# How could one POSSIBLY believe that his/her chosen religion is the only true one? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 6, 2003, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-one-possibly-believe-that-his-her-chosen-religion-is-the-only-true-one/193384 "2003-08-06T18:35:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![godzillatemple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-one-possibly-believe-that-his-her-chosen-religion-is-the-only-true-one/193384/21 "2003-08-06T22:16:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bo989 \* > \*\*Can we please aknowledge the difference between science and religion. Science is based on EVIDENCE and LOGIC. Religion is not. \*\* Well, that’s not technically true. Man sees the sun going across the sky and reasons that the only logical explanation for such a thing is that it is being pulled across the sky by a chariot with a team of horses. Chariots do not steer themselves, so there must logically be some heavenly being behind the reins. Let’s call him “Hyperion” for the sake of argument, although “Sun God” would work as well… Seriously, though, much of religion was originally an attempt to explain the observed world and not simply a way to trick people into behaving a certain way. As such, it _was_ based on evidence and logic. The problem with logic, however, is that a conclusion can be perfectly valid yet completely false if the premises that led to that conclusion are also false. In fact, much of what we today call “the scientific method” was developed by devout believers in religion as a way of justifying their religious beliefs. Regards, Barry ---
**Author:** ![Freyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freyr/32/5763_2.png) [@Freyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freyr)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-one-possibly-believe-that-his-her-chosen-religion-is-the-only-true-one/193384/22 "2003-08-06T23:34:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Svt4Him \* > **It has been well said that “religion” is man’s way of trying to deal with his guilt. Different religions have different ways of attempting to rid their adherents of sin and its consequences. They fast, pray, deny themselves legitimate pleasures, or chasten themselves, often to a point of inflicting pain. They do this because they have a concept of what they think God (or “the gods”) is like, so they seek to establish their own righteousness, being "ignorant of God’s righteousness."** I love it when Fundamentalists say this, the irony is so delicious. \*\* > [@](#): > > The Good News of the Christian faith is that no one need suffer the pains of religious works. Christ’s blood can cleanse our conscience from the “dead works” of religion (Hebrews 9:14). Jesus took our punishment upon Himself, and He is the only One who can save us from sin and death. See Acts 4:12 and John 14:6. \*\* Do yourself and us a favor, **Svt4Him** , read a book on comparative religion before spouting off again, okay? Try Huston Smith’s _The World’s Religions_ (1991). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-one-possibly-believe-that-his-her-chosen-religion-is-the-only-true-one/193384/23 "2003-08-07T00:27:29Z")
**godzillatemple** made some very good points. Anyone who thinks religion can’t be logic-based maybe ought to read some Thomas Aquinas. It’s worth pointing out that logic can’t tell you what’s true; it can only tell you what _else_ is true. You have to start with some unproved axioms. If people have different beliefs, they’re not necessarily illogical; they may just be starting from different initial assumptions. One could turn the OP’s question around and ask, Why would you follow a religion that you _didn’t_ believe was true (or at least the truest you could find, in the sense of being the closest possible reflection of Reality)? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-one-possibly-believe-that-his-her-chosen-religion-is-the-only-true-one/193384/24 "2003-08-07T00:35:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bo989 \* > I’ve been feeling mounting frustration towards the Christian and Catholic religions… A bit nitpicky, but since this has come up recently I’ll just note that the above phrasing perpetuates a misapprehension. Catholicism is a subset of Christianity, not a separate religion. i.e. the correct phrasing should be, “I’ve been feeling mounting frustration towards the Christian religion…” Religion, singular. Unless your beef is with the Catholic church in particular, in which case you can substitute “Catholicism” for “Christian religion”. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![TVAA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TVAA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVAA)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-one-possibly-believe-that-his-her-chosen-religion-is-the-only-true-one/193384/25 "2003-08-07T00:55:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Libertarian \* > \*\*What you say is true of certain first order logic systems, but is not necessarily true generally. For example, Einstein’s work did not render Newton’s theories false, but merely incomplete. \*\* Just because Newton’s theories don’t give anything near the right answers doesn’t make them false. Of course. Wait for it – here it comes – :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![godzillatemple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-one-possibly-believe-that-his-her-chosen-religion-is-the-only-true-one/193384/26 "2003-08-07T01:10:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Thudlow Boink \* > **godzillatemple made some very good points.** Hey, it was _bound_ to happen eventually. Laws of probability, infinite universe and all that… 😉 Barry ---
**Author:** ![bo989](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@bo989](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bo989)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-one-possibly-believe-that-his-her-chosen-religion-is-the-only-true-one/193384/27 "2003-08-07T02:21:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tamerlane \* > \*\*A bit nitpicky, but since this has come up recently I’ll just note that the above phrasing perpetuates a misapprehension. Catholicism is a subset of Christianity, not a separate religion. > > i.e. the correct phrasing should be, “I’ve been feeling mounting frustration towards the Christian religion…” Religion, singular. Unless your beef is with the Catholic church in particular, in which case you can substitute “Catholicism” for “Christian religion”. > > - Tamerlane \*\* Correction noted and appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![bo989](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@bo989](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bo989)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-one-possibly-believe-that-his-her-chosen-religion-is-the-only-true-one/193384/28 "2003-08-07T02:23:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Thudlow Boink \* > \*\*One could turn the OP’s question around and ask, Why would you follow a religion that you _didn’t_ believe was true (or at least the truest you could find, in the sense of being the closest possible reflection of Reality)? \*\* My answer to this question is that they should drop the religion. Not spirituality in general, but definitely the religion. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-one-possibly-believe-that-his-her-chosen-religion-is-the-only-true-one/193384/29 "2003-08-07T04:12:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TVAA \* > \*\*\*\* Just because Newton’s theories don’t give anything near the right answers doesn’t make them false. Of course. > > Wait for it – here it comes – > > :rolleyes: \*\* 😕 Nowhere near the right answers? You have to be dealing with speeds over 40,000m/s just to get a difference of 1% between Einstein’s equations and Newton’s. For objects moving at the more human-level speed of 100m/s, Newton differs from Einstein by only 0.00005%. Nowhere near, indeed. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![TVAA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TVAA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVAA)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-one-possibly-believe-that-his-her-chosen-religion-is-the-only-true-one/193384/30 "2003-08-07T04:21:11Z")
Quite right. At normal speeds, the differences between the theories are less than our measurement error. There are subtle and signficant differences in some cases. Without an understanding of Relativity, our satellite systems wouldn’t work properly due to time dilation. Particle accelerators couldn’t function… At high speeds, though, Newton’s and Einstein’s theories give completely different results. Newton’s are nothing like the universe we see, while Einstein’s match pretty darn well. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-one-possibly-believe-that-his-her-chosen-religion-is-the-only-true-one/193384/31 "2003-08-07T04:23:16Z")
Luck, maybe? I’m desperately trying to find a fab JS Mill quote that would be perfect for this subject, something he said about a man having the good sense to know that what makes him a Rabbi in Israel (and I’m just using examples) would just as easily make him a priest in Italy (I’m totally screwing it up. That’s why I use quotes, I guess). ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-one-possibly-believe-that-his-her-chosen-religion-is-the-only-true-one/193384/32 "2003-08-07T04:51:50Z")
**Svt4Him** – Doesn’t _Thou shalt not steal_ apply to the written words of others? The comments which you have posted under your name are from this website: [http://www.worldoutreach.ca/witnessingtool/whyaretheresomanyreligions.shtml](http://www.worldoutreach.ca/witnessingtool/whyaretheresomanyreligions.shtml) Are you so unable to speak of your own faith that you have to copy and paste someone else’s words? **bo989** , not all Christians believe that they have a monopoly on truth. ---
**Author:** ![bo989](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@bo989](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bo989)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-one-possibly-believe-that-his-her-chosen-religion-is-the-only-true-one/193384/33 "2003-08-07T05:25:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zoe \* > \*\ ***Svt4Him** – Doesn’t _Thou shalt not steal_ apply to the written words of others? The comments which you have posted under your name are from this website: > > [http://www.worldoutreach.ca/witnessingtool/whyaretheresomanyreligions.shtml](http://www.worldoutreach.ca/witnessingtool/whyaretheresomanyreligions.shtml) > > Are you so unable to speak of your own faith that you have to copy and paste someone else’s words? > > **bo989** , not all Christians believe that they have a monopoly on truth. \*\* So what do these other Christian’s believe. They must believe in the core tennets, such as the existence of Jesus christ, right? Or else they wouldn’t be Christians. Even this belief baffles me. What about Vishnu or Mohammed or the countless other historical/religious figures mentioned in other texts? Where do they come in in the Christian faith? ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-one-possibly-believe-that-his-her-chosen-religion-is-the-only-true-one/193384/34 "2003-08-07T06:09:56Z")
> [@](#): > > So what do these other Christian’s believe. They must believe in the core tennets, such as the existence of Jesus christ, right? Or else they wouldn’t be Christians. Even this belief baffles me. What about Vishnu or Mohammed or the countless other historical/religious figures mentioned in other texts? Where do they come in in the Christian faith? There are probably as many answers for that as their are Christians. Yes, there is a least one core belief – that Jesus Christ walked this earth. AFAIK, all Christians believe that. They may differ on almost everything else and still refer to themselves as Christians. I would think that a great majority of Christians believe that Jesus was a great teacher sent by God. In my own belief, all paths lead to being One with God. The world’s great religions have much in common. I think that we should draw on that rather than emphasize the differences. ---
**Author:** ![Cholo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@Cholo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cholo)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-one-possibly-believe-that-his-her-chosen-religion-is-the-only-true-one/193384/35 "2003-08-07T06:23:59Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Zoe \* > \*\* I would think that a great majority of Christians believe that Jesus was a great teacher sent by God._\* I don’t think that’s true at all. The great majority of Christians believe that Jesus is the son of God who was crucified to shed his blood for the world’s sins and was resurrected. To state the majority of Christians think he was simply a “great teacher” is nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![godzillatemple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-one-possibly-believe-that-his-her-chosen-religion-is-the-only-true-one/193384/36 "2003-08-07T11:10:19Z")
Some “Christians” believe that the Bible (well, the New Testament at least) is the inerrant word of God and that everything contained therein is literally the “gospel truth.” Some “Christians” believe that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, that he died for our sins, and that only through him can we be saved. At the same time, however, they reject much that is in the Bible as inapplicable to our day or even the result of mistranslations and/or deliberate alterations. Some “Christians” know absolutely nothing about what Christ taught, and simply believe that the act of “letting Jesus into your heart” is enough to guaranty eternal salvation. Some “Christians” believe that Christ was a great teacher who provided some wonderful principals to live by, but that’s all. Some “Christians” believe the entire Bible is basically an allegory and are not even convinced that there was such a person as Jesus or that, if there was such a person, that he said or did all the things ascribed to him. They do, however, think that the teachings of Christianity are good and worthwhile. And. of course, some “Christians” don’t believe a word of it and don’t live according to Christian principals, but still identify themselves as “Christians” because that’s how they were raised. Notice, BTW, that I am not necessarily referring to different denominations of Christian faiths here, simply what individual people who claim to be “Christians” say they believe when asked. And yes, I have asked. Barry ---
**Author:** ![sghoul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@sghoul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sghoul)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-one-possibly-believe-that-his-her-chosen-religion-is-the-only-true-one/193384/37 "2003-08-07T11:37:13Z")
I think the crux of this is that bo989 doesn’t believe in the various religious beliefs. As such, he wishes they would stop. Sounds to me like he is falling into the same behavior he seems to dislike from religious types: believing that his beliefs are true and that others are false. I am currently reading “Thre Science of Discworld” by Terry Pratchett. It uses his fictional discworld to teach about science in our world. In one chapter it is pointed out that throughout history, logic and observation have lead us wrong. We are constantly finding correction and addendumns to things science holds as “truth”. As for religious beliefs not being based on observation or logic, for many it is. They have had experiences that they can see no other explanation that God’s hand, and in their own minds, their belief system is perfectly logical. Sure those experiences may not be universal, but few things are. I doubt anything we say here will sway bo989 much. He didn’t come here to debate, but had an axe to grind. Nothing wrong with that, but perhaps your OP should reflect your true motives. ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-one-possibly-believe-that-his-her-chosen-religion-is-the-only-true-one/193384/38 "2003-08-07T12:21:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bo989 \* > \*\*Can we please aknowledge the difference between science and religion. Science is based on EVIDENCE and LOGIC. Religion is not. \*\* If only it were that simple - people still have to interpret the evidence, and the conclusions they draw can be vastly different. Consider for a minute, the current debate (in the UK at least) over the possible heath risks associated with [the MMR vacine](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/health/2002/mmr_debate/), [radio towers](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2514873.stm) and [pesticides](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2952177.stm). There is plenty of research done into all three, and yet the controversy rages on… Grim ---
**Author:** ![bo989](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@bo989](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bo989)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-one-possibly-believe-that-his-her-chosen-religion-is-the-only-true-one/193384/39 "2003-08-07T16:12:52Z")
sghoul, you’ve partially got my number. I’m not religious. And I think that point should have been clear to anyone reading my OP. But perhaps I should have stated it more explicitly. Even if I did believe in a higher power, I would likely still wonder how someone could believe in the Bible and not the Koran. (Its now been made clear to me that not all Christian’s believe the bible as anything more than an allegory and I accept that. But many put far more stock in the Bible and its stories). As for the experiences you refer to, that demonstrate God at work, I acknowledged these in earlier posts. However, I do not see how one can have these experiences and conclude that they are experiencing the Christian God at work or that they feel Christ in their hearts. Why do these experiences not similarily validate the other religions? Re: Science. Science isn’t perfect, and often doesn’t lead to the same conclusion, because human beings are imperfect and not computers. That being the case, science is always progressing towards the right answers (even though sometimes it might be one step forward and two steps backwards). Religion on the other hand is for the large part static, and instead of reevaluating its basic tennents based on current evidence, it clings to the past. So I really do think we should stop comparing religion and science and stop treating them as they are similar belief structures. ---
**Author:** ![TVAA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TVAA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVAA)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-one-possibly-believe-that-his-her-chosen-religion-is-the-only-true-one/193384/40 "2003-08-07T16:39:32Z")
Re: How could one POSSIBLY believe that his/her chosen religion is the only true one? I think you’re underestimating the idiocy of humanity. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-one-possibly-believe-that-his-her-chosen-religion-is-the-only-true-one/193384.md?page=1)