There are many different views to this statement within the Christian faith. The Christian church believes in religious freedom, but they believe that Christianity is the only religion with complete truth, whereas the other religions only contain some truth. One view is of exclusivism. This is the “old” accepted way. To be “saved” people must hear and respond to the Christian message. It is the duty of Christians to convert people in order to save them.
In Matthew it is said, “Go make disciples of all nations.” This is a direct instruction for people to go and convert people to Christianity. They believe that the Bible is the word of God, and you can only reach salvation by following Jesus. Jesus said in John 14: 6, ” I am the way to truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.” This shows that you must follow Jesus’ teachings to get to heaven, and by converting people they are helping them get to heaven. An example of this is with Jahovah’s Witnesses.
They believe that it is their duty to save people. They believe that they should spread the word to those who have not heard of the religion, so they have a chance to follow it. They do this by going from house to house to try and find these people and talk to them about God. Another view is of inclusivism. This is the more modern view for Christians. They believe that everybody is born with Gods grace and the ability to be saved.
They believe that if you are following another religion and you have not heard of Jesus then you will still go to heaven as you are trying to find the truth. They still believe, however, that Christianity is the only religion, which is complete truth. Another Christian view is based on John 14: 2. Jesus says, “In my Father’s house there are many rooms.” Some Christians believe that this means that heaven accepts different religions, so conversion is not needed. They believe that every religion has truth, and all lead to belief in God. Another view is of pluralism.
Hindus follow this view. They believe that all religions are pathways to enlightenment. This belief is based on the belief in Brahman, that everything is part of the Universal Spirit. This view respects the views of all other religions in seeking the truth as long as the religion promotes moral behaviour and right living. I think that the inclusivism view is more in line with today’s multi-faith way of living and allows Christians to be more tolerant of others. I think that everybody has the right to believe in what they want, and others should not try to impose their beliefs on others..