Are All the Major World Religions are True?

Are all the major world religions are true? Do all religions work? Let’s look at three reasons people use to make these truth claims.

1. By the definition of most religions god is an infinite being that means an infinite being should be able to express itself in an infinite number of ways and be reached through an infinite number of ways. To limit an unlimited being to this or that religion is therefore a theological mistake.

2. If we are to judge a tree we should judge it by its fruits. Now all the major world religions have created innumerable saints and mystics and teachers who have inspired people, inspire people today and continue to inspire people. These saints of all the major world religions are paragons of virtue and charity and service.

3. The practices of all the major religions are for the most part the same: meditation, devotional, prayer, contemplation of spiritual philosophy and selfless service of other human beings. If the practices are the same, the destination is the same too.

Now let’s take a closer look at the problems with these three reasons. There is a fundamental flaw.  Let's briefly look at each. 

1. To argue from an infinite god to an infinite number of ways to reach god. Now when theologians say God is infinite they mean certain attributes of God are without limit. They're using the word as a qualitative concept. However, when people say that there's an infinite number of ways to reach god they’re using infinite as a quantitative concept so the first reason relies on an equivocation of the word infinite. This is called the fallacy of equivocation.

2. What about the claim that all the major world religions have produced morally noble people? Here’s the problem with this. It falsely assumes they all agree on what it means to be a moral person. After all a saint in Hinduism is an idolater in Christianity. A saint in Christianity commits the unforgivable sin in Islam - the sin of shirk. Here's the point good fruit of one religion may turn out to be bad fruit in another religion.

3. What about the claim that the practice of all the religions are generally the same and since the practices are the same the outcomes are the same also? This is demonstrably false. For example, having sex with your wife and having sex with your neighbor's wife may be the same practice but there is a totally different moral outcome. Likewise praying and sacrificing to the true God and praying and sacrificing to idols may look the same but the moral outcome is totally different. Worshiping and serving a false god is spiritual adultery. Saying that all the world religions are basically the same is like saying aspirin and arsenic are basically the same because they both come in tablet form. Sure there are some superficial similarities but there are fundamental differences and when you have a headache it's the differences that matter