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AND I CAN SEE WHY PEOPLE WOULD WANT TO BELIEVE THAT,
WHY WE WOULD WANT TO BELIEVE THAT,
BECAUSE IT MAKES FOR A MORE PEACEABLE DIALOGUE,
AND ULTIMATELY MAKES ANY DIFFERENCES
TO BE MERELY SUPERFICIAL.
BUT, LISTEN TO THIS CAREFULLY NOW.
I THINK IT'S OFTEN ASSUMED THAT RELIGIONS ARE ALL FUNDAMENTALLY
THE SAME AND ONLY SUPERFICIALLY DIFFERENT.
I REALLY BELIEVE THE REVERSE IS TRUE.
AT BEST THEY MAYBE SUPERFICIALLY THE SAME;
THEY ARE ACTUALLY FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT.
THINK OF THIS.
GAUTAMA BUDDHA, HE WAS A MAN WHO
WAS LOOKING FOR ANSWERS ON THE PROBLEM OF EVIL,
THE PROBLEM OF SUFFERING AND THE GAUTAMA BUDDHA WAS BORN
A HINDU, BUT HE ULTIMATELY RENOUNCED THE FUNDAMENTAL
CLAIMS OF HINDUISM, THE CASTE SYSTEM AND THE AUTHORITY OF
VEDAS AND WENT ABOUT FOUNDING HIS OWN WORLDVIEW.
ALL OF THESE MAJOR RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD
AT THEIR CORE ARE EXCLUSIVISTIC.
THEY EXCLUDE OPPOSITE TEACHINGS.
AND SO YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS OF LIFE
AND SEE HOW THEY'RE ANSWERED.
I REMEMBER A STUDENT ONCE ASKING ME, "IS THE GOD OF THE
QUR'AN THE GOD OF THE OLD AND THE NEW TESTAMENTS?"
AND THIS WAS IN A MUSLIM AUDIENCE AND HE ACCEPTED
MY ANSWER VERY FAIRLY.
I SAID, "YOU NEED TO BEAR IN MIND THAT AN
"ORTHODOX MUSLIM SCHOLAR OR ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN
WOULD BOTH SAY, 'NO THAT'S NOT SO.'"
FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE BIBLE, JESUS IS PRESENTED AS DYING
ON THE CROSS AND RISING AGAIN.
THOSE TWO CLAIMS ARE DENIED BY THE QUR'AN.
SO THE IMPORTANT QUESTION IS NOT WHETHER THEY CLAIM
THE SAME THINGS.
THEY DON'T.
BUT WHICH CLAIM IS TRUE AND HOW DO YOU MEASURE THAT TRUTH?