that this problem has strong roots in intellectual sloth. Namely, I think a main cause of the hypocritical-Christian image is the growing belief that you can be a Christian while still acknowledging that other religions could be equally valid; few people seem to think through what this implies, though. Let’s explore the notion.

If you are convinced that Relativism is unacceptable logically, then the next step is to find the truth and to believe it. After all, no one wants to base his life on lies. So let’s say that you choose Christianity for whatever reason, but you are loath to say that your faith is any better than the others. This, I would claim, is in direct violation of itself, just as was Relativism. Christianity has a number of different denominations and sects, but fundamentally, all forms of Christianity revolve around Jesus (Christ-ianity). So if you don’t believe what he said, you cannot be considered his follower and therefore cannot be considered a Christian.

So what does he say? Jesus says in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” That is pretty absolutist if you ask me. Not only does he say he is the only way to God, he actually claims to be truth, and not just some truth, THE truth, truth embodied. So if you say you are a Christian, that is, a follower of Christ, you must accept that central point. If you don’t accept it, you simply are not a Christian, for as the name implies, being a Christian means following Christ, which obviously first requires belief in what Christ said. Likewise, if you say you are a Christian and also say that other religions are equally valid, what you are really saying is that you have not made up your mind. This is because to be a Christian means accepting Jesus’ teaching and his teaching makes it clear that no other religion will do. So you simply cannot be Christian and accept that other religion’s lead to God or to ultimate truth. And in my opinion, it is always better to be honest with yourself than to beat around the bush and merely confuse other people about what the word “Christian” means.

Now, some of you may be thinking that you don’t give a rat’s uncle about what I just said. And that is fine if you don’t claim to be a Christian. Indeed, if you are an atheist, or anything else, I think it is much nobler to say what you are and mean it than to say you are a Christian and not mean it. Titles mean nothing unless they are founded on some reality that matters. What I am trying to get across is that being a Christian is completely incompatible with pluralism, that is, the belief that (ultimate) truth is found in all or many religions. While I do believe there are elements of truth in most religions, as a Christian, if I really believe what I imply that I believe (and I do), then I must reject that other religions hold ultimate truth. For the basis of Christianity is that Jesus is the sole way to ultimate truth, to God, and no other religion is in accordance with this principle. And just like relativism, pluralism is self-refuting because it accepts all religions as equally valid in searching for truth, but Christianity, as one of its central tenets, requires exclusivity. Therefore pluralism must reject Christianity, and that obviously doesn’t work.

In summary therefore, to be a Christian is to forsake pluralism and to accept pluralism is to forsake Christianity. To do otherwise is to be completely confused as to what Christianity requires and to likely mislead others as to what Christianity requires. And since accepting pluralism requires forsaking Christianity, pluralism is nonsense.

So we have narrowed down the field a little bit I hope. I have attempted to show that relativism and pluralism are essentially the same animal, and that animal is constantly devouring itself. The main points I hope you have gleaned are that there really must be some form of absolute truth and that it is illogical to say all religions are equally correct or good at revealing that truth. I have not shown that Christianity must be better than the rest, however, and I doubt I will be able to do that very well any time soon, as I am still young, learning, and woefully under-read. But I hope you see, dear reader, that if there is truth and all ideas for finding that truth are unable to be equally good, then it is necessary that we make a decision. Relativism and pluralism are just fancy ways to procrastinate.

PS – being that this article is already long, I did not address a semi-common analogy for pluralism regarding an elephant and blindfolded religious founders – if you are familiar with this analogy and find it convincing, I will address it given your request; otherwise I will leave it until it merits discussion.