Should we accept as true religion what Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all agree on?

on Jan 9, 2026

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: Yale Divinity School posted an article that claimed, “Pluralism is the most tenable option … God is merciful and loving according to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.” The conclusion is that we should accept as true religion what they all agree on. Isn’t this rather dangerous? – D.B.

A: A remarkable fact for all seekers of God is that belief in some kind of god is practically universal. Whatever period of history or culture we examine, all peoples, primitive or modern, acknowledge some kind of deity. Archaeology has unearthed the ruins of many ancient civilizations, but none has ever been found that did not yield some evidence of a god who was worshiped.

Man has worshiped the sun and carved idols. Man has worshiped a set of rules, animals, and other men. Some seem to worship themselves. Man has made gods out of his imagination, although basically, through a fog of confusion, he believes that God does exist. Some people give up the pursuit of God in frustration, calling themselves “atheists” or “agnostics,” professing to be irreligious. Instead, they find it necessary to fill the vacuum left within them with some other kind of deity. Therefore, man makes his own “god” – money, work, success, fame, sex, alcohol, even food.

Today, many use their nation as an object of worship, espousing the gospel of nationalism; some search for peace in the occult. Others who fail to find the true God declare their allegiance to various causes. Some find unity in believing “all things” regardless of contradiction. The Bible says, “Test all things” (1 Thessalonians 5:21) so that peace from God will come. God has placed in the hearts of people a desire for fellowship with Him, and the first commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30, NKJV).

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)