In my work of evangelization, I have found that my greatest enemy is not hatred of the Catholic Faith, but apathy. I constantly encounter Catholics who may love their Faith, but they do not believe that it is in any way superior – or more true – than any other religion. They believe that just about any major religion will get you to heaven, as long as you practice it sincerely. Thus, what is the point of evangelization? If there is no bad news – i.e. everyone is not “okay” – there is no reason to preach the Good News. Why bother telling people about the Good News of Jesus Christ if they already have the “good news” of Muhammad or Buddha?

Newsweek recently ran an article which shows that my anecdotal evidence is all too accurate in getting the pulse of American Christians. Provocatively titled, “We Are All Hindus Now ^[1]“, it states:

The Rig Veda, the most ancient Hindu scripture, says this: “Truth is One, but the sages speak of it by many names.” A Hindu believes there are many paths to God. Jesus is one way, the Qur’an is another, yoga practice is a third. None is better than any other; all are equal. The most traditional, conservative Christians have not been taught to think like this. They learn in Sunday school that their religion is true, and others are false. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.”

Americans are no longer buying it. According to a 2008 Pew Forum survey, 65 percent of us believe that “many religions can lead to eternal life”—including 37 percent of white evangelicals, the group most likely to believe that salvation is theirs alone. Also, the number of people who seek spiritual truth outside church is growing.

This is a serious problem. The underlying assumption of the entire Gospel is that we are lost without God. Thus, we need the medicine He gives us through His Son, Jesus Christ. If we do not believe that we – and our neighbors – are sick, we will never go to the Divine Physician, nor encourage others to do so.

St. Paul, pray for us!