Should Christians study other religions?

[Blood Stained Soul]

Learned about the Bahai from Probe Ministries. The rest from personal study. The conviction of the Lord did not come early in my walk. It came just recently. I believe I typo'd in my last post...about when I stopped studying. All in all, I quote Paul...who is the most learned man of his time, some say...that all the knowledge he acquired he considered dung when knowing Christ.

[Blood Stained Soul]

Learned about the Bahai from Probe Ministries. The rest from personal study. The conviction of the Lord did not come early in my walk. It came just recently. I believe I typo'd in my last post...about when I stopped studying. All in all, I quote Paul...who is the most learned man of his time, some say...that all the knowledge he acquired he considered dung when knowing Christ.

Forgot to add a reply to your comments about liking to be prepared yourself. The Bible teaches us to lean not upon our own understanding. We should rely totally upon the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.

[His son]

Deut 6:6-9

6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

(KJV)

Deut 32:46-47

46 And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law.

47 For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.

(KJV)

Ps 1:1-3

1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

(KJV)

Isa 28:9-10

9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

(KJV)

Jer 10:1-2

1 Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:

2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

(KJV)

Mark 4:14

14 The sower soweth the word.

(KJV)

I Jn 2:27

27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

(KJV)

Now I would like for someone to explain in light of these few Scriptures of the many that address the issue of what we need to evangelize, how that we have a need to study about any other religion.

[stevehut]

A muslim says that he agrees with you that the Bible is truth and that the koran is an extention of this truth. How do you answer?

A bahai says that he agrees with you and that he also loves Jesus. He also believes in the Bible. How do you answer?

A buddhist says that buddhism also believes in one true God. How do you answer?

A hindu says that they don't believe in the Bible. How do you answer? Do then start quoting from it?

Greetings,

Very good questions.

For the Muslim: The name of Jesus is scattered in various places in the Koran, so Muslims already believe in Jesus. But if they really believe in Jesus, they should read his teachings directly from the Bible. And Jesus claims to be the only way, so they must make a choice; they can't have it both ways.

Bahai's also believe in Jesus, but for them he is simply one nice prophet among many. But again, Jesus claims to be the only way, so they must make a choice; they can't have it both ways.

I don't know much about Hinduism or Buddhism. The above answers are from info that I already know.

[stevehut]

Absolutely, it's a good idea to study other religions. If we are to have faith, it should be an informed, educated faith.

If you can study other religions and still be convinced that Jesus is the way, then doesn't that only make your faith more meaningful?

If you study other religions and end up converting to something else, then maybe you weren't so strong in your Christian beliefs in the first place.

We shouldn't be Christians, just because we don't know any better.

[artsylady]

From the link I posted. I'm not sure if anyone read it.

This section of our web site is designed for members of churches of Christ who wish to gain a basic understanding of the teachings and practices of other religions. If you are a member of one of these "other religions" please feel free to study these lessons as well. Seeing oneself through the eyes of others can be enlightening. It is not our intention to misrepresent any religion; If you feel we have done so, please let us know (you can e-mail us by clicking here).

Our goals in presenting this series of studies are fourfold:

To better equip ourselves to defend the faith and share the gospel with others.

To safeguard ourselves against false teaching.

To test beliefs and teachings in light of the Scriptures.

To take a Biblical approach to exposing religious error.

Before selecting a religion to study, please read the text below. It more fully explains our motivation for presenting this series of studies. May God bless every seeker of truth with the discovery of truth. To get started, simply click on a link to a religion listed in the left hand column.

The Biblical Basis for Studying

& Exposing Other Religions

The very idea of entering a study of other religions immediately raises questions. What are our motives? Why should we care what others believe if we are happy with what we believe? Are we like the closed-minded Pharisees who trusted that they had cornered the market on truth and therefore everyone else must be wrong? Shouldn't we be focusing our study on the text of the Bible alone and not on the beliefs of others? These questions need to be dealt with up front so that our minds may be clear and committed to our study.

WE ARE HAPPY WITH WHAT WE BELIEVE, SO WE WANT TO SHARE IT!

As Christians, we should all recognize that differences in belief and teaching can have eternal consequences (cf. 2 John 9; 1 Timothy 4:1-3). If we are right in our beliefs and practices, those who differ stand in danger of losing their souls. If we are wrong, we may discover it by examining what others say in light of the Scriptures.

We have a duty to share and defend our faith. Peter charges us to "sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear" (1 Peter 3:15). There is no doubt that we can do a better job of this if we have a good understanding of the conceptions and misconceptions of others. The apostle Paul's defense of Christianity before the idolaters of Athens was masterful; this was due in part to Paul's observation and understanding of the Athenians' "superstitious" beliefs and practices (Acts 17:16, 22-31).

WE MUST "BEWARE" OF FALSE TEACHING

Christians also have an obligation to maintain unity with one another based on truth (Ephesians 4:1-3). Divergent doctrines are obviously the enemy of unity (Ephesians 4:14). We should "not be carried about with various and strange doctrines" (Hebrews 13:9).

One of the best safe guards against false teaching is a thorough awareness of it; we should be able to recognize a false doctrine (1 John 4:1), convincingly explain what is wrong with it (Titus 1:9; 2 Timothy 4:2), and identify those who teach it (Romans 16:17-18). In Matthew 16:6-12, Jesus warned his disciples to "take heed" and "beware" of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The phrase "take heed" (Greek. horao) means to "discern clearly" and the word "beware" (Greek. prosexo) means to "hold the mind towards," "pay attention to," or "be cautious about" (Strong's Greek Dictionary). When it comes to false teaching, the most dangerous thing we can do is stick our heads in the sand and ignore it. To beware is to be aware. The many passages found in the New Testament warning us to beware of false teachers are sufficient by themselves to authorize us to study other religions (cf. Matthew 7:15; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 2 Peter 2:1-4; 3:17; 1 John 4:1).

OPEN-MINDEDNESS DEMANDS EXAMINATION OF OTHERS' BELIEFS

Christians are to be people of conviction -- we believe that we have the truth and we are determined to live accordingly (cf. 1 John 2:21; 2 Peter 1:12). But our convictions are not like those of the Pharisees; in fact they are exactly opposite. The Pharisee's beliefs were based on tradition and their hypocrisy permitted them to compromise their beliefs (Matthew 15:1-6; 23:13-31). The convictions of a true Christian are arrived at by testing instead of by tradition (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Christians examine teaching in light of God's word and then receive it or reject it accordingly (1 John 4:1). Rather than being like the Pharisees, who held to their unfounded convictions and were unwilling to examine anything else, Christians will not adopt a belief unless it is well founded and they eagerly examine everything else.

THE BIBLE ITSELF EXAMINES AND EXPOSES FALSE RELIGIONS

The Bible itself is full of expos

[artsylady]

If we are to have faith, it should be an informed, educated faith.

Yes, for me certainly this is true. One of the beauties of Christianity is that it's for all. It's for the child and the mentally challenged. It can be very simple.

But for others who seek knowledge, it is also clearly the only true religion. And taking a peek at others can not only make yourself stronger, but it can equip you when speaking to a person of another faith.

If you can study other religions and still be convinced that Jesus is the way, then doesn't that only make your faith more meaningful?

Yes, yes a resounding yes.

If you study other religions and end up converting to something else, then maybe you weren't so strong in your Christian beliefs in the first place.

Absolutely. Many of the Bahais fall into this catagory. People who were 'raised Christian'. That is why you should be stronger before you begin looking at other faiths. I also have learned much of the faith of the bahais by witnessing to them actually. You can't witness very long to someone who is very brainwashed heavily in their faith without learning stuff about their faith.

Question to others who think you absolutely should not study other religions.....

If you know nothing of a religion, would you listen to anything that person said concerning their religion? Would you allow them to speak at all about their religion? Because if you do, you will learn something about their religion. So is your answer to simply not let them talk to you about their beliefs???

We shouldn't be Christians, just because we don't know any better.

Amen.

[artsylady]

Deut 6:6-9

6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

(KJV)

Great verses. Where does it say you can't look at other religions?

Deut 32:46-47

46 And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law.

47 For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.

(KJV)

Amen. Great verses. I do try to bring my children up in the ways of the Lord. Where does it say that you can't look at other religions?

Ps 1:1-3

1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

(KJV)

I'm glad I don't walk or even seek the councel of the ungodly. I do try to meditate on the word of God day and night, whenever possible. I guess your point would be that if you meditate on the word day and night, you don't have time to study other religions? Maybe this verse means that in the daytime, pick a time to mediate on his word and in the evening, try to find time to meditate on his word. I'm not sure I know any Christians who are constantly reading and meditating.

Isa 28:9-10

9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

(KJV)

Where does it say you can't study other religions?

Jer 10:1-2

1 Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:

2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

(KJV)

I am not dismayed by anything usually. I try hear when the Lord speaks. Where does it say you can't study other religions?

Mark 4:14

14 The sower soweth the word.

(KJV)

Amen! But where does it say you can't study other religions?

I Jn 2:27

27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

(KJV)

Yes, abide in what is true. I do that. And shedding some light on what others believe sure shows me God's truth.

Again, when i say 'study' I don't mean in depth, at least not for everyone. Get yourself a basic knowledge so that you can combat them.

Besides, there have been great men and women in history who were called to Apologetics. They've studied other religions, written books on them, exposed them and we now have their information to combat these other religions. They were obviously very strong believers. How can you say it's absolutely wrong for everyone to do so.

Do you believe that it's wrong to study evolution? I believe it's very much like a religion. It is wrong to study and learn about anything that is wrong? It always DOES depend on your strength and your faith. If you're strong, go for it - it will always make you stronger if you are also seeking the guidance and wisdom of God.

[Blood Stained Soul]

His son...great post...but I feel like you and I are wasting our posts on this...people think they know better than God...who said not to learn the ways of the heathen...that would be people of others religions...in fact all the scriptue says that....but these people have ears but do not hear and eyes but do not see...they totally blew off your awesome post cause they want to do it their way....but you know what...people who have come out of other religions have said that this is a waste of time, but they still do not listen...I am still waiting for that scripture which tells us that the Bible is waste of time and powerless and that only by studying other faiths can we win souls....no wonder the church is laughed at and the world is nothing but hell on earth...

[artsylady]

I am still waiting for that scripture which tells us that the Bible is waste of time and powerless and that only by studying other faiths can we win souls....no wonder the church is laughed at and the world is nothing but hell on earth...

Wow? Where does all this come from? You've got it all wrong, sorry to say.

I see no point in debating this issue with you any more. Like I said, for me, personally, it has strengthened my faith and increased my power to witness with knowledge. If you feel differently, then so be it. Let's just forget the whole issue because the more the debate goes on, the more confused I get.