26 Aug 2010
Recently, I’ve been repeatedly accused of being “unchristian” for speaking out against “other people’s religions.” Tell me: Is it unchristian to speak out against the religion of Anton LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan and author of the Satanic Bible? How about the religion of Osama bin Laden, a religion that spawned the 9/11 terrorist attack upon our nation? I’m sure that even my most ardent detractors would hesitate to take me to task for denouncing such toxic faiths as LaVey’s and bin Laden’s. Yet, they are quick to pull the trigger on me when it comes to my denunciation of religions they deem innocuous.
Exactly what false religions should be categorized as innocuous? According to the Apostle Paul, all faiths, apart from the Christian faith, should be repudiated (Galatians 1:8-9). Furthermore, anyone preaching them should be “accursed”; that is, “eternally damned.” Obviously, Paul failed to view any faith apart from the Christian faith as innocuous. He rightfully saw them all as soul-imperiling.
Unlike most churchgoers today, the Apostle Paul understood that false religions, no matter how seemingly benign they appear, are all malignant. They are not only masterfully used by the god of this world to deceive millions into Christless graves at the forfeiture of their immortal souls, but all of them also share a mutual hostility toward Christ and all things Christian.
A perfect example of religion’s enmity against Christ is found in the religionists behind His crucifixion. Having already plotted His death, gathered false witnesses against Him, drug Him through the mockery of a trial, and unanimously pronounced Him guilty of their trumped-up charges, these religionists finally brought Christ to Pilate in hopes of persuading the latter to crucify the former (John 18:28).
The part of this spine-chilling scenario that proves most insightful for our purposes, however, is the refusal of these devout religionists to step foot in the palace of the Gentile governor of Judea. To have entered the home of a Gentile would have made them ceremonially unclean and kept them from observing their important religious feast. Unbelievably, they had no qualms about crucifying Christ, but they were persnickety about the observance of their religion.
The hearts of these religionists are further darkened and their hands further dirtied by their unconscionable request to expedite the death of Christ’s by having His legs broken (John 19:31). Since it was against their religion to have bodies on crosses and to bury the dead on the Sabbath, these “fine” religious folks wanted Jesus to hurry up and die. After all, you don’t want your doing away with the Son of God to interfere with the practice of your religion.
All religions share this commonality; they all want to do away with Christ. Granted, some subtlety attempt to kill Him with kindness, smothering Him with flowery prose. They praise Christ for being everything from a “good man” to a “great teacher” or “avatar,” but they are ever-careful not to bend the knee to Him as “our Lord and our God” (John 20:28). Others, such as adherents to modern-day Judaism, downright denounce Him as a false and phony Messiah.
Regardless of the method employed, the motive is the same. All devout religionists, both ancient and modern, seek to do away with Christ. They understand the threat He poses to their place in the world (John 11:48). If they don’t do something, people are liable to believe in the Redeemer and no longer in their religions. Thus, for their religions to survive, Christ must be crucified; and they will go to any lengths to do away with Jesus, just as long as they can do so without disobeying their religious rules or disqualifying themselves from the observance of their religious rituals.
Today, it’s not just most people who are blind to the malignancy of other religions, but most Christians as well, as is proven by the popular opinion in our pews that it is “unchristian” to speak out against other people’s religions. Many contemporary pew sitters carelessly dismiss the hostility of modern-day religions toward Christ because they’ve never heard modern-day religionists inciting the masses to cry out, “Crucify Him” (Matthew 27:15-26). Yet, unbeknownst to them, they have heard a million and one more subtile cries just as savage and murderous toward the Master.
Today’s religionists are too crafty to incite the crowd to cry out, “Crucify Him!” Instead, they are far more devious in their attempts to rid the world of Christ. They cloak their murderous intent in pious sounding public outcry. They incite the people to cry out against things like: “Intolerance,” “Fundamentalists,” “Inerrantists,” “Creationists,” “Homophobes,” “Hate-mongers” and the “Christian Right.” And to cry out for things like: “Ecumenism,” “Multiculturalism,” “Diversity,” “Globalism,” “Gay Rights,” and “Social Justice.”
Regardless of the cloak and dagger of the modern-day religionists, the public outcry they incite is still intended to do away with Christ, the one who exposes the sin of the world and Himself as the world’s only Savior. Anyone brave enough to preach the pure Gospel in today’s politically correct world will find himself just as excoriated and condemned as Christ (John 15:18-25). If you don’t believe it, just try it. Go ahead, I dare you!
Far from it being “unchristian” to speak out against other people’s religions, it’s really the only Christian thing to do. If we love them, we’ll warn them to turn from their false faiths, which can never lead them to the one and only true God, and to turn to Christ, who alone can save them from their sin and reconcile them to God (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). You can worry about their feelings if you want to, but I’m going to worry about their souls. I, for one, think that’s the Christian thing to do!
Don Walton
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