Many Roads to Rome
Christians love to talk about their denominations and find differences. Lock a Catholic, a Baptist and a nondenominational Christian in a room, and tell them they will not be able to leave the room until a sermon is written that they all agree on. Then, go get a pizza and several movies because they will be in that room for a long time.
Many Christians seem to focus on the differences between denominations at the expense of remembering that all Christians are just that: Christians. Protestants seem to enjoy declaring that Catholics are not Christians at all but are Mary-worshipping idolaters. Catholics, in turn, swear that Protestants are all heathens and going to hell. Nondenominational churches pat themselves on the back and claim that they are above all that denominational nonsenses while Orthodox churches look down on the squabbling with careful aloofness. None of this is practical or how Christ was hoping for believers to act.
Christians need to remember that all Christians are serving the same God, the same Lord and are saved by the same Savior. Denominations are lines drawn by humans, and frankly, most Christians do not know their own denomination’s doctrine well enough to distinguish it from another denomination’s doctrine. Put Lutheran and Presbyterian doctrines side by side and ask the average member from either congregation to point out which is which. Odds are, the person will be guessing blindly. With this in mind, why are Christians so determined to keep squabbling over denominations instead of recognizing that everyone has their own way of serving God?
This idea that there are many roads that lead to salvation is a core doctrine in Hinduism. Hinduism has many deities who are interrelated. Krishna, for example, is worshipped both as an incarnation of Vishnu by some people and the Supreme God in his own right by others. Shiva is sometimes worshipped alone and sometimes as part of the Triumvirate of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Lakshmi has followers of her own as well as those that see her as the wife of Vishnu. Hindus do not, however, tend to dismiss each other like Christians of other denominations do. Hindus see all Hindus as following the correct path. They feel that other paths simply take a little longer than the one they are following.