why is your religion right?

[tagan]

I posted this on another forum, but as always I want to maximize my replies.
So I was talking to someone, someone fairly open minded, but they kept bringing up the '' what makes your religion right, and other religions wrong'' argument, I brought up basic arguments against muslims, but what do you say to that?
I honestly didn't really know what to say.

 

[Rollo Tamasi]

All religions, in some form or other, demand good works as a way to be saved.
Christianity is the only one where salvation is a free gift from God.
I find this a good starting point in any conversation.

 

[Nathanael Chong]

I posted this on another forum, but as always I want to maximize my replies.
So I was talking to someone, someone fairly open minded, but they kept bringing up the '' what makes your religion right, and other religions wrong'' argument, I brought up basic arguments against muslims, but what do you say to that?
I honestly didn't really know what to say.

If you don't mind, I'll give the argument that I would use.

First, the most important thing to know is 'Why is the Bible true?', because that is the foundation of our faith. Historians may come and say something like this: "There are many historical events which have very few discovered records narrating those events, and we believe those records. Now there are many, many more discovered historical Biblical records! So why shouldn't we believe them as well?"

There's another way to show that the Bible is true. In John 17:17, Jesus, who was praying to the Father, said, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." Notice He did not say "Thy word is true." He said, "Thy word is truth." This means that God's Word is THE TRUTH, and the truth is the highest standard and is the reference point upon which we define what is true. Therefore, God's Word is the reference point upon which we define what is true and what is not. Are you following me? That is why the Bible is true; because it IS truth itself.

Now people may say, "You can't prove that the Bible is true by looking into the Bible." Well, I got this off the Internet: "How can you prove the President lives in the White House except by looking into the White House?"

And because the Bible is true, we can look into the Bible and conclude that other religions are false, for they are apart from the truth.

Blessings!

 

[chessman]

'' what makes your religion right, and other religions wrong'' argument, I brought up basic arguments against muslims, but what do you say to that?
I honestly didn't really know what to say.

I say differing religions teach fundamentally different answers/conclusions to the “big” questions in life. Therefore they are contradictory. They cannot all be true.
The Christian view/religion/worldview is “right” (true), in my opinion, because it provides the best answers to ALL the most serious questions in life. It provides the best answers to questions like:

1. Where did I come from?
2. Where did the universe come from?
3. Is there any purpose to my life or to the life of others around me?
4. Where am I going (if anywhere) when I die?
5. Are the choices/actions I make in life objectively right or wrong? Or am I free to pretty much make any choice I’d like at the time and just say they are “right”?
Questions like that.​

The methods I use to determine if Christianity is the best (versus other choices) is to see what its guidebook (Bible in Christianity’s case) says about these questions. I’d do the same for other guidebooks (Koran in the case of Islam). If the guidebook start telling me things I know to be false (and can prove it), I pretty much discount their guidebook as being inaccurate and clearly made up by error prone human(s). Take for example, a guidebook that says the Earth (planet) rests on the back of a turtle in space. It’s hard for me to just ignore that falsehood and believe anything else it’s got to say about the other, more important, things. If it cannot even get that thing right, then how could it ever get “Is there any purpose to my life?” right?

As I’ve done that for the various choices out there (including the Atheist/Humanist choice), I find they always teach so many falsehoods that it’s frankly hard to believe anything else they have to say.

However, when you read through the guidebook of Christianity (Bible), I’ve yet to find any falsehoods in it. Yet it contains so many, many verifiably true statements and predictions of real events that it made long before those things/events it predicted actually occurred, it’s hard to ignore what it says about “The Rest of the Story”.

Oh, and for me personally, I’ve got the Holy Spirit convincing me of its truth as well. But that’s not really helpful to others that don’t have that same Spirit. Some do, some don’t. Some even have another spirit teaching them things.

You said you found a “fairly open minded person”. I find that a highly unusual occurrence (not that I’m that open minded or anything). Maybe you have found someone that’s “open minded”, but I find a lot of people that say they are open minded, but very few that really are, including me. Especially the ones on the other side of two connected keyboards! I suppose it’s possible though. The real question is how did they arrive at their (our) worldview. Was (is) it based on verifiable truths or simply what we want to believe is true?

I’m going to longalready. I’d suggest a book (I’m sure there are other good ones as well) on this subject: “A World of Difference”, Kenneth Samples.
http://www.amazon.com/World-Difference-Christian-Truth-Claims-Worldview/dp/0801068223/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1383914615&sr=1-1&keywords=a+world+of+difference

You could even just browse it on Amazon and get a lot of good info just from the sample there.

Oh, and when other people (including some Christians) say things about what the Bible teaches , on this or that issue, yet when you really and fairly go check out what it really says, I find that sometimes these very well meaning and honest people just are not that accurately representing what the text itself really does say about any given subject. Including this author above.

Most of the subjects are not really that important to begin with, however. All you have to do is look at all the various denominations etc. to plainly see that there’s a lot of disagreement over various doctrines/teachings/worship styles etc. Some even over what musical instruments are “Right/wrong” or what day of the week to worship, etc.
But I don’t let that bother me as it simply points out and verifies the obvious things (and Biblically taught) about humans (we are weak and fallible). It says almost nothing about God or His Word, to look at how people act within their “religions”. Except that the Bible itself clearly talks about coming divisions/disagreements, even among Christians. Then you cannot get past Acts in the bible, till you start seeing these predicted divisions in the church come true. Sadly, looking at how Christians act toward one another is not really the best way to test whether what its Guidebook is saying is true. But I’m sure that’s true of other “religions” as well.

The difference and comparison that could be made between Christianity versus Islam, for example, is the Bible clearly predicted that sort of thing from the get go. Yet Islam likes to see itself as totally unified in its doctrines/worship because it’s guidebook says that is the way things will be. It’s ridiculous to predict humans will ever “get along” perfectly. I don’t even “get along” with myself at times.

If you wanted to jump to and just stick with discussiions with the person you mentioned on the most important things the Bible teaches about those most important questions I listed, I’d just stick with what it teaches about Jesus. Kind of hard to go wrong with that. You are much less likely to get taken off into tangents and unimportant “stuff”, but still possible (JW, LDS, etc.)

 

[Sparkey]

When it comes down to simple it is simple.

Those who do good are good. It's like that. We know because of the fruits and that takes a very patient eye and much understanding. Simple isn't always easy. I don't make apologies for the love that is given. But that plan of God? You know the one: His Only Begotten Son given. The Trade for our shame and our un-right acts --> traded, taken from us in exchange and then? Our free gift? There is no longer any need for an appeal for a right conscious before the Holy One, the Only Holy. That is our first act. While we join into His death and are forgiven, cleansed and pure. Then comes the power to become Sons of God in truth.

Then comes the light and the fuller understanding and then comes the hope. There is established from the beginning -- that which we call our end, our reward. The path is clear and well made. Solid. Love God first, love others as self.

What may we call this plan? There is only one word: "Godly".

~Sparrow

 

[mondar]

I posted this on another forum, but as always I want to maximize my replies.
So I was talking to someone, someone fairly open minded, but they kept bringing up the '' what makes your religion right, and other religions wrong'' argument, I brought up basic arguments against muslims, but what do you say to that?
I honestly didn't really know what to say.

tagan, the post modern mind has a major issue with the concept of truth, or "Right and wrong." If you start with a materialistic philosophy, then truth is nothing but a chemical reaction in the brain. What makes one chemical reaction better then the other one. In the end, truth is relative and subjective. This is why we can have psychological truth, sociological truth, anthropological truth (and they all can be contradictory) in our universities. In the materialistic and humanistic philosophy of our age all religions are equal and there is no right and wrong.

Of course the scriptures are clear when Jesus said "I am the way, the truth..." When God is taken out of a philosophy of life, the concept of truth will always degenerate into something subjective and relative. This is why Pilate could ask "what is truth." This western tendency of making all religions equal, and have their own truth is of course self defeating. How can they even know that truth is subjective and relative? The proposition "all truth is subjective and relative" but be understood in objective and concrete terms. So the world must borrow from a christian concept of truth to even express their own so called "truth."

The problem is that if you answer the question posed to you, the person asking the question will always reject your answer. The reason he will reject your answer is that he is starting with a philosophy of life that has materialistic presuppositions. The problem is not that truth is subjective and relative (as your questioner assumes). The problem is his rebellion against the God of truth itself. The problem is not that truth is not clear to this questioner, but the problem is that he is suppressing the truth. Let me go through Romans 1 to demonstrate what I think this person that questioned you is doing.

Romans 118 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hinder the truth in unrighteousness;
The scripture clearly teaches that sufficient evidence of the truth is placed into creation for men to know there is a right and wrong, and that there is truth. This is stated after verse 18.
Romans 119 because that which is known of God is manifest in them; for God manifested it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, ......
Notice that God manifest himself in creation. This manifestation of God in creation is clearly seen. One might ask why then are there atheists? My answer is that Atheists are there because of human ability to suppress the truth that God put into creation. This is what your questioner is doing.

So then, the point you should be making is not that your religion is correct, but to attack his presupposition that truth is relative. The evidence is already present in creation for him to see. He or she is rejecting and suppressing that evidence.

To state how I would answer your questioner... I would ask him or her what criteria does she or he accept as a demonstrate that one religion is right and another is wrong! Ask him or her, "what evidence will you accept that would demonstrate that christianity is true?

Again, the issue is not evidence, but the issue is the presuppositional basis that the person uses to hinder the truth in unrighteousness.

 

[WIP]

To state how I would answer your questioner... I would ask him or her what criteria does she or he accept as a demonstrate that one religion is right and another is wrong! Ask him or her, "what evidence will you accept that would demonstrate that christianity is true?

That's an interesting perspective. In the end we believe it by faith. There is nothing we can tell a non-believer that will ultimately convince them of the truth. All we can do is plant the seed and allow the Holy Spirit to take it from there. Until that happens, their eyes and ears will be closed.

 

[th1b.taylor]

tagan,
There are two forms of Christianity, relationship and religion. Those of us that are religious will go to Hell! Those of us that live with and by the guidance and continuing forgiveness of the Holy Spirit will go to Heaven. Any Religion, including mine, Baptist, will get a body into Hell making all religions equal.

So, boiled down, there is no real difference, in substance, in any religions. Just give that truth and there is no argument, live that truth and I'll meet you when we go home. Also, live that way and be considered peculiar God Bless, brother..

 

[Free]

I posted this on another forum, but as always I want to maximize my replies.
So I was talking to someone, someone fairly open minded, but they kept bringing up the '' what makes your religion right, and other religions wrong'' argument, I brought up basic arguments against muslims, but what do you say to that?
I honestly didn't really know what to say.

Tell them that not all religions can be right and that due to the irreconcilable differences in core beliefs between them, it is likely either none are right or only one is right. Of course it is implied that this person isn't a Christian. So I would then have asked them why they thought Christianity was wrong. If they thought it is was right, or that nothing was wrong with it, then why wouldn't they believe it?

Regardless of what other belief system they hold to, they have rejected Christianity--and likely many other belief systems as well--at some level, through making certain judgments regarding other belief systems. They have to answer the same question about their beliefs.

Then go into the resurrection of Jesus. From what I heard at an apologetics conference earlier this year, Christianity is the only religion (perhaps the only major religion) which gives something testable, something by which to determine whether or not it is true:

1 Cor 15:12-20, 12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (ESV)

This is a huge deal since Paul makes it clear that if Jesus didn't rise from the dead, our faith is useless, and the entire Christian belief system turns to dust. This will naturally lead into the truth of Scripture and such, which others have addressed already. But this alone should really give this other person something to think about.

 

[Deborah13]

All religions, in some form or other, demand good works as a way to be saved.
Christianity is the only one where salvation is a free gift from God.
I find this a good starting point in any conversation.

This is exactly why I believe that Christianity is different from all other religions.
All other religions that I know of, make it all about me/you and what we do.
Christianity is about what Jesus did in His life and at the cross and His resurrection.
We have a God who loves so much that He came to earth and died for us.

Natural man has a tendency to be about self and his own life, he also wants to be an achiever and say," I did this, look at me!"
Christianity says, look at Jesus, He is your salvation!

 

[Ryan]

I work on the native reserves, and yesterday there was a funeral for an individual who was killed in a car crash. At the building I work at I went to the cafeteria to get some food. There was an older lady staring me down as I got closer to her. The lady explained the cafeteria was closed due to the funeral and the cooks serving food after the funeral. She explained it is common during times of grief in their culture to fellowship with food as it brings people together. I said "amen" to that and she in a very cold and condescending voice, "This is NOT a Christian thing." I immediately told her that was OK as I wasn't a Christian. I went on to clarify that yes I still believe in Jesus, and if you were to call me a Christian, I would not be offended.

The point is, when I said no to being a Christian, I said it in the context of the native perception of Christianity. The white, land stealing tyrants who raped and pillaged their children and forced their religion onto them. And in a lot of respects, she is absolutely correct. How can I defend Christianity with a sometimes terrible track record over the last 2 millenium? I also made it very clear Christianity has done amazing things as well bringing the message of Christ crucified and resurrected to the world. I tend to follow Messianic Jewish teachings, but even then, the bible is an open book for the world to see the many shortcomings of Israel and the Jewish people. How can I even defend even a group of people that largely have still rejected the Risen King?

The only thing I can defend is the Bible and my God when he said he so loved the world he gave his only begotten Son. The only thing I can defend is God and His infinite love for all mankind. The only thing I can defend is that He reaches out to all people irregardless of age, sex, race, color and will shower His living waters upon all who call upon His Holy Name. The only thing I can defend is the God who instructed me to love ALL people and show compassion and mercy to all irregardless of age, sex, race, color.

Jesus doesn't just dwell with those who call themselves Christians. I never once heard Jesus rail against the Pharisees and Saduccees for what they called themselves. Only on their false doctrine. Even Paul still through his lifetime considered himself a Pharisee even though that were Jesus's main opponents in the day.

In the end, this lady wants to meet again so she can hear more about this God in the bible, not an organization or movement that is largely split and fractured and had done injustice to her people at times.

 

[Rollo Tamasi]

Amen Ryan, great reply!

 

[th1b.taylor]

I work on the native reserves, and yesterday there was a funeral for an individual who was killed in a car crash. At the building I work at I went to the cafeteria to get some food. There was an older lady staring me down as I got closer to her. The lady explained the cafeteria was closed due to the funeral and the cooks serving food after the funeral. She explained it is common during times of grief in their culture to fellowship with food as it brings people together. I said "amen" to that and she in a very cold and condescending voice, "This is NOT a Christian thing." I immediately told her that was OK as I wasn't a Christian. I went on to clarify that yes I still believe in Jesus, and if you were to call me a Christian, I would not be offended.

The point is, when I said no to being a Christian, I said it in the context of the native perception of Christianity. The white, land stealing tyrants who raped and pillaged their children and forced their religion onto them. And in a lot of respects, she is absolutely correct. How can I defend Christianity with a sometimes terrible track record over the last 2 millenium? I also made it very clear Christianity has done amazing things as well bringing the message of Christ crucified and resurrected to the world. I tend to follow Messianic Jewish teachings, but even then, the bible is an open book for the world to see the many shortcomings of Israel and the Jewish people. How can I even defend even a group of people that largely have still rejected the Risen King?

The only thing I can defend is the Bible and my God when he said he so loved the world he gave his only begotten Son. The only thing I can defend is God and His infinite love for all mankind. The only thing I can defend is that He reaches out to all people irregardless of age, sex, race, color and will shower His living waters upon all who call upon His Holy Name. The only thing I can defend is the God who instructed me to love ALL people and show compassion and mercy to all irregardless of age, sex, race, color.

Jesus doesn't just dwell with those who call themselves Christians. I never once heard Jesus rail against the Pharisees and Saduccees for what they called themselves. Only on their false doctrine. Even Paul still through his lifetime considered himself a Pharisee even though that were Jesus's main opponents in the day.

In the end, this lady wants to meet again so she can hear more about this God in the bible, not an organization or movement that is largely split and fractured and had done injustice to her people at times.

You sound like my new Pastor and myself. I go to a Baptist Church to gather together with other, like minded, people but I am not a Baptist, I'm a Christian and Christianity is not my religion, that's Baptist. I am a Christian because I do my best to live like Jesus did. I fail and repent, far, to much but I am determined to stop quenching the Spirit and walk closer to Him today.

God bless, my Brother. Oh, I be half breed and my grandpa on that side is Sierra.

 

[Vaccine]

I posted this on another forum, but as always I want to maximize my replies.
So I was talking to someone, someone fairly open minded, but they kept bringing up the '' what makes your religion right, and other religions wrong'' argument, I brought up basic arguments against muslims, but what do you say to that?
I honestly didn't really know what to say.

To me what puts Christianity above the rest is Jesus, prophecy and divine inspiration. The bible is just full of examples of knowing what is going to happen in the future!
-I don't remember who said it first but Budda, Confucius, Mohammed are all in their graves, Jesus tomb is empty.
-The whole OT was found among the dead sea scrolls, but as far as prophecy, Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 stand out to me. No other religion that I know of has that kind of divine inspiration.
-To a lesser extent, there are many examples of things like Job mentioning the springs and valleys in the sea long before any submarines, behemouths are mentioned (The word Dinosaur wasn't invented until 1859), ecc. mentions water returning to the clouds long before anyone figured out the water cycle, many laws in Deut. and Lev are specific ways to avoid diseases from washing hands if you have a runny nose, not even with the "tip of your finger" touching a dead body, having to break a clay jar that had blood in it but scouring a bronze one is acceptable. The Jews practiced quarantining people and clothing thousands of years before anyone else. Some may say these are good guesses, common sense or trial and error, but to me finding out that when a dead animal touches wet seed, the seed must be destroyed, whereas dry seed is OK, and the clay/bronze jar thing requires advanced scientific knowledge or divine inspiration. This was all done thousands of years BC, while germ theory is only a few hundred years old. Muslims seem to think a vague reference to 1000 lunar years has something to do with the speed of light, but the Jewish laws were extremely specific about being clean, the tip of the finger, # of days for quarantine, specific symptoms to look for, what had to be burned, where things had to be buried,etc.

 

[tagan]

Thanks, you all have very great responses.
I was pointing out truths in the bible, for example, the precipitation going back up into the clouds, etc, and they would not have known that back then. He then pointed out that if all animals came from 1 group of parents ( 2 animals of each species) or two of the first people, it goes against what we know of biology, of inbreeding, and the health problems it causes.

This is why we can have psychological truth, sociological truth, anthropological truth (and they all can be contradictory) in our universities.

I agree, but can you give me an example?

 

[th1b.taylor]

Thanks, you all have very great responses.
I was pointing out truths in the bible, for example, the precipitation going back up into the clouds, etc, and they would not have known that back then. He then pointed out that if all animals came from 1 group of parents ( 2 animals of each species) or two of the first people, it goes against what we know of biology, of inbreeding, and the health problems it causes

This is where a copy of the Nave's Topical Bible is good to have. If you download a copy of e-Sword at e-sword.net you can also install the Nave's, all free.

Remind him that faith is key to all religions but that faith is rewarded to all true believers and friends/followers of Jesus with direct relationship. Key to this problem is the Creation as told in Genesis. God created man, woman and every one of the animals from the dirt He created. There is no limit in omnipotence and the definition of this word is God.

The remind him that God created one man and one woman and before sin there were no diseases and no death. As the Children of Adam and Eve grew they needed wives and husbands and all there was is their sisters and brothers to couple with. God did not forbid and curse intermarriage for several thousand years. And ask him, "This being true, can you imagine that God were so weak and restrained that He could not micro manage people and the animals to the point we are today?"

Add to that the truth found in the Flood Story is that the only animals, including people, that were found only in one pair, were the unclean/undesirable critters. All of the clean animals were loaded in seven pairs each. And when he comes back that Noah could never have fed them all for the entire journey, remind him of God omnipotence.

 

[mondar]

Thanks, you all have very great responses.
I was pointing out truths in the bible, for example, the precipitation going back up into the clouds, etc, and they would not have known that back then. He then pointed out that if all animals came from 1 group of parents ( 2 animals of each species) or two of the first people, it goes against what we know of biology, of inbreeding, and the health problems it causes.


I agree, but can you give me an example?

Well, take the field of psychology. Now I do not have that an advanced degree in psychology, so maybe I am talking a little over my head. Nevertheless, there are many many therapeutic methodologies. Take for instance in some Drug and Alcohol therapies, they focus on bringing the person to recognize their addiction. Some methodologies are very directive. Others are more passive. There was once a psychologist named Carl Rogers who talked about listening, and not being directive.

Or I have read stuff in Physics. I only ever had a high school course in physics. Yet I read that there are differences between relativity and quantum mechanics. Just raise the subject of gravity. I read physicists saying relativity works well on the macro level and quantum mechanics works well on the micro level. I do not understand much about quantum mechanics, but I have heard that there is no unified theory of matter.

 

[TheCurseoftheRodain]

Unless the Holy Spirit gives me something specific, when someone asks that question, I will ask them why DON'T you believe Jesus is the Truth? What reason or reasons specifically? Usually they can't give me an example, but if they do, it's shot down in about 20 seconds with Word. Occasionally I encounter a person who has led themselves into self-deception and they cannot be reasoned with, and then all you can do is pray because they are unwilling, and then move on.
I also will ask them what makes them a particular "religion" is true? What specifically, according to the original writings of the founder?

Putting the questions back on them, just simply flipping the questions typically will open the door to the root of the issue (someone who claimed to know God did or did not do something that affected this person negatively).

 

[By Grace]

I posted this on another forum, but as always I want to maximize my replies.
So I was talking to someone, someone fairly open minded, but they kept bringing up the '' what makes your religion right, and other religions wrong'' argument, I brought up basic arguments against muslims, but what do you say to that?
I honestly didn't really know what to say.

How about this?

In the world, there are only TWO different religions: works and grace.

In EVERY religion, excepting Christianity, there is one way to get to "heaven" or the "hereafter" and that is like the older tv commercial for an investment company. You EARN it. Of course all the works differ in each religion which works merit eternal life, and that shoots a great big hole in the law of non- contradiction if all religions are alike in the supposed belief that they will all get the adherents to the same sort of heaven.
.
In stark contrast is Christianity, and that is because Christianity is all of grace and nothing of works. We are saved by grace alone, and there is nothing that puny humans can take ourselves out of the hands of God. In Isaiah 49:16, God says that we are tattooed on the palms of God.

Isaiah 49:16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.​

Christianity is also relational, in stark contrast to avery other religion. Other religions have mankind ascending to the heavens to please a distant, impersonal and capricious deity. Because we are tattooed on the hands of God, He is relational. Christianity also differs in the fact that God became incarnate, and Jesus took upon Himself a second, and fully human nature,and became our sin-bearer.

No other religion can compare with what this says:

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:​

Simply take your friend to this section of Scripture, and have him read it aloud. then ask him or her if Buddhism or Islam has anything like this. Of course not! You see the elements of apologetics are that you explain who Jesus is, what He did, and how that affected your life. then you leave the results to Holy spirit because you sewed a seed that will have eternal results.

 

[Truth Sailor]

If you don't mind, I'll give the argument that I would use.


Now people may say, "You can't prove that the Bible is true by looking into the Bible." Well, I got this off the Internet: "How can you prove the President lives in the White House except by looking into the White House?"


Blessings!

I wish I would have noticed this thread before I started a new one! I have many questions pertaining to this subject. I do not currently practice a religion or know enough to form a belief in God, but I am very open to being convinced by what you know and accept Christianity. I have a 4 year old son, and one day he is going to ask me questions about God. The same questions I have always had. I want to make sure I am able to give him informed answers. I have a Bible, and a Quran. I have been eagerly trying to learn as much as I can about all religions in order to ensure that I have given all possibilities a thoruough investigation before telling my son something that I don't know is actually true.

I have questions of a similar to the example you've provided above, but I'm afraid the response was not helpful in reconciling them. Please do not mistake my questions as being anything more than an honest examination in search for truth.


Can the president be in two different white houses at the same time?

Can I be sure that what I find in The Bible is the right God because it says so in The Bible? It doesn't seem so, since the same line of reasoning could apply to finding Allah in the Quran, yet the two are incompatible when examining the texts. This is one of the biggest difficulties I've encountered upon beginning my search for truth.

Mohammad declares Jesus a false prophet and says that The Quran is the divine word of Allah. But both cannot be true, and looking to the texts only makes it apparent that they are incompatible.

If my son were to raise this objection to me, how can I reconcile it with reason?