I HAVE been following with interest the debate about Christianity sparked off by Rory Mulvihill's letter. Ian Anderson (April 19) says, in defence of Christianity, "surely millions of people in the world today and down the ages cannot all be wrong?"
But millions of people down the ages have worshipped all sorts of gods - Ra, Astarte, Zeus, Mithras, Odin, Quetzalcoatl, to name but a few. Were they all wrong? There are currently 500 million Hindus worldwide - surely they can't all be wrong too?
The reality is that many religions embody universal truths, often in the form of beautiful stories.
Man has always felt a need for a spiritual dimension in his life, and this can be fulfilled in different ways.
Why should it matter whether we find spiritual comfort in a church, mosque, synagogue or ashram, or by contemplating the beauties of nature, music or art?
Problems only arise when one particular religion claims to be superior to all others, and insists that those who don't share its beliefs are wrong. This attitude leads ultimately to war, the very antithesis of spirituality.
Lesley Jefferis,
Lynwood View,
York.
Updated: 09:45 Friday, April 21, 2006
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