Are Spiritual Truths Exclusive?

Are Spiritual Truths Exclusive?

Ravi Zacharias and Abdu Murray of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) give a two-hour talk at the University of Delaware on the topic “Are Spiritual Truths Exclusive?” The Livestream video from 4^th November 2019 is in two sections; the individual presentations by Ravi and Abdu and a Q&A session with the students attending the talk. Both speakers give substantial arguments in support of this topic while providing answers to the audience.

Abdu, who is the senior vice president of RZIM, introduces his argument by taking a look at his religious background as a Muslim to his transformation to Christianity at the age of 27. (10:18 – 10:40). As a Muslim, he held the belief that Christianity was false and that Islam was the true religion. Over time, there was a transition in his thinking as he discovered scientific, historical, and philosophical evidence that challenged his belief on what Christianity was. He says at 11:37, that as humans, “When you hold a conviction, you don’t want to let go of it, if you let go, you let go off a part of yourself.”  The biggest fear is that our conviction might be wrong. From his own experience, he had to find a way to harmonize the contradictions of the two religions before deciding to convert. From 12:40, he points out spiritual truths are exclusive and require you to make a choice.

Christianity beliefs are firmly based on restoring the relationship with God, which means if you hold a spiritual claim, that is an exclusive claim. When it comes to religion, the conclusion is that they are all the same. He quotes an excerpt from the book “God is not one,” which points out that no one says economic, political systems are on the same. Besides, capitalism and socialism are termed different, yet scholars continue to assert that religions such as Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity are all the same (19:06 – 19:40). He alleges that the exclusivity of Christianity based on John 14:6, which quotes, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me.” He further supports his argument by affirming that the Christian Faith is less arrogant (21:59 – 23:20). He bases this from the scripture in John 15, where the Bible says what we need to hear and not what we want to hear by indicating that we are all sinners. With this argument, he says it makes Jesus worthy of our attention.

The statement that “all paths lead to God in a bid to be respectful to all religions. Abdu views this as actually very disrespectful by citing the values in different religions such as Confucianism. At 23:30, he explores how people can ensure they respect other believers of other doctrines. It is essential to give the dignity of difference and to respect them so much that you are willing to disagree with them and take their claims seriously. Whether one is interacting with believers of Islam, Confucianism, or any other religion, he insists that Christians should take their beliefs seriously and understand their fundamental values.

Abdu’s presentation also touches on tolerance, where he says, “we lose the true meaning of tolerance if believe that all religion is exclusive” (28:58). As a result, this breeds indifference to other people’s worlds’ views. He affirms there are commonalities in most religions, and the religious systems are fundamentally similar as they believe they can fix each other either by karma, meditation, or living by specific moral standards. However, the Christian faith is different because it says that people are the problem, and they need someone to save them from them. All other religions believe in the existence of Jesus, but other faiths turn him into different rob him of the essential reason why he came (33:20)

Ravi Zacharias Founder and Chairman RZIM, who is the author of over 25 books in religion, philosophy opens his talk with stories/case studies to depicts the standards political leaders, other professionals are held in comparison to spiritual leaders (36:30). From his speech, he points out that most followers of religions such as Confucians are becoming more committed to their beliefs, while in the Western culture is the only place that people are questioning if spiritual truth is exclusive.

Ravi gives key reasons from 55:43 – 1:02:52 on how secularization, polarization, and privatization have contributed to this shift in the Western world. With secularization, religious ideas institutions lost their social significance in our western culture. As a result, there is a loss of moral reasoning. Polarization has resulted in a competing number of world views with no particular world view is dominant. This state has moved people to the loss of logical reasoning, making it hard to know the truth.

On the other hand, with privatization, God has been evicted from the education process. He poses the question, “how are you going to find meaning if there is no truth in spiritual matters?” As he closes his talk, Ravi gives four sets of propositions that show the exclusivity of Christianity; intrinsic worth and reflective splendor, unity of worship, the sovereignty of creator, and autonomy of the individual, which show that redemption precedes righteousness (1:05:07 – 1:08:29).

From 1:39:58 – 2:08:01, there is Q& A session which brings about several conclusions. There is a difference between spiritual and religious truths. All religions are exclusive and would never compromise on their doctrines. Abdu insists that Christian believers should treat everyone with respect in a culture that people get angry in spite of their beliefs. Tolerance is about engaging with respect while valuing the other person’s opinion and arrive at truth together. He says, “You don’t have to agree with everyone, but you have to respect.”

In these current times, the best way to reach out to millennials is to be a good listener before you can share any information. According to Abdu, the Bible is updated as it already answers questions of this generation 2000 years before. As the generations become more pragmatic, it is essential to learn to listen and respond to people. Ravi and Abdu also address what makes Christianity the right way. By looking at the flaws, contradictions of the other systems that challenge the Christianity faith, there is evidence to show its credibility. The teachings of Jesus pass through the tests for truth, which are logical consistency, empirical adequacy, and experiential relevance. According to the two speakers, you will not find any false evidence.

The topic, “Are spiritual truths exclusive?” is very important, especially in today’s world. The establishment and growth of several religions that are guided by different doctrines raise this issue. Just as explained in the talk by Ravi and Abdu, there is so much disagreement on what faith is superior, especially in countries that have several religious doctrines. However, tolerance remains very vital in ensuring there is no religious persecution of the minority religious sects. There needs to be respected among each other as each denomination has its independent doctrines and beliefs.

Christianity, according to Abdu, is the most credible religions based on the tests of truth. He holds the belief that you will find no error when compared to other sects. However, I believe that all religions from Hinduism, Daoism, Islam, Buddhism to Christianity have some flaws and questions that need to be answered. No religion is full proof from queries, which is the reason why individuals and scholars always study different doctrines. Besides, we have seen people switch from one religion to another and back, which is often after a lot of analysis. For instance, Abdu, in his opening remarks, says that as a Muslim, he had to critically analyze Christianity before making a transition, which is evidence that his former religion did not entirely give him what he needed.

In many countries all over the world, people are getting committed to their religions. As pointed out by Ravi, it’s only so prevalent in the Western world where Christianity is in question. The world has become so secular and materialistic, which places religion at the backseat. From the schools to other institutions, religion is not paid attention to, which directly translates to disinterest. The spread of other religions in the Western world is also one of the causes of this. With doctrines such as karma, meditation, there is less interest in spiritual matters, especially those on Christianity. Over the years, Atheism has also been on the rise as more and more people become less tolerant of religion and spiritual issues.

Ravi and Abdu present solid arguments on why spiritual truths are exclusive. By citing examples from all forms of religion, they clearly show the importance of tolerance to other people’s beliefs due to the different doctrines. Additionally, they challenge their audience to have the dignity of difference to respect each person as much as they do not agree with their teachings. Based on this talk, there is scientific, historical, philosophical evidence that shows the exclusivity of spiritual truths

Works Cited

Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. Are Spiritual Truths Exclusive? Ravi Zacharias and Abdu Murray at the University of Delaware. 5^th November 2019. https://youtu.be/w5rN2fjwbRc