At a recent, interfaith youth gathering in Singapore, Pope Francis made a few short remarks that have since stirred a whirlwind of controversy (September 13, 2024). Many devoted Bible believers, as well as conservative Catholics, would even describe his statements as “heretical,” a grave departure from “the faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:4). Here are the pope’s exact words, as spoken by the translator:
“If we start to fight amongst ourselves, and saying, “My religion is more important than yours. My religion is true; yours is not. Where will that lead us? Because every religion is a way to arrive at God—sort of a comparison and an example would be like there are sort of like different languages in order to arrive at God. But God is God for all. And if God is God for all, then we’re all sons and daughters of God. But my God is more important than your God. Is that true? There’s only one God and each of us is a language, so to speak, in order to arrive at God. Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, Christian—they’re different paths. Understood?”
Responding to the pope’s claims
In examining this papal declaration, consider the following seven Bible-based responses:
1. “If we fight amongst ourselves”—The pope started out by saying, “If we fight amongst ourselves.” There is a vast difference between “fighting” people of other religions in a hostile, argumentative way to zealously assert some theological stance and the peaceful and compassionate pursuit of “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). If true, sincere Christians share the Gospel with people of other belief systems, it is never for the purpose of jousting on a field of religious diversity. The primary objective is to help others comprehend the right doctrine—for the glory of God and the benefit of others. Since it was an interfaith gathering, Pope Francis may have been attempting to show patience, tolerance, and kindness. Instead, he succeeded in robbing precious young people of a golden opportunity to hear about the uniqueness and the importance of the Messiah (Jesus), the eternal One who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). He meant what He said.
2. “My religion is more important than yours. My religion is true.”— True Christianity is much more than a religion; it is the means—the only means—of entering a relationship with the true God. Therefore, countering the pope’s heretical statement, I would dare to assert that the Gospel is infinitely “more important” than the beliefs of Hinduism (which boasts the worship of 330 million deities, all of which are imaginary and false), Islam (which strips Jesus of His divinity, declaring He was only a prophet), and Sikhism (whose founder, Guru Nanak, taught that the presence of the Divine was already within every human being).
Only a pure biblical, New Testament revelation shares the unique and eternally important concepts of the incarnation of the Son of God through a virgin, His sinless life, His death on a cross for the sins of humanity, His resurrection three days later, and His ascension into heaven. Only the Bible explains that all men are separate from God but that we can be cleansed by the blood of Jesus, then filled with the Spirit of the living God, as first happened on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Because of these things, only through Jesus can seekers receive forgiveness of sins, spiritual rebirth (the experience of being “born again”) and the gift of eternal life (John 3:1-7,16).
Therefore, Christianity is “more important” (infinitely more important) and in its pure form, it provides the “true” revelation of God amid an ocean of false religious ideas. Pope Francis questioned those who would make this kind of bold claim, asking, “Where will that lead us?” What is my response? Very simple—It will lead out of the “deep darkness” of being lost in our sins into the “marvelous light” of knowing the Savior of the world (1 Peter 2:9).
3. “Like different languages”—Pope Francis compared different religions to “different languages in order to arrive at God.” With over 7,000 languages in the world, one statement can be uttered in a multiplicity of ways, yet all the while, maintaining the original meaning of what was said.
However, that analogy is faulty and misleading, because all religions of the world do not communicate the same foundational concepts—so the “languages” don’t match. There may be some commonalities (usually in the areas of character development, like “The Golden Rule”), but there are serious contradictions, especially on higher levels of revelation (like the nature of God, the nature of true salvation, and how to cure humanity’s spiritual dilemma). So, different religions are not like “different languages” saying the same thing. It would be far more accurate to say they are like different languages expressing completely different concepts about fundamental religious concepts.
4. “We’re all sons and daughters of God”—In a qualified biblical sense, all people can be described as children of God after the creation. Jesus addressed large audiences, full of both Jews and Gentiles, before New Testament salvation was available, and He spoke the encouraging words:
“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32).
In affirming that God was their Father, simultaneously He was implying that they were His children. However, this is only true in a limited sense. Using that terminology did not mean those individuals had the Spirit of God residing in their hearts. For that to take place, they would have to be “born again,” a spiritual encounter that would only be available after the ascension of the Lord Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2).
Now, in this Age of Grace, those who receive this indwelling are blessed to experience “regeneration,” becoming children of God after the new creation (Titus 3:5). They become “new creations in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 6:15). This supernatural transformation grants entrance into the kingdom of God, both now and forevermore, and access into the presence of the Father (John 3:1-7, Ephesians 2:18). This significant step toward full and complete sonship is described in John 1:12-13:
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
This one passage makes it evident that only those who consciously receive Jesus as Lord of their lives experience spiritual rebirth, becoming children of God, supernaturally, on the highest level obtainable. (See Ezekiel 36:26-27, Ephesians 3:17.)
Finally, it is crucial to see that those who walk contrary to God’s Word and God’s ways are never referred to as children of God in the Bible. Quite the contrary, they are called children of darkness, children of the night, children of disobedience, children of wrath, and children of the devil (1 Thessalonians 5:5, Colossians 3:6, Ephesians 2:3, 1 John 3:10). Need I say more?
5. “There’s only one God”?—Pope Francis calmly assured his interfaith audience, “There is only one God.” However, that simple five-word phrase can be a huge, semantical stumbling block, since it can mean two completely opposite things. It can be all-inclusive: (the idea that the “one God” is expressed in multiple ways, diverse images, and a variety of names in all the religions of the world). Or it can be exclusive: (there is only one correct revelation of the one God, and all other proposed descriptions of the Creator are false).
Pope Francis’ surprising claim fell under the first definition (all-inclusive). So, his words indicated an acceptance of all descriptions of God and all the definitions of salvation present in the spiritually diverse group he addressed. Admittedly, all four religious groups he mentioned (Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian) believe in God, but their interpretation of His nature, His attributes, and His plan for human beings differ in significant ways.
For instance, followers of a popular form of Hinduism (Advaita Vedanta) believe that the Godhead on an ultimate level is an impersonal cosmic force out of which the universe emanated, therefore—according to that teaching—everything has a divine essence (a concept called “pantheism”). This impersonal energy force has also manifested as 330 million gods and goddesses. However, they all spring forth from one source: the “one divine life-force” underlying all things named Brahman. So, this branch of Hinduism promotes the concept of “one God” in an all-inclusive way.
On the other extreme is Islam. God is described as a personal God in the Muslim faith. He is absolutely one and separate from the physical cosmos. One of the greatest sins that can be committed in that belief system is “shirk”: attributing divinity to anything or anyone other than Allah. So, the Hindu who believes that everything is a manifestation of the Divine, and the Christian who believes that Jesus was God manifested in the flesh, are both guilty of blasphemy according to Islamic teaching. Therefore, the Muslim view of “one God” is exclusive. It excludes all other definitions and descriptions of God (including the Christian, biblical view).
Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism (who lived 1469-1530 A.D.), spent much of his life teaching—like the pope just recently did—that the God of the Muslims and the God of the Hindus is the same God—a claim that is neither logically, nor theologically correct. The main name he gave this timeless and formless Creator is Sat Nam (meaning True Name).
Finally, the Christian, biblical point of view is that the Godhead is comprised of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and that these three are actually “one God” (See 1 John 5:7.) This unique triune view of the divine nature is also exclusive. It excludes all other interpretations of His nature.
All four religions have a concept about God, but only in Christianity is the true God—the One God, the Triune God, the Great I AM—correctly defined and revealed. Therefore, Brahman, Allah, Sat Nam, and Yahweh are NOT the same God. Even Catholics must admit, the pope made a serious theological error by asserting such an unorthodox and heretical idea.
6. “Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, Christian: they’re different paths”—Pope Francis echoed the claim heralded by Sikhs, Hindus, New Agers and other pluralists that all religions are simply “different paths” that will eventually “arrive at God.” A “path” is a trail that leads to a desired destination. The “path” is the means to an end. Other than Christianity, the paths of the religions that Pope Francis mentioned do not contain the necessary elements to arrive at a relationship with the true God. Let’s inspect the three non-Christian worldviews he named:
Islam—In the Muslim faith, a follower must adhere to the “five pillars of Islam” to be saved: (1) Shahada—the daily profession of faith (“There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his messenger”) ; (2) Salat—prayer five times a day; (3) Zakat—5% of the income given to charity; (4) Ramadhan—the month of fasting; (5) Hajj—a pilgrimage to Mecca once in a lifetime, if possible.
Hinduism—In the Hindu faith, seekers are taught to devote themselves to the eight limbs of yoga to achieve Samadhi, a term meaning a conscious experience of oneness with God. Hindus teach that this spiritual awakening results in Moksha, deliverance from Samsara, the cycle of rebirths. The eight limbs of yoga include asanas (physical postures), pranayama (breathing disciplines), and meditation. This path does not include the concept of a crucified and resurrected Savior. Furthermore, in Advaita Vedanta Hinduism, Samadhi is a conscious realization that that soul (atman) and the Oversoul (Brahman) are the same—that on the highest level, human beings are manifestations of God—which is the antithesis of the truth.
In the Muslim faith, God would never be so personal as to dwell in the heart of a human being. A primary belief found in the Quran is that God has no sons. In both Hinduism and Sikhism, the presence of God already dwells in the heart of every human being but must be awakened. Both these views are wrong. None of these paths “arrive at God.” Unfortunately, the pope—the one who claims to be the “Vicar of Christ (Jesus’ chief representative in this world)—has grossly misrepresented the Holy One who urges His followers to:
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)
Pope Francis, there is only one path.
7. The root of the problem—It really should not surprise anyone—Catholic or Protestant—that the pope would make such an inaccurate claim to the youth group in Singapore. Why? Primarily because this false universalistic belief is not new to Catholicism. It can be traced back to the official Catholic Catechism, where it is presented in a more subtle way. In paragraph #841, the following explanation is given concerning the Catholic Church’s “relationship with Muslims”:
“The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day.”
As already explained under point #5, Allah and Yahweh are not the same God. Allah and the Muslim faith as a whole are the product of human imagination, or worse than that, demonic deception. Muhammed claimed to get his revelations from the angel Gabriel. However, what Muhammed conveyed to his followers contradicts what Gabriel spoke to Mary in Luke 1:16-25—so it was evidently an evil spirit masquerading as Gabriel. The attributes and identity of Yahweh, the God of the Bible, who came in the form of His Son, Jesus (Yeshua) have been revealed in Scripture by divine revelation.
There is a big difference!
