picking the scab of organized religion - again

[anotheranon]

Attn: hadesgirl and patgreene in particular, 'cos I know that y'all will have some intelligent and insightful things to say:

I find this Boston Globe article, Warring With God interesting if only for this one bit:

It was unfashionable of him [General Boykin, who made the "my god was bigger than his god" noises last week] to speak aloud the implications of his "abiding faith," but exclusivist claims made for Jesus Christ by most Christians, from Vatican corridors to evangelical revival tents, implicitly insult the religion of others. When Catholics speak of "salvation" only through Jesus, or when Protestants limit "justification" to faith in Jesus, aspersions are cast on the entire non-Christian world.

This is another reason why I don't identify with Christianity, or with any one faith in particular - I don't think Jesus, Mohammed, or anyone else has cornered the market on The Way, so I find it difficult to accept Jesus Christ (or anyone else) as my personal savior, etc. when other faiths and philosophies have just as much to offer.

So I put it to those of y'all who do adhere to a particular religion - what has your religious leader got that the rest don't? And how do you respond to questions like the above, that accepting a single religious personage as The One is inherently insulting to other faiths?

Disclaimer: Despite my subject line, I don't mean this post to be insulting or condescending in any way - I am genuinely curious, and eager to start debate.

Comments

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

However, "pragmatic moderates" are less likely to display extremes of commitment, nor are they likely to be as willing to fight for their beliefs (figuratively or not), so they don't get as much publicity or as much consideration.

Very true - moderation is kind of self-explanatory - moderate believers aren't going to go out of their way to draw attention to their beliefs, or attempt to push them on anyone else. I guess as such, it's folks like Boykin who get all the press - people who quietly go to church on Sunday and say their prayers in private don't make for a good story :/