Why Not One Way to Heaven? The Myth of Pluralism

Now that I am out of school for this semester, I increasingly find myself watching shows on television that I would never watch. This morning, as I was eating my cereal (albiet it was a late breakfast), ABC's show The View was on. If you've never seen this show before, basically, the premise is that 5 women from all different backgrounds sit around a table, drink coffee, and argue. Lately, their arguments have led to discussions of religion.

Tonight, Barbara Walters, one of the women on this show, is hosting a special on ABC on the topic of Heaven: what is it, how do we get there, etc. (9-11 pm est). Among others, she interviews the Dali Lama (sp?), a fundementalist Islamic male who tried to kill himself and Israelis but failed, and other "spiritual" leaders. Invariably, after showing a clip of the Muslim telling Walters that he believed that all non-Muslims will go to Hell, discussion erupted on the exclusivity of religion.

Walters advocated that when people start to say that their religion is the only way to Heaven, discontent sets in and eventually wars start. While she is partially right, the fact that "discontent" sets in should not lead to someone abandoning their beliefs. There is one view that was not voiced and I'll take time to make it known here.

Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and all religions make some kind of claim of how to get to Heaven, nirvana, etc. Islam and Christianity for instance, make definitive exclusive claims of how to get to Heaven. In fact, the two claims contradict each other. By law, a Muslim may be wrong about what he believes and a Christian may be wrong about what he believes. Also, by law, one may be wrong and the other may be right; this is of course, possible. However, by law of non-contradition, BOTH CANNOT be right. If a Muslim is right, a Christian cannot be right. If a Christian is right, a Muslim cannot be right because their religions claim exclusivities. By nature, "A" cannot equal "B." To eschew this idea, is to eschew basic logic.

My question is this: What makes this so hard for people to understand? The answer is, "Nothing." The idea of inclusivism, or pluralism (that all roads lead to Heaven), seems agreeable and likeable, therefore making people feel good about themselves and making themselves believe that no matter how they live their lives, and we all live selfish lives at some point, they will be able to somehow slide into the back door of Heaven.

Unfortunately, while this seems nice, it is wrong. All of the religions of the world make exclusive salvation claims. Therfore, only one religion is right. The quest in life is to find which one it is. I believe the evidence is overwhelmingly in the favor of Christianity and the exclusive claims that it makes.