Which is why a couple of analogies given by Jesus’ people in India are especially helpful for those of us who want to uphold the singularity of Jesus while having unconditional love for people from other perspectives.
Analogy #1
If you want to get from Bhubaneswar to Chennai (OK, we might say it ‘from Atlanta to Charlotte’) you can go via plane, train, or air.
However, if you want to go from Chennai to the moon, there is only one way: rocket.
In the same way, the religions of the world can help us arrive at different places of meaning and beauty here. However, for access to the Father, there is one way: through the Son.
Analogy #2
The moon gives us reflected light. It doesn’t generate its own light; it merely reflects light from the sun. That reflected light gives the moon its haunting beauty.
Religions all contain a certain amount of reflected light.
In contrast, Jesus IS the light. He doesn’t reflect the light of anyone or anything. He “dwells in unapproachable light” (I Timothy 6:16) and is the sole source of that light’s generation.
I jotted both of those gems down and upon arrival back home, put them immediately in my “Comparative Religions” file. Speaking of files like that one, tune in tomorrow . . .