The Most Important Question Who is Jesus Caesarea Philippi Retreat Center Mt Hermon Caesarea Phillipi Pan Greek god of shepherds nature and sexuality Who Do You Say That I Am Inescapable Question in the Context of Religious Pluralism ID: 279330
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Slide1
Are There Many Paths to God?Slide2
The Most Important Question
Who is Jesus?Slide3
Caesarea Philippi Retreat Center?Slide4
Mt. HermonSlide5
Caesarea
PhillipiSlide6
Pan
Greek god of shepherds,
nature,
and sexualitySlide7
Who Do You Say That I Am?
Inescapable Question in the Context of Religious Pluralism
Most Important Question of LifeSlide8
Thirty-Seven Percent of White Evangelicals agree with Hindus that there are many Paths to God.
Lisa Miller, “We Are All Hindus Now” -
Newsweek
Religious Pluralism and EvangelicalsSlide9
Jesus is the closest thing the world has to a universal Religious Figure – Craig Hazen,
Biola
University
Almost every religion attempts to bring Jesus into their religious system.
Jesus in World ReligionsSlide10
Virginally Conceived
Miracle Worker
Sinless
Prophet
End-Time Figure
Mentioned nearly 100 times in the Qur’an
Who Does Islam Say that Jesus Is?Slide11
Jesus
measures up as a
Sadhu
, a holy man. He preached a universal message, love of God and love of brother, which was beyond any sectarianism or selfishness. Jesus was one of those people who appealed from heart to heart, and that's what makes him such a good Hindu Saint.
Who Does Hinduism Say that Jesus Is?Slide12
In some forms of Hinduism, Jesus is one of ten (eighth) avatars of Vishnu.
Vishnu: god of love, benevolence, and forgiveness
Avatar
: a Hindu term meaning “descent.” The manifestation of a god on earth in human or animal form.
Who Does
Hinduism
Say that Jesus Is?Slide13
Shaunaka
Rishi Das
Director of the Oxford Centre of Hinduism
In my particular tradition, and among other Hindus, He is seen as much more, as an Avatar, specifically a
Shaktavesha
Avatar or an
empowered incarnation
. This means that God has sent Him to us for a specific mission to fulfill God’s will on earthSlide14
In the Mahayana tradition, Jesus is a bodhisattva
Bodhisattva – an enlightened being – someone who has refused liberation from the wheel of samsara and out of compassion returns to assist others toward enlightenment.
Who Does Buddhism Say Jesus Is?Slide15
Who Does Buddhism Say Jesus Is?
Dali Lama claims he is not worthy to be compared with Jesus because
Jesus is a fully enlightened beingSlide16
Since Jesus is by any measure the only universal religious person, a figure so towering that almost every religious body has to find a way to bring Him aboard in some capacity, it makes perfect sense to me that anyone on a religious quest should know where to start.
Craig Hazen,
Biola
University
Who Do You Say Jesus Is? The PointSlide17
Analogies of Religious Pluralism
Blind Men and the Elephant
Different Paths to Top of Mountain
Medicinal
MazeSlide18
Blind Men and the ElephantSlide19
Humans are similar
to
blind
men groping in the darkness.
Christianity Agrees With This Claim
Each religion provides a unique answer to the riddle of the elephant of religious truth
.
No blind person can arrogantly claim to possess exclusive truth
Lessons from the Blind Men and the ElephantSlide20
Claim: Every religion is valid and we need to combine our answers to arrive at complete religious truth
A mosaic of answers to the riddle of the nature of the elephant does not accurately describe the truth about the elephant.
An assembly of spear, hose, fan, wall, pole, and rope does not equal an elephant.
Problems with the
Blind
Men
and the ElephantSlide21
At least one man knows the truth – the
rajah
The rajah (God) could tell the blind men the truth (revelation) about the nature of the elephant (religious truth
)
The claim that no religion can know the truth is not a relativistic claim. This claim is an absolute claim.
The religious pluralist then believes in absolutes
Problems with the Blind Men and the ElephantSlide22
Maybe the elephant represents God
What if the elephant does not keep silent?
What if God communicated to groping blind men?
If so, Would the men be intolerant for passing on the communiqué from God?
Problems with the Blind Men and the ElephantSlide23
Different Paths Up a
MountainSlide24
The followers of various religions ascend to the summit of the mountain (God) by different approaches
Some paths are more winding; some paths are more direct
All paths reach the summit eventually
Popularity: promote tolerance
Different Paths Up a MountainSlide25
Justifies
Indifference to Truth Claims
Does not respect people – does not take people seriously
Does not promote tolerance. Crushes Dissent
Problems with the MountainSlide26
Ignores Differences in Understanding Ultimate Reality
Christianity: Triune, Personal God
Hinduism: Impersonal God (Brahman)
Buddhism: Atheistic
Problems with the MountainSlide27
Ignores Differences in the Human Condition
Christianity: Created In God’s Image, Fallen, Sinful
Hinduism: Divine but Ignorant
Buddhism: Nothingness
Problems with the MountainSlide28
Ignores Differences in the Path of Spiritual Liberation
Christianity: By grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone
Hinduism: Knowledge of Who You Really Are
Buddhism: The Loss of Desire Leading to Nirvana
Problems with the MountainSlide29
Who Awaits You at the Top of the Mountain?
Buddhism: No One
Islam:
Allah – non-Triune, Love not an attribute
Christianity:
Jesus
Hinduism:
Brahman (you)
Problems with the MountainSlide30
Favors One Religion: Hinduism is the Default Position
“Whatever path men travel is My path; no matter where they walk it leads to Me.” – Krishna – Bhagavad-Gita
Other Religions Must Give Up
Distinctives
Islamic Confession
Christians: Trinity, incarnation, atonement, resurrection
Problems with the
MountainSlide31
Set forth by Abu
Qurrah
– 8
th
century Arab Christian
A sick man receives various treatment proposals from a number of medical experts with differing qualifications (religious experts)
Decision Factors
Qualifications of Caregiver
Understanding of the Disease
Reasonableness of the Treatment
Likelihood of Success
Medical TreatmentSlide32
Qualifications of Caregiver: The sinless life and resurrection mean that Jesus surpasses all other religious teachers (contrast others teachers)
Understanding of the Disease:
Disease is Sin not Ignorance (Hinduism)
Sin is the only empirically verifiable religious truth
Medical Treatment Applied to ChristianitySlide33
Faith is Reasonable since humans are powerless to heal
Likelihood: Testimony of Transformed Lives
Medical Treatment Applied to ChristianitySlide34
MazeSlide35
The religious landscape can be compared to a maze
One entrance into the maze and one way out of the maze
Many dead ends and obstacles
Is it intolerant to claim one way is superior to other ways?
MazeSlide36
Defender of Christianity – Rev. Cook
Illustrated the Truth of Christianity by Quote from Shakespeare
What can remove the spot?
World Parliament of Religions ChicagoSlide37
Virginally Conceived
Victoriously Sinless
Vicarious Substitutionary Death
Visible Ascension
Triumphant Return
Who Do You Say That I AM?