Dear Dr. E: I recently got into a debate with a neighbor about the COEXIST bumper sticker. He (my friend) said that the COEXIST moniker is simply about respecting people of all faiths and allowing everyone to have a seat at the table. He went on to argue that Christians who believe in the inherent superiority of our faith discredit the voices and opinions of everyone else. Can you help me respond? – Faithful Friend in Florida
Dear Faithful from Florida: I don’t know how to say this gently, so I guess I’ll just cut to the chase – Your neighbor is entirely wrong. The COEXIST message is about blatant syncretism, pure and simple. It’s illogical and theological mush. It ignores the ontological and epistemological facts that, by definition, the religions represented on the bumper sticker contradict each other. Even orthodox Muslims agree with me on this one, and they will quickly tell you that you’re insulting them by suggesting otherwise.
The COEXIST message, by definition, subverts not only Christianity, but also Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, and multiple other religious worldviews. All religions are not equal. They can’t be because they don’t make equal claims. Therefore, we have only two options before us.
Either one is true while the others are false, or they’re all false. The option of them all being true simply doesn’t exist. It breaks all the rules of reason and logic. The law of non-contradiction demands that we admit this. Pretending that we all agree does not make it so, especially when we don’t.
There’s also a rich irony in your friend’s position that I hope you don’t miss. While condemning you for arguing for the superiority of your view, he is overtly arguing that his view is superior to yours. If he doesn’t think he is right and that you are wrong, then his objections would be little but meaningless blabber that he really doesn’t believe. He’s sawing off the branch upon which he sits. While he has one finger of accusation pointed at you, he fails to see he has several pointed back at himself.
And finally, in addition to the self-refuting logic of your neighbor’s position, there is another problem I often see with many of his political stripe. How often have you seen the COEXIST bumper sticker coexisting with other messages that are curiously not all that welcoming? Hateful messages such as “F Trump” or other rainbow colored slogans that you often see posted side by side with their implied call for a great big group hug. The only thing I can conclude is that a lot of these people really don’t believe their own rhetoric. They appear to think coexisting can only happen if you believe what they believe. More often than not, they betray themselves as being more anti-Christian than the champions of tolerance and inclusivity they claim to be.
But this hypocrisy aside, here’s the take-home: At the end of the day, your neighbor really isn’t arguing with you or me. He’s arguing with Jesus, who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.” Now obviously, Christ wasn’t claiming other faiths can’t “have a seat at the table” in a free country like America. But at the same time, he made it exceptionally clear that when it comes to the eternal destiny of our souls, he is the only way for anyone to have a seat at his table in heaven. Anyone arguing that there is another way equally valid to Christ’s are either sorely mistaken or a blatant liar. Their souls and all others who buy into the same syncretism are hopelessly doomed. That’s not my claim but the claim of the one who died for our sins, rose from the dead, and stands at the door of heaven to judge everyone at the end of days.
The COEXIST message sounds wonderful, but melding all religions into one in the name of mutual tolerance is ridiculous. Darkness and light, truth and fiction, life and death don’t coexist.
Jesus Christ isn’t one of many gurus. He is precisely who He claimed to be, and he calls all of us to believe his claims; claims of 2,000 years of Christian orthodoxy, which stand in stark contrast to feel-good nonsense of contemporary COEXISTence.
Higher Ground is there for you if you’re seeking guidance in today’s changing world. Everett Piper, a Ph.D. and a former university president and radio host, is writing an advice column for The Times, and he wants to hear from you. If you have any moral or ethical questions for which you’d like an answer, please email askeverett@washingtontimes.com, and he may include it in the column.
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