The pope declared to Muslims that “faith in God unifies us.” He wrote that “Catholics, Muslims, and people of all faiths must work together to promote unity, respect, and an “awareness of the great divine grace that makes all human beings brothers and sisters,” calling “pluralism” the “will of God.”
But Catholics and Islamics aren’t the only ones. Progressive mainline Protestants have set aside doctrinal integrity for years, making social justice their gospel allowing them to work with anyone who stands on the same principles of inclusiveness in their circles.
The Southern Baptist Convention has drifted into a pluralistic scheme over the last few years as well, under Russell Moore, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission head.
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But this religious pluralism is not something we should, as Christians, be fighting for. The Scriptures know nothing of “religious diversity” except that it is the very act of spiritual whoredom. It is certainly not divinely inspired. From a Christian standpoint, we are called to call people out of false religions.
God hates other religions. The very first commandment makes this absolutely clear, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,” and Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Should Christians be fighting to work together with other religions? Should we be working with them on social issues? Well, if the Church is caught up in the social justice zeitgeist of this age, then you really can’t argue against it. Sadly, this is where the majority of the professing church has landed. But the reality is, we should hate other religions. And I mean, hate them with a passion. If God hates it, why are we okay with it? These are other religions that send people to Hell — in droves.
— Jeff Maples, Reformation Charlotte, God Hates Religious Diversity, February 18, 2022
Bruce Gerencser, 66, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 45 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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Oh why oh why do so many Evangelicals promote religious hatred of other religions, Progressive Christianity, agnosticism and atheism?
Why don’t they notice the plurailty of viewpoints in the bible? Why do they either ignore, or try to justify, the texts of terror that are there in the bible?
To oppose religious pluralism might be more faithful to the biblical text if it was actually divinely inspired. But it is not inspired. The text is riddled with contradictions. The text is riddled with moral attrocities.
At least, most pluralists seem to view God as compassionate and kind to all persons. There is no Fundamentalist hell. There is no vile bogeyman ( Fundamentalist god) in the sky. This Jeff Maples needs to take a good, hard look at himself and develop compassion for others, especially those who think differently from him.
Why is hate see to be the main thing these fundamentalists/evangelicals preach about?
Some of that rhetoric is saddening. It’s not surprising but it’s saddening. Is Jeff really keen to fan the flames of hatred? What good has ever come from that?
The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.
An evil soul producing holy witness
Is like a villain with a smiling cheek,
A goodly apple rotten at the heart.
O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!
William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice
Shakespeare describes Jeff Maples better than I could ever do. I guess Mr. Jeff would feel free to hate me because I am a Buddhist and his god told him to. And how would Mr. Jeff act on his hate? I shudder to think of it, knowing Christian history as I do.