All religions- yes, all of them- claim some degree of exclusivity

People often talk about Christianity being “intolerant” of other points-of-view. Here’s a little known theological tidbit: all religions claim some degree of exclusivity. This is the point that we often forget– or that we are not told. As Lee Strobel records in The Case for Christ:

It’s important to understand that Christianity is not the only religion that claims exclusivity. For instance, Muslims radically claim exclusivity– not just theologically, but also linguistically. Muslims believe that the sole, sufficient, and consummate miracle of Islam is the Koran. They say, however, it’s only recognizable in Arabic, and that any translation desacralizes it. And it’s not just a basic understanding of Arabic that’s required, but a sophisticated knowledge of the language.

As for Buddhism, it was born when Guatama Buddha rejected two fundamental assertions of Hinduism– the ultimate authority of the Vedas, which are their scriptures, and the caste system. Hinduism itself is absolutely uncompromising on two or three issues: the law of karma, which is the law of moral cause and effect, so that every birth is a rebirth that makes recompense for the previous life; the authority of the Vedas; and reincarnation…

Hinduism allows you to practice any religion so long as you buy into their notion of truth, which is syncretistic…

As for Sikhism… it came as a challenge to both Hinduism and Buddhism. Then there are the atheists– they reject the viewpoints of those who believe in God. And even Baha’ism, which claims to be a cosmic embrace of all religions, ends up excluding the exclusivists!

Ravi Zacharias suggests, “The statement that Christians are arrogant by claiming exclusivity ignores the reality that every other major religion does as well. So when people talk about arrogance, this cannot be a logical attack they are making.”

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