Blake Long

Many people—whether atheist, agnostic, or any other type of skeptic—claim that all religions are the same. They say that each religion essentially believes the same things with different angles. Therefore, they say, no religion is wrong—all religions are equally valid. This is a poor and lazy attempt at appeasing everyone and not offending anybody. If we believe in objective truth, then we must admit that not all religions are equally valid. In fact, as you will see, only one religion is valid.

When we examine different religions in more detail, we will see that everything hinges on the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Jesus in Judaism. Among the people who claim religions are the same will also say that Judaism and Christianity worship the same God because of the Old Testament. There’s only one problem with that proposition: Jesus.

Christians believe Jesus is God, the second Person of the holy Trinity. In contrast, Judaism teaches Jesus was a mere rabbi and certainly didn’t believe Him to be the long-awaited Messiah. In fact, many Jews don’t believe He existed at all.

That severed the connection right there. Judaism and Christianity don’t believe in the same God because they don’t believe in the same Jesus. If you have two different Jesuses, you have two different Gods.

Jesus in Islam. The Quran treats Jesus with respect and and honor—but only as a prophet. Additionally, they don’t believe He ever died. Is it nice that they believe Jesus was a prophet? Sure, but it’s also damning. A Jesus who is a mere prophet is a Jesus who is impotent to save.

Of course, we know Scripture teaches Jesus wasn’t a mere prophet, but God in the flesh. Once again, that’s two different beliefs in Jesus. Not the same religion—not even sort of.

Jesus in Mormonism. The Book of Mormon—which is essentially a rip-off of Holy Scripture—paints Jesus not as the divine Son of God, God in the flesh, but as the spirit brother of Satan, a creation of God, and unable to truly save.

Many say that Christianity and Mormonism are the same, but it doesn’t take much look to notice the differences are night and day. Mormonism is a completely different religion from biblical Christianity. It has a different god, a different Jesus, a different salvation—a different everything.

Jesus in Jehovah’s Witnesses. Like Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses are not the same as Christianity. They place an emphasis on Jesus being the literal first born of God’s creation and don’t believe He was God. They explicitly deny the divinity of Jesus. When you deny the deity of Jesus, you have a different Jesus.

Jesus in Buddhism. Buddhists believe Jesus was merely an enlightened teacher. People could learn valuable insight and wisdom from Jesus, but He wasn’t able to save them from their sins. Of course, in Buddhism, the relationship with sin is much different.

Jesus in Protestant liberalism. Like J. Gresham Machen penned in his famous Christianity and Liberalism, Protestant liberalism is a completely different religion from biblical Christianity. Liberal Protestants seek to paint Jesus as a mere teacher or moral example. The Jesus they believe in ignores sin. In this religion, Jesus affirms all sin and is not concerned about holiness and righteousness.

Jesus in biblical Christianity. Jesus, as God in the flesh, descended to earth to live a perfectly righteous life and to die a sinner’s death. And He came not just to die, as we know, but to take on the full brunt of God’s wrath over sin. He finished paying our debt on the cross, and rose victoriously on the third day. This Jesus reigns in power and glory and majesty where He is seated at the right hand of almighty God. This Jesus will return again in absolute glory; not as a tiny baby but as a powerful holy King and Lord to bring His people home.

This is all a far cry from the damnable beliefs of other religions. To be sure, Christians are more than tolerant with other religious beliefs, but we want to make it known—as it’s important—that not all religions believe basically the same thing. Not all religions are valid because truth exists. We must be diligent; we must do well in studying the different beliefs of other religious so that when someone makes this claim, we are able to answer it definitively and take them straight to the gospel of grace for sinners.