Is It Wrong to Think You Are Right?

Is it wrong to think you are right? The question may sound strange at first. Why does this question matter? In short, if you discuss God, Christianity, or religion in general with enough people, eventually you will encounter an objection that draws inspiration from this question. Modern society is more pluralistic than ever. We are exposed to more viewpoints on any number of topics on a daily (perhaps hourly) basis. This dynamic is true of political views, views of health and nutrition, as well as religion. Here we will focus on how this applies to religion. The result of this “modern pluralism” is that many find it ethically and philosophically problematic to believe that anyone “knows the truth” when it comes to religion. Often there are moral accusations that come to the surface - some would say this is “arrogant” and “unloving” to those who believe differently. If this view is correct, it poses fundamental problems for Christians who hold they do know the Truth.

The first thing to realize about this is that Christianity has always existed in a pluralistic world. From its earliest days, Jesus taught in the context of various religions such as Judaism and Greco-Roman paganism. The apostles continued this work after His ascension. Significantly, we do not see Jesus or the apostles qualifying their teaching in any way that would compromise its truth. Rather, the consistent theme is that the gospel (and all it entails) is true for all people. This means that the truth or falsity of the gospel does not depend upon people, but upon God’s works and who God is in Himself. Therefore, the mere existence of other religious viewpoints should not hinder the proclamation of the gospel and belief in its truth. 

Second, we must ask what precisely is “arrogant,” “unloving,” or “philosophically problematic” about thinking you know the truth? Some may grant that Christianity originated in and was proclaimed in a pluralistic culture, but still argue this does not address the underlying problem. The reality is that, for many people, religion is a subjective enterprise. Religion is something that is personal and private, but not something that makes truth claims about reality. The slogan “that’s true for you but not for me” showcases this view. Thus, if someone claims they “know the truth” about God and others (who hold to opposite views) are wrong, this is seen as a fundamental misunderstanding of religion. 

The problem with this interpretation of religion is that it is simply false. Religions have always been ways of making truth claims about the nature of reality. In fact, no one escapes making such truth claims. Whether you are a Christian, an atheist, or a Buddhist you hold that reality is a certain way. Christianity says that the Triune God exists, atheism denies that God exists, and Buddhism says that the divine is impersonal. All of these views cannot be correct; there is only one truth about the existence and nature of God. This is just one example out of the many that could be cited when it comes to the differences among worldviews. Those who redefine religion in a subjective manner are trying to avoid making what they see as divisive truth claims. It is an effort to be more tolerant in their view. However, what is often missed is they end up making their own exclusive truth claims about reality and religion. The view that religion is merely private and subjective is its own truth claim about both reality and religion. And it is a strong claim indeed. It is a claim that is philosophically problematic and religiously inadequate and thus, it is not a claim that Christians should or need to accept. 

But is it “unloving” or “arrogant” to hold that Christianity is true and other religions are false? In answering this, we must distinguish between how someone holds a view and why they hold the view they do. Many people do, sadly, display arrogance in their beliefs and they look down upon others who do not share their beliefs. This can result in unloving attitudes to those in other faiths. It should be obvious that this is inconsistent with Christian character and not how Jesus has called us to relate to others. Christians should be characterized by humility and a love for others patterned after Jesus’ example and enabled by His grace. It is important to see that love and humility require a commitment to truth (1 Corinthians 13:6). This describes the “how” of Christian belief. The “why” of Christian belief is that there are excellent reasons to believe Jesus is who He claimed to be. Apologetics can help uncover these reasons. And ultimately, Christians are not those who have made exclusive claims about themselves. Rather, Jesus Himself claimed to be the only way to the Father (John 14:6). Giving your life to Jesus thus entails a commitment to Him as the only Savior, the one mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5). Is it wrong to think you are right when it comes to religion? Hopefully you see why it is not. But, if it was, this would be a problem for every person as people only believe something if they hold it is true.