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The following article is taken from the book, All Roads Don’t Lead To Heaven, Discovering God In The New Age at the following link http://reasonfortruth.org/resources/books
Most all of us have seen the COEXIST bumper sticker, with each of its letters bearing the symbol for different religions and worldviews. We spot them on cars as we pull into a parking lot, or on cars that pass us on the street. What does this bumper sticker mean? Is it commanding all religions to coexist? Or is it simply proclaiming that all religions already do coexist and therefore lead to the same spiritual truth?
Religious pluralism is a growing view that comes with our increasingly multi-cultural world. It is a view that our kids will encounter in school, at college, in our neighborhoods, and in the workplace. While this view is not taught in most churches, it is preached from the pulpit of public opinion and the media. On June 15, 2015, Oprah Winfrey announced the weeklong landmark television series Belief to premier October 18, 2015. This documentary aired over seven consecutive nights and depicted how people with a wide range of beliefs search for deeper meaning and connection with the world around them, illuminating the best of faith and spiritual practices from around the world—the rituals, stories and relationships that bind us all together as human beings.¹
To understand what Oprah is working to achieve is to understand what Oprah believes herself. On one occasion, she said, “While Christianity is a valid way to achieve high states of spirituality, it must not be considered a unique way, or a ‘correct way.’”² On another occasion, she said, “I’m a free-thinking Christian who believes in my way, but I don’t believe it’s the only way, with 6 billion people on the planet.”³ In addition to her millions of television followers, Oprah has 31.8 million Twitter followers.⁴ How many biblically based Christian leaders and pastors have 38 million Twitter followers? Oprah’s spirituality is rooted in an acceptance of religious pluralism, and she is spreading the false belief that all religions lead to the same spiritual truth.
A poll conducted at beliefnet.com found that 33 percent of 6,600 respondents said Oprah has had “a more profound impact” on their spiritual lives than their own clergy.⁵ While this notion of religious pluralism is compelling to millions of Oprah’s fans, and others, Steven Garofalo’s new book, All Roads Don’t Lead To Heaven, Discovering God In The New Age gives shows why all roads cannot lead to the same spiritual truth. All Roads provides various types of evidence as to why all roads (religions or gods) do not and cannot lead to Heaven. Furthermore, Steven provides strong biblical and extra-biblical evidence that Jesus Christ is the Truth and the Life and the only road to Heaven. All Roads examines the Scripture and extra-biblical evidence to show that Christianity is beyond a reasonable doubt the truth and the only road to Heaven. Get ready to learn how to respond to the claim that to COEXIST is the same as all roads lead to heaven!
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1. Oprah Presents Landmark TV Event Belief Premiering Sunday, October 18 on OWN, http://www.oprah.com/belief/Oprah-Winfrey-Presents-Landmark-Television-Event-Belief.
2. Floyd and Mary Beth Brown, “Oprah’s Evolution,” Townhall (March 13, 2008), at http://townhall.com/columnists/floydanmarybethbrown/2008/03/13oprahs_evolution/page/full.
3. Adelle M. Banks, “Oprah’s gospel’ influence concerns some Christians,” USA Today (July 9, 2008), at http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-07-07-oprah-christian_N
4. https://twitter.com/Oprah?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
5. Ann Oldenburg, “The divine Miss Winfrey?” USA Today (May 11, 2006), at http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2006-05-10-oprah_x
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SES Alumnus, Steven Garofalo, is the founder of Reason for Truth and the National Apologetics Training Center located in Charlotte, NC (www.ReasonForTruth.org, www.ApologeticsTraining.org). Steven is a speaker, author and teacher on issues relating to Christian Apologetics.
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