Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!ncar!gatech!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: liu@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Peter T Liu) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Interfaith - How should Christians respond? Message-ID: Date: 6 Mar 91 04:45:44 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: University of Pennsylvania Lines: 84 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article ee8kag@gdt.bath.ac.uk (K A Goatman) writes: >How do you think Christians should respond to the ever increasing >interfaith movement? >[What do you mean by the interfaith movement? Are we talking about >ecumenical action among Chistians, cooperation with non-Christians on >specific projects where we share goals, or a commitment to the idea >that "it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you are sincere"? >--clh] To find the answer to this question, let's turn to the Bible. You already mentioned one of several Scriptures which I was going to look up. >The only verse that sprung to mind is John 14v6 - 'I am the way ... >no one comes to the Father except by me' Jesus did not agree with the modern, relaxed view that there are many roads, many religions, all leading to salvation. Instead, he said at Matthew 7:13-14: "Go in through the narrow gate, because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it," "whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it." We see from the above that Jesus was quite blunt about the point. Also, Paul drives home the point that there is only one true faith. He writes at Ephesians 4:5: "one Lord, one faith, one baptism." Furthermore, please turn to John 8:42-47. There we read what Jesus thought of the religious leaders who pretended to be righteous but disrespected God. As to whether a Christian should support interfaith or ecumenical movements, I leave it up to the reader to decide. You have the Bible's word in front of you. Make your decisions based on the Bible. Here are some more Scriptures which may be of interest. 1 Timothy 4:1-3 "However, the inspire utterance says definitely that in later periods of time SOME WILL FALL AWAY FROM THE FAITH, (1) paying attention to misleading inspired utterances and the teachings of demons, by the (2) hypocrisy of men who speak lies, marked in their conscience as with a branding iron;" "(3) forbidding to marry, (4) commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be partaken of with thanksgiving by those who have faith and accurately know the truth." (Numbers, layout, all-caps mine; to bring out important details) Titus 1:16 "They publicly declare they know God, but they disown him by their works, because they are detestable and disobidient and not approved for good work of any sort." What I have quoted above is from the Bible; therefore, do not flame me. Let the reader use his (or her) own discernment. >Keith Goatman >ee8kag@gdt.bath.ac.uk Peter T. Liu liu@eniac.seas.upenn.edu DISCLAIMER: Not Upenn's opinions