But don't all religions lead to God?: Navigating The Multi-Faith Maze

by Michael Green

There are lots of routes that lead to a dead end or get you lost. Only one leads through the maze. That is the astounding claim of Christianity. The astounding claim of Christianity is that Jesus Christ himself was the one and only way The astounding and at first sight arrogant claim of Christianity is that there is only one way through the maze. That way is Jesus Christ himself.

Genres: Christian, School, Nonfiction, Religion, High School, Theology, Christianity

96 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 2002

About the author

Edward Michael Bankes Green, known as Michael Green, was a British theologian, Anglican priest, Christian apologist and author of more than fifty Christian books. He served as the Canon Missioner of Holy Trinity Church in Raleigh, North Carolina through 2007.

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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Green's short book on "navigating the multi-faith maze," was strong in many areas, and weak in others. It was written for a popular audience, so if you're looking for an in-depth critique, you'll have to look at D.A. Carson's The Gagging of God, or some such work. But, Green made lots of good points, and exposed the flabby thinking of many today who glibly say that "all religions are the same." There are real, substantive, differences between the religions of the world. We need to study other religions, so that we can understand their claims, and know how to interact with them.

A good quote:

"If by 'religion' we mean humanity's search for the divine, it is bound to fail. What we need is not to compare the chinks of light that different religions may have perceived, but to experience the sunrise, which eclipses the light of every candle. We do not need a religion, but a revelation. And that is precisely what Christianity claims to be. Unlike other holy books, the Bible does not record the story of human beings in search of God, but of God in search of human beings" (23-24).

[Brooke]

Mr. Green nicely condensed his thoughts into something understandable. I enjoyed it a lot until chapter 9. I didn't agree with him on every point and he seems to point fingers in faces. He did a poor job of making everything clear and of sharing Bible verses to back himself up after that point. I believe he was trying to rush a bit too much to the end.

[Jennifer Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good and concise little book explaining the differences between Christianity and other major world religions. I plan to use this for my high schoolers to read for school. I’ll probably have them skip Chapter 9, though, because it is based mostly on the author’s opinions, including his idea that Hell is a metaphor for annihilation and can’t possibly involve conscious suffering. It’s such a strange chapter in the midst of an otherwise very solidly biblical book.

[Gavin Breeden · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the biggest issues that I had with Christopher Hitchens' book "God is Not Great" is that he lumps all religions into a pile and hurls his attacks at the entire pile. The reason that's problematic is because, as a Christian, I tended to agree with lots of his critiques of these other religions but didn't believe many of his critiques actually applied to Christianity because it's such a radically different faith. Now, of course, folks will be quick to point out that my own Christianity would prevent me from seeing how his critiques hit Christianity. And while I'll certainly admit my own biases, I also strongly believe it's easily demonstrable that Christianity stands distinctly apart from any and every other religion in some very profound ways.

For instance, every religion in the world teaches that if you follow a certain list of rules or live by a certain moral code, then you will be accepted by God/reach enlightenment/etc. But Christianity turns that idea on its head. Christianity says you can't work your way to God. It is only by his grace that you are saved. So first God accepts you and then you start to follow his commands, not to earn his favor but because you've been changed. That is the exact opposite of what every other religion in the world teaches.

And this is where Michael Green's book comes in. He tries to illustrate in this brief book why Christianity really shouldn't be lumped together with all other religions. You're free to reject Christianity along with the rest of the world's religions, but at least note the significant differences before you do. At least approach Christianity on its own terms and critique those rather than faulting Christianity for things that it doesn't claim.

Green opens the book with a few chapters aimed at answering some common questions in our day, like "Don't All Religions Lead to God?" and "Aren't All Religions Pretty Much the Same?" He answers these with "no" and explains why before turning his attention to Jesus in the second half of the book noting the things that make Jesus and Christianity stand apart from the rest of the world's faiths.

One thing I really appreciated is that Green quickly admits that Christians have done both good and evil in the world in the name of Christianity and no one can deny that. But, he argues, it isn't the followers of Christianity that make it unique, it's the one whom we follow, Jesus, that makes it unique. Again, if one understands Christian theology, then seeing Christians living inconsistently is not necessarily surprising. I'm not defending Christians Behaving Badly, but a central tentant to Christianity is that sanctification is a long, arduous process that begins at conversion and ends at death. We shouldn't be surprised that Christians don't live perfectly when the Bible insists that we won't live perfectly in this life.

He goes on to note how Jesus is the only religious leader/founder that claimed to bring God to us, rather than to teach us how to work to God. Jesus dealt with death and evil in radical ways compared to other religions. Jesus made claims and promises that no other religion has come close to, like openly declaring that He was indeed God or that promising that God himself would reside within the believer. If one seeks to attack Christianity, one must approach these things that make it unique and different from other faiths, rather than wrongly assuming that Christianity is just like all the rest.

I must note that the book is great until the final two chapters when he deals with some difficult questions regarding hell and other tough issues and he does deviate from the orthodox position on a couple matters. I disagreed with him in a few places, but overall this is a helpful book. I was given this book to use to teach through at a local Christian Classical school and it did well in that environment. The high schoolers I read it with seemed to enjoy it and understand it easily enough.

[Laurel (Yeetarandomwriter) Burgess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short read (around 90 pages) that made some good points. There were a few small points I might have poked at, but it was cool.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book as an introduction to a study of world religions. Mr. Green gives an understandable explanation as to why “not all religions lead to God.” He also states that Christianity is not a religion but a “revelation, a rescue and a relationship.” There were some theological differences but overall it is a good book.

[Emma Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-4.5 stars.
School read.

I really enjoyed this book! Besides from a couple theological differences, the author made some excellent points. It was a great comparison of all of the main religions of the world.

[Emma S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful little book. Concise comparison of a few key religions (including beliefs the world wouldn’t consider a ‘religion’) and why Christianity is different in so many ways. Green leads us to Jesus and shows us how both He and His work are unlike anything that came before or after. Joy!

I think Green is an annihilationist so I wasn’t quite convinced of his views on hell. However, that’s not the main thrust of this book and the rest of it was useful enough for me not to mind.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Green discusses the idea that many hold that all religions are the same in their essence and lead to the same god, and that therefore we should be tolerant of them and not insist there's only one right religion. He questions this idea: "What if one religion really does give a fuller expression of that essence than another?" Christianity, he says, "stands out from all other faiths. It maintains that the living God has come to share our human situation, died an agonizing death in which He took responsibility for human wickedness and broke the last barrier, death, on the first Easter day, with incalculable consequences for His followers and the whole world. No other faith claims anything like that" (p. 18).

Furthermore, he argues that there are two main reasons why all religions do not lead to God. First, God is too great; "the created cannot possibly discover the Creator unless He chooses to disclose Himself" (p. 23). And this is what Christianity has done, he claims: "the Bible does not record the story of human being sin search of God, but of God in search of human beings." The second reason all religions do not lead to God, he argues, is that humankind is too wicked and self-centered to want to truly seek God.

Christianity, he says, is different from all other religions because of Jesus himself. Jesus is different from all other religious leaders in that, 1) his influence, teaching, and character were unparalleled, 2) Jesus claimed to share the nature of God (evidence: his morally upright life; his profound and authoritative teaching; his miracles over nature, of healing, and of his birth; his fulfillment of prophecies; and his claims ("the Bread of Life," "The Way to God," etc.)), 3) In love, Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice for our sins in order to sanctify us through the offering of his body, and to reconcile humankind to God, 4) He conquered death on Easter day, 5) he promised to live in the hearts and lives of his followers in the form of the Holy Spirit. ". . . the secret of being a Christian at all is to have welcomed the Spirit of Jesus Christ into heart and life. It is not just trying to follow excellent teaching, as in the case of other religions, but of welcoming the indwelling Christ!" (70) "That was and remains the heart of Christian morality. Not keeping a rule book, but loving and pleasing a person [Jesus], and in His power overcoming the base tendencies of human nature and pouring out the love of Christ to others." (71)

[Matthew Caminer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up to read because the question in the title, and variations on it, comes up regularly at the Men's Breakfast I go to each week, where the recurring question is how God views the good deeds of people of ALL faiths or none, that often reflect Gospel values in deed if not in faith, and often more so than the actions of many Christians. My hope had been that this would help give an answer that I could share and gently shift opinion. I'm afraid I was disappointed and unconvinced. As with many books of this sort, I sensed a flavour of "he would say that, wouldn't he?" that certainly reflected Michael Green's scholarship and unwavering adherence to his message, but didn't answer the question of whether or not, when/if we get there, we will see, for instance,Mahatma Ghandi, and others who have been such paragons of charity and justice. As the book approached the end, there was a morphing from the certainty of the Gospel message in the middle of the book into phrases like "We don't know but we may surmise..." that in the end did not fully answer the fundamental question raised by the title.

I had a feeling of cherry picking too: thus, quoting from C.S.Lewis in Mere Christianithy suited the argument, but the same author's "There are many doors into Narnia", which would have confounded the central premise of the book, was conveniently overlooked. Similarly, it was interesting to note that whereas the author was at pains to compare and contrast with other religions, not least Islam, he was surprisingly light on exploring the contrast with Judaism, which perhaps presents the biggest difficulty of all.

I noted also, the author's early reference to "The 'do it yourself' versions of Christianity" which, in the context, was clearly a negative sideswipe, leaving a rather unsavoury taste in the mouth, suggesting not only that all other religions, however one defines religion, fall short, but that some approaches to Christianity similarly fall short.

Which all seems to add up to a negative review. And yet.... might I recommend it to someone exploring Christianity who might respond to this approach? Yes, I might.

[Bob Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise apology for Christianity as the only "religion" that is valid. He tackles the question of whether sincerity is enough, the differences in religious systems, the various views of God and how man can relate to God, the uniqueness of Jesus, the problem of wickedness, eternity, Jesus' presence with his followers, dealing with objections, and the appropriate response to Jesus. Green doesn't get overly complicated. He is a bit unorthodox in his view of hell as destruction rather than eternal torment, the fate of those who have never heard of Jesus, and possibly his view of the Trinity as modalism rather than 3 distinct persons. He also seems not to account for the failings of Christians — the Crusades, justifying slavery. I like his characterization of Christianity as 3 "Rs" — revelation, rescue, and relationship. Even with the doctrical issues that are unorthodox, I think the book is well worth reading as an introduction to or refesher for apologetics.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is excellent. If you are looking for a basic book about Christianity's place among the world's religions, this is a great choice. If you've already read a few apologetics books, you won't really find anything new here, although the author's excellent presentation and well-formed arguments would still make it worthwhile if you are into books on this topic.

The author, British theologian Michael Green, kept this book short and simple so it is accessible to all. I read it with my 12 year old and some sections included details that were a bit beyond his comprehension, but even those sections included some excellent summary passages that helped convey the main ideas.

[Matthew Hodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every now and again you hear someone try to argue that all religions are essentially the same or that they all lead to God.

In a fairly short book, Michael Green, argues the case that, no, most major religions are quite different. He then argues the case for why he thinks Christianity is distinct from (and the best of) all other world religions.

This may not convince you on which religion is true, but if you think they're all variations on the same thing, it should at least convince you that they are quite different.

[Deborah-Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, precise treaty outlining various arguments for a co-existent type of faith, yet highlighting and persuading the reader that such a view is illogical. Fast paced and informative, yet clearly written from a biased perspective. Also, I would have liked to have seen more connection with life and world events (for example a culture which prides itself on being open-minded and affirming of all religions) rather than just theological jargon.

[Ashish Jaituni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book. Michael Green is a fabulous writer! He specializes in the category of writing small books but he does it so well that others can't do the same even after writing many large voluminous books. He chooses his words carefully and is one of the best apologetics writers that I have come across.

[Brandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish that other copies of this book had Jan's notes in the margins because she highlighted the arguments and pointed out some flaws, like pointing out that Galileo was only under house arrest, not languishing in prison. She would also expand upon and explain some of the points that the author could have gone into more depth.

[Tammy Bertelsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far this book has been really interesting and easy to read. It lays out how it is impossible for different religions with different beliefs, different gods, and different foundations to all lead to the same God.It gives you an understanding of how universalim and appeasement is damaging.

[Coral Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Informative

A very easy to read and understand book touching on a lot of religions. I would recommend referring to the Bible to back any of the authors writings. And one on one conversation with God.

[AnnaScott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good book, although more for unbelievers than believers. It did a really good job explaining the major differences of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Atheism, and Christianity and why those differences show that they do not all lead to the same God.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

While it would be impossible to cover each and every facet of every religion, Green has done a great job of taking the main points and tying everything together in an easy to understand book. Well done, good and faithful servant.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pre-read this book in preparation for discussion with my high schooler. I felt the author's point was well thought through and conveyed without being overwhelming. A great introduction to differences in religions.

[Ashley Tannaci · Rating 1 out of 5]

A lot of questionable theology. Some good points but overall, not in line with the Bible and therefore would never recommend to anyone due to misleading and non-Biblical information/views/interpretation.

[Mahalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far this book is good. It is easy to read and understand.

[Moonburst · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for Contemporary Christian Belief. Short quick read.

[Jonathan]

None

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was eye-opening and quite thought-provoking. Easy to read!

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Christianity isn't a religion....its a relationship.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great little book summing up the answers to this ubiquitous question. Clear, concise and compassionate. The way the gospel should be.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a pretty good book. Definitely worthwhile, especially considering I only paid a couple of dollars for it.

[Tyler Hagen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit too simplistic but an interesting read.