There is little room in the human soul for split faiths

Son of Thunder

By John Brannon

Funny thing happened a few weeks ago. I was on my way to Charlotte, North Carolina, and I decided that I’d take an unconventional route to the city. People told me that I either had to drive, fly, walk, ride a bike or take a train, but that didn’t faze my plans one bit.

No, I decided. I was going to take a boat, all the way to the Hearst Tower in downtown Charlotte. So there I sat in my boat, waiting for the water to rise. But alas, it never did, and I was stuck at home—in my boat—all spring break. It was really an unfair situation.

I figured I’d get to Charlotte the way I wanted, and nobody should be able to tell me differently. But in the end, it didn’t matter how I believed I could get there, it only mattered that my way would not work. Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it?

So why has it become so popular across this nation and across the globe for religious people of all faiths to say it doesn’t matter what religion you follow, because they all lead to heaven, and they are all fine and dandy? When you consider the following, something does not seem right.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through Me.” Muslims say there is only one god, his name is Allah and Muhammad was his prophet. Atheists say there is no god. And Jews believe they are God’s chosen people. These views are not exactly congruous with one another, so, whether we like it or not, something has got to give.

Recently I heard about a meeting of Christians, Muslims and Atheists talking about bringing all of their faiths under one banner. Are you kidding me?

I mean, I’m just trying to be rational here, but something doesn’t quite add up. Jesus either is the way, or he’s not. Allah either is God, or he’s not. Muhammad was either telling the truth, or he was not. The Bible is either right, or it’s wrong. There is either a god, or several gods, or no god at all. But if we're going to claim that all of them can be the right way depending on what each person believes, then one and one equal 10, gravity shouldn't exist if I don't want it to and I should get A’s in every class based on nothing more than my opinion. Unfortunately, things never work out that way.

Regardless of what many liberals will tell you, truth is not a relative term. The choices we make will have consequences, both in the present world, and eternally. Looking past the truth is no excuse. If I have a car that will not start, I can deny the fact all I want, but when I need to go to the store, I'm either going to have to get a ride or walk because that car isn't going to take me anywhere.

Look, I understand the idea of religions being accepting of others, I really do. But respect for and agreement with are two totally different things. I respect many people of many different faiths, but I’m not going to say that all of them are right. Faith in everything is at its very core faith in nothing. It contradicts the whole idea of faith in the first place.

How much faith does is take for me to sit here, a Christian, and say, “Well, I believe the Bible to be the infallible Word of God. But, come to think of it, these other religions seem all right, so I guess I could believe what they teach as well. It doesn’t make any difference.” Talk about getting a foot in every door.

So next time you here the words, “We think it’s not important what you believe, just as long as you have faith in something,” consider this.

Some people have faith that they can fly—but they can’t. Some have faith it the stock market—but it crashes. Many have had faith that their violent husbands won’t hit them again—but they do. And many had faith in Enron’s devious executives—and they lost everything. Above all, remember that faith in something false is worthless and will leave you empty, so be careful about where you place that faith.

— This columnist may be reached at collegian@csufresno.edu