Today, we in the EarthQuaker Bike Trip had a long, scenic bike ride from Downingtown, Pa. to Lancaster, Pa., the heart of Amish country. I saw plenty of Amish in buggies and on scooters, hanging countless pairs of black pants on clotheslines, and setting hay out to dry. I didn’t take any pictures though, as the Amish do not appreciate it. They see photography as prideful and sometimes as a graven image.
After arriving at the Lancaster Quaker meeting house, we were invited to shower and dine at the house of a fantastic couple of Quakers. We filled up on chili and salad, then settled down for an hour or so of witness and ministry.
The discussion veered from environmental concerns to television, finally landing on Christianity. Someone asked how many of the gathered considered themselves Christian. Surprisingly, out eleven people, seven of which were the bikers, only four said that they were Christian.
A growing issue in Quakerism is what the place of Christ should be, as a growing number of people in the religion do not identify as Christian. I touched a bit on the subject in an article I wrote a month ago for the Religion News Service, linked to here.
But one woman at the dinner had an especially difficult quandary. She followed the example of Jesus, but did not consider herself a Christian. She believed that the faith of Jesus was right for her, but also regarded other denominations and religions as equally valid. She felt that she could not consider herself Christian because of John 14:6, where Jesus says, “… I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (King James).
Can you be a Christian and not believe that Christianity is the only path to salvation?
It’s easy to say yes. If you follow Christ’s example, which is a supreme calling of Quakers, than why would you not be Christian. Even more important, why should the term “Christianity” be relegated to a narrow definition heralded by certain denominations? In our increasingly pluralistic society, it can be egotistical to believe that your religion is the one true religion, and become an impediment to true inter-religious understanding.
On the other hand, if you don’t believe that your religion is the only true religion, what impetus do you have to stick with it? Can you embrace a faith wholeheartedly when all faiths are just as good? Will this water down faiths to the point where their unique values are indiscernible?
I personally consider myself a Christian who sees the value in other religions. I don’t believe that Christianity is the only, but I do believe that it is the only path for me. I also don’t see John 14:6 as a huge impediment. I consider that Jesus, who often spoke in metaphor, might be instructing that his example of compassion and peace was the only way, not necessarily that belief in his divinity.
But I know that I might be wrong, and it weighs upon me heavily.
