A question for CU's:
if a person was to ask: "Don't many paths lead to God?"
How would you respond?
I am asking this because i was thinking about ramifications if CU is true. Hindus, buddhists, satanists, for that matter, will all ultimately be with Jesus. presumably a hindu who hasnt heard anything about jesus would need to spend very little time being "corrected" before they see the light that they had never been properly presented with.
I think each individual has their own path that leads to God. Each one of us on this forum came to Christ by a different path. But that path ultimately
does lead to Jesus. There is a narrow path and a wide path, which is sort of like, "You can pay me now, or you can pay me later." The wide path leads to destruction, yet, I believe, through that destruction one is restored to Christ.
On the point of Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, etc., I believe that many (perhaps most) will, after they die, stand before Jesus and exclaim, "Ah it was you all along!"
I don't base my theology upon children's books, but your question reminded me of a scene that takes place in the book The Last Battle (from The Chronicles of Narnia) by C.S. Lewis. Emeth, a Calormene soldier, speaks of his encounter with Aslan. The Calormenes worship the god Tash:
So I went over much grass and many flowers and among all kinds of wholesome and delectable trees till lo! in a narrow place between two rocks there came to meet me a great Lion. The speed of him was like the ostrich, and his size as an elephant’s; his hair was like pure gold and the brightness of his eyes like gold that is liquid in the furnace. He was more terrible than the Flaming Mountain of Lagour, and in beauty he surpassed all that is in the world even as the rose in bloom surpasses the dust of the desert. Then I fell at his feet and thought, "Surely this is the hour of death, for the Lion (who is worthy of all honor) will know that I have served Tash all my days and not him. Nevertheless, it is better to see the Lion and die than to be Tisroc of the world and live and not to have seen him." But the Glorious One bent down his golden head and touched my forehead with his tongue and said, "Son, thou art welcome." But I said, "Alas Lord, I am no son of thine but the servant of Tash." He answered, "Child, all the service thou hast done to Tash, I account as service done to me." Then by reasons of my great desire for wisdom and understanding, I overcame my fear and questioned the Glorious One and said, "Lord, is it then true, as the Ape said, that thou and Tash are one?" The Lion growled so that the earth shook (but his wrath was not against me) and said, "It is false. Not because he and I are one, but because we are opposites, I take to me the services which thou hast done to him. For I and he are of such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him. Therefore if any man swear by Tash and keep his oath for the oath’s sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him. And if any man do a cruelty in my name, then, though he says the name Aslan, it is Tash whom he serves and by Tash his deed is accepted. Dost thou understand, Child?" I said, "Lord, thou knowest how much I understand." But I said also (for the truth constrained me), "Yet, I have been seeking Tash all my days." "Beloved," said the Glorious One, "unless the desire had been for me thou wouldst not have sought so long and so truly. For all find what they truly seek."
The old saying is that "all truth is God's truth". I believe that there is much truth in other religions, but their pictures are incomplete and distorted because they are missing the essential component: Christ. Rather than contest with an adherent to another religion about which one is right and which one is wrong, I'd rather just talk to them about Jesus.
And regarding Acts 4:12-- Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.--- does a CU simply add an implicit "during this life" to the end of this verse? You might say that Jesus is in fact the only name that will bring reconciliation, but Peter seemed to be preaching rather urgently that they had to accept Christ NOW. i am not a greek expert. but the english wording of the sentence, particularly the part i underlined, seems to put some requirement on people in this life-- i.e we MUST be saved by calling on Jesus. If CU is true, this is not a true statement, unless you push the acceptance of Christ past the point of physical death. I realize that you believe that this is indeed possible, but gee whiz, the verse doesnt say anything about that.
I think with Acts 4:12 we need to begin by looking at the immediate historical context. Peter is speaking to the Jewish Sanhedrin, the very same body that had Jesus killed. They knew Jesus. They had seen Him face-to-face and had spoken with Him and had witnessed His miracles. Jesus was, to them, a very real person.
I don't know if Peter and John realized it, but within a few decades the temple in which they were standing would be destroyed by Roman armies. The entire temple system would cease to exist, as would the Sadducee party and priestly function. These were the people to whom Peter and John were directly speaking. Their entire power base was about to collapse.
We know from history that it was the Christians who understood the "sign of the times" and fled Jerusalem before the Roman armies laid siege. The followers of Jesus were saved from that calamity.
Does that mean Peter's words were only for the original hearers? No, we can move outward from the original historical context of Acts 4:12 and the words still apply, but I believe there was a definite temporal immediacy about what Peter said and who he said it to.
I do believe that there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. However, I believe that ultimately that salvation is an accomplished fact. The variable is how long and hard a road one takes to get there.
I'm beginning to understand more and more what we are dealing with here. You have indicated that the stories of Adam and Noah are "epic myths", if I'm not mistaken. And I regard the Bible as containing an historical account of actual things that have happened in space and time. Facts. 