Well then.... why did God forbid paganism and destroy some pagan peoples in the Old Testament?
The problem with these imaginings is that they contradict our own scriptures way too much. This would mean that every Prophet lied when they said that they had the truth and every people that they tried to convert had a right to stay pagan. Which would mean that people who followed Pharaoh and worshipped him had just as legitimate of a religion as Moses had.
Which is obviously ludicrous.
I don't think it has to mean that. I'm not saying that all relgions can be harmonized with one another either. But I do think that some of them, no not all of them, can declare themselves as true, without having to declare that there is no truth in anything else.
Let me give an example from a verse in Christiantiy that I think many Christian improperly interpret in an exclusivistic manner: {quote]Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)[/quote]
Now, the majority of Christian understand this verse to mean that if you don't know Jesus you can't get to heaven. Why? Because Jesus says that know one can come to the Father, except through him. So, they ask rhetorically, "If you don't know Jesus, how can he help you get to heaven?" And they answer their own question that you can't. But I think they are wrong -- that is not what this verse says.
You see while I accept the verse is true in saying that the only way to heaven is through Jesus, I don't see it saying anything about it having to be an acceptance of Jesus. Lots of people (not just Muslims, but Christians too) think that the Christian message is all about agreeing with what Jesus taught, but that is not the central message of the Christian Gospel. Rather the central message of the Christian Gospel, is that Jesus died to reconcile us to God. Nothing about belief there at all. Jesus takes away the sin of the world that keeps human beings from being able to have a relationship with God. Now, according to the Christian faith, you don't have to believe that for it to be true, it is one of the givens of the Christian faith that is true for everyoine. We generally go on to teach people that since Jesus has done this that it is important for you to believe it and live accordingly. That's simple concept is the basic idea behind John 3:16 and a whole host of other verses. But is accepting that really necessary? Well, not according to John 14:6 and not even according to Ephesians 2:8:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
Notice, it does not say that anyone is saved by faith, rather we are saved by God's grace. We may experience grace because we have faith, but this is part of a letter written to people who have faith. They have received this grace through their faith. But what about others? Nothing is said. It does not say that without faith that one cannot receive God's grace. As a matter of fact, God's grace is something that God decides who does and doesn't receive. That's because God is the decision maker, and not us. Thus, if God decides that he wants to save you, God can do that. God can do pretty much whatever God wants to do. Yes, he does that in and through Jesus, but no where in scripture does it actually say that you have to believe that Jesus' is the author of your salvation in order for you to be a recipient of it. I find that an incredible idea, but it really never says it. Thus, while I think it just makes sense to believe because them one has God's promise of salvation, the Bible does not actually slam the door on those who don't believe. In the long run, at least from the Biblical perspective, if God wants to save pagans (or anyone else) that is God's perogative to decide and do as God well pleases.
So, (and I fully expect a fair number of Christians to disagree with me on this) Glo's question, unusual though it is, may contradict some scriptures from other religions, but I personally don't think that it actually contradicts the Christian scriptures.
