The Mars Hill Club

Religious relativism is the idea that all religions are equally true. This is usually supported by at least two arguments. First, religious truth is seen as a fundamentally different kind of truth from historical truth or scientific truth. The claim is that this kind of truth cannot be evaluated through science, reason, or history. This second claim is used to argue that since religious truth is so fundamentally different, all religious claims can be equally true. Second, the fact of pluralism – that there actually exists a multitude of religious views – is seen as evidence that all views are correct.

In regards to the first claim about religious truth being radically different, such a radically different form of truth that it cannot be evaluated through science, reason, or history, effectively cannot be evaluated at all. Without a way to evaluate religious beliefs, then religious beliefs are effectively off-limits to evaluation and any religious belief is ok. One is free to make up any sort of hogwash and have it accepted uncritically. A truth that can be anything but cannot be evaluated cannot really be known to be true. It becomes an arbitrary irrational belief. This argument then works against religious belief by becoming fodder for atheists claiming that all religious truths are equally wrong rather than equally true.

In addition, world religions do make truth claims that can be evaluated through science, reason, and history. In just Christianity, for example, the crucifixion can be evaluated through the science of biology by asking and answering questions about what happens to a human being under the circumstances recounted in the Bible. The existence of Jesus as a historical figure can be investigated through the investigation of historical documents. Reason has been used extensively in explicating Christian doctrine. For instance, the idea of Jesus as equally God and man is philosophically explicated through a hypostatic union with the divine. These examples are just a few ways in which Christian claims can be investigated through science, reason, and history. Other religions also have their own areas.

There are two factors to take into consideration when it comes to the argument that the mere fact of a plurality of views. First, the mere fact of a plurality of views does not mean all views are equally true. It is like saying that just because there are many possible different answers to the equation “2 + 2” means that all answers are as equally true as “4.” Second, different religions make truth claims that can be compared and are contradictory. Logic then dictates that contradictory claims cannot be equally true. The principle of non-contradiction means that conflicting two conflicting ideas cannot both be true. Two conflicting ideas cannot both be true in the same way and at the same time. Thus, all religions cannot all be equally true. An example of how this plays out, God cannot be at the same time:

Personal and impersonal
A Trinity and non-Trinity
Monist and dualist
Monotheistic and Polytheistic

Finally, any sort of relativism is not compatible with Christianity. For instance, relativism is not consistent with the absolute objective claim of truth in the Gospel. “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Relativism then contradicts the scriptural claim that Jesus is the only way to salvation. Relativism is not consistent with Christianities mandate for discipleship and evangelism. If all religions are equally true then this means that the salvific vision of every religion is true and thus the only ones who are not saved are those who have no religion at all. Evangelistic and missionary work is then narrowed significantly to apply only to those who are agnostic or atheistic.