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05/23/02 
Every Religion Has a Point of Exclusion 
Ravi Zacharias  

With the numerous religions in the world, how can Christians claim
exclusivity?  I am often asked this question in different settings and I've
always been fascinated by the fact that the Christian faith is the only one
that seems to have this question posed.  The truth is that every major
religion in the world claims exclusivity, and every major religion in the
world has a point of exclusion.

Hinduism, for example, is often represented as being the most tolerant and
accepting of other faiths.  That is just not true.  All Hindus believe in
two fundamental, uncompromising doctrines-The Law of Karma, and the belief
in reincarnation.  These will not be surrendered.  In fact, Buddhism was
born out of the rejection of two other very dogmatic claims of Hinduism. 
Buddha rejected the authority of the vedas and the caste system of
Hinduism.  The issue here is not who was right or wrong.  The truth is that
they were systemically different-both claiming rightness.

 Islam, as you know, is very clearly an exclusive claim to God. A Muslim
will never tell you that it doesn't matter what you believe or that all
religions are true. 

But before we get upset with such claims, let us remember that it is the
very nature of truth--Truth by definition is exclusive.  Everything cannot
be true.  If everything is true, then nothing is false.  If nothing is
false then it would also be true to say everything is false.  We cannot
have it both ways.  One should not be surprised at the claims of
exclusivity.  The reality is that even those who deny truth's exclusivity,
in effect, exclude those who do not deny it.  The truth quickly emerges. 
The law of non-contradiction does apply to reality.  We mean by that, that
two contradictory statements cannot both be true in the same sense.

To deny the law of non-contradiction is to affirm it at the same time.  You
may as well talk about a one-ended stick as talk about truth being
all-inclusive.

Where does that leave us?  We must not be surprised at truth claims but we
must test them before we believe them.  If the test demonstrates truth then
we are morally compelled to believe it.

When testing truth, philosophers tell us of the two principal tests:
Correspondence and Coherence.

Statements must correspond to reality.  And all statements collated must
cohere.  When correspondence and coherence are applied to the person and
the message of Jesus Christ, as He answers life's fundamental questions,
you see not only His exclusivity, but also His uniqueness.

G.K. Chesterton said, the problem with Christianity is not that it has been
tried and found wanting, but that it has been found difficult and left
untried. 
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Copyright (p)(c) 2001 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM).
Reprinted with permission. A Slice of Infinity is a radio ministry of
Ravi Zacharias International Ministries