Pope Francis and The Many Paths to God: Heretic or Mystic?
Francis’s statement may seem to deny the incompatibility of these religions. But, when viewed through the lens of mysticism, his words are far from heretical.
At the recent Together in Unity Hope event in Singapore, Pope Francis sparked a theological firestorm with a few simple but powerful words: the world’s great religions, he suggested, are different paths to the same God.
“One of the things that struck me today is your ability to engage in inter-religious dialogue. This is very important. Because if we start to fight amongst ourselves and say, “My religion is more important than yours; my religion is true yours is not.” Where will that lead us? Yes, it’s okay to discuss because every religion is a way to arrive at God. Sort of a comparison as an example would be that they are sort of like different languages to arrive at God. But God is God for all. And if God is God for all then we’re all sons and daughters of God. “But my God is more important than your god” Is that true? There is only one God and each one has a language, so to speak, in order to arrive at God. Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, they are different paths. Understood?” (see the full interaction in the video below)
You can imagine the response: waves of criticism, predominantly from upholders of doctrinal “orthodoxy”.
Opponents of Francis argue Christianity rejects universalism, which Francis’s comments seem to endorse. Some have gone so far as to call him a heretic, a “false" prophet”, and accuse him of leading the faithful astray. The central question remains: How wrong is Pope Francis?
To answer that, we must look beyond the surface, because there are substantial differences among the religions Francis mentions. Sikhs believe in the Wareguru, Muslims in Allah, Hindus in Brahman, and Christians in the Holy Trinity (Godhead).
These religions, as they are typically understood, present mutually exclusive claims about God, existence, and salvation. So why would the Pope, the head of the Catholic Church, suggest something as radical as multiple paths to God?
One God, many paths
Francis understands that there is only One God—not in the numerical sense but in the ontological sense of being without part, simple, and total Oneness. As Francis says,
There is only one God and each one has a language, so to speak, in order to arrive at God.
Consider how Christians, Muslims and Hindus understand God1:
For Christians, God (YHWH) is Ipsum Esse Susbsitens. Thomas Aquinas explains that God is not a being among beings, but the one whose essence and existence are identical, Being Itself.
For Muslims, God (Allah) is the Necessary Being. Ibn Sina otherwise known as Avicenna in the West, one of the greatest Islamic philosophers, articulates that if anything contingent exists, then a Necessary Being must exist as the sustainer. And this Being must be God.
For Hindus, God (Brahman) is Ultimate Reality, the Infinite source of all that exists. In the Gita we find:
I am the source of everything; everything proceeds from me (10: 8).
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