Is Christianity Intolerant?

The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal life, and any belief system that does not worship Him as God-in-the-flesh is a counterfeit that cannot save. To many people, that may sound intolerant. After all, why would a loving God make the way of salvation so narrow?

Jesus Christ Himself claimed to be the only way to God. He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NIV). His followers were also convinced that He was the only way (Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 John 5:10-12). That leaves us with only two possibilities: either Jesus is the only way or He is no way at all! Either He was right or He was wrong! If He was wrong (when He said that He was the only way), then He had to be a liar or a lunatic! There is absolutely no room in the Bible for the idea that Jesus shares His divine glory with Buddha, Mohammed, Krishna, Zoroaster, Lao-Tze, or Bah’u’allah!

If anyone believes that this concept makes God seem “unloving,” then he should ask himself why a loving God would invent so many belief systems that contradict each other, knowing that it would result in religious wars between Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and Baha’is killing each other over their religious beliefs. If all religions point to the same God, then not only is God illogical, He is unloving!

Moreover, truth is narrow by nature. Two plus two equals four--not five, not three--only four! A molecule that consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom is a water molecule (H2O). But if just one more oxygen atom is added to that molecule, it becomes hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). There seems to be such a small difference between H2O and H2O2 on paper, but their physical properties are extremely different! Would you ever drink a glass of hydrogen peroxide? Would you ever swim in a pool filled with hydrogen peroxide? Would you be narrow-minded and intolerant if you said, "No way"?

This is not to say that non-Christian faiths have nothing worthwhile to offer. Mormons and Muslims may be known for their commitment to strong families and modesty. (Is it any wonder why their numbers are growing so rapidly?) Orthodox Jews and Hindus may be known somewhat for their health and longevity, due in part to their dietary standards. (Is it any wonder why so many licensed M.D.'s are either Hindu or Jewish?) One need not be a Christian to be a moral, productive member of society. But according to the Bible, a person's right-standing with God has nothing to do with his education, his productivity, or even his morals (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:10-12). The problem with these and other non-Christian belief systems is they all point to a counterfeit Jesus (Matthew 24:24-25; Mark 13:22-23) or they ignore Him altogether (1 John 2:22-23). That's why they can never get a person into heaven.

It is not fair to charge the gospel of Jesus Christ with intolerance or narrow-mindedness whenever it insists that Jesus is the only way to God. Most Christians tolerate all faiths in one sense: we respect everyone’s right to freedom of religion. Many of us (including myself) abhor the thought of a Christian theocracy in the here and now. For those reasons, Christianity is not intolerant.