The Empty Tomb Buries Religious Pluralism

As a Christian, I am often told that all religions are different ways to god. My first response to them is: What about the empty tomb of Jesus? Did Jesus rise from the dead or not? Either answer poses a difficult quagmire for the pluralist.

For decades, liberal secularists have been pushing the belief that all religious systems are equally valid. However in recent years, it exploded onto Capital Hill. One just needs to look at Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver’s (D-Mo)  opening prayer at the 117th Congress. Rep. Cleaver said: 

We ask it in the name of the monotheistic God, Brahma, and ‘god’ known by many names by many different faiths. Amen and awomen. (emphasis added)

This comment outraged many on the right who focused on Rep. Cleavers awkward use of the term “awoman.” In doing so he got a free pass on combining contradicting notions of “god.”

Another example of the attack on religious exclusivity was in 2017. Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vt) raged against Russel Vought, Former-President Donald Trump’s appointment to the White House Office of Management and Budget. Sen. Sanders challenged Vought’s Christian belief that Jesus was the only way to heaven. The Senator asked Vought:

[B]ut there are other people of different religions in this country and around the world. In your judgment, do you think that people who are not Christians are going to be condemned?

Vought tried to answer politely and stand up for his faith, which only infuriated Sen. Sanders. 

Both of these quotes illustrate how religious pluralism seeped into the highest levels of our culture. These pluralists do not tolerate any claims that there is only one way to god. Such a claim, they believe, would be ‘exclusive,’  because those who don’t follow your religion would not go to heaven. However, in pursuing such logic, the pluralist creates their own exclusive claim. 

The exclusive claim of the pluralist goes as follows: 

“All religions are equally valid, and all lead people to god.”

In making this claim, they invalidate Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Mormonism, Zoroastrianism, and the beliefs of Jehovah’s Whitnesses (to name a few). All of these religions believe they are the “one true religion” and “the only way to get to god/be saved.” In an effort to get everyone into heaven, the pluralist ends up throwing everyone out.

Even atheism and agnosticism are incompatible with the idea of religious pluralism. How can there be no god (atheism) or how can’t god be known (agnosticism) if all these religions claim to know that their gods exist? How can atheism and agnosticism both be true at the same time? Either god does not exist (therefore we know something about god) or we don’t know god (meaning he exists)?

Let’s take a deeper look at Christianity as an example:

Christianity is unique compared to other world religions because it’s main premise, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, is portrayed as a historical fact.  Christians believe that Jesus was a real person, who was crucified by the Romans and buried the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. In three days, the tomb was found empty, and Jesus was literally resurrected from the dead and appeared to many witnesses.

These facts pose a significant problem for religious pluralism. It leaves everyone with two options: Jesus did or did not raise from the dead.  Below we will look at how the empty tomb either disproves, or proves Christianity and how either option debunks religious pluralism.

Most historians, even ones who are skeptical of Christianity, recognize that Jesus’ tomb was empty on Easter Sunday. Also, almost all legitimate historical scholars recognize Jesus was a historical figure, even if they disagree with his divinity. Given these two facts, how can the empty tomb be explained?

1. The Tomb was Empty Because the Disciples Stole the Body.

The only legitimate reason for the tomb being empty besides a resurrection would be that Jesus’ body was stolen after it was buried. This was the excuse the Jewish religious leaders told the Roman guards to spread (Matthew 28:11-15, NIV). Early debates between Jewish scholars and church fathers also shows that this view was prevalent in the Jewish community, lending credence to the idea that the tomb was empty on Easter Sunday.

 According to the Apostle Paul, who was converted after seeing Jesus on the road to Damascus, “...if Christ had not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is our faith,” (1 Cor. 15:14, NIV). Later in that same chapter he said, “...if Christ has not been raised your faith is futile...,” (1 Cor. 15:17, NIV). Finally Paul said again, speaking that if the resurrection didn’t happen, “we are of all most to be pitied,” (1 Cor. 15:19, NIV). The Apostle Paul wrote this letter between 53 and 55 A.D. Such a statement from Paul shows how crucial the resurrection was to believers as early as 20 years after the death of Jesus. 

As Paul said, if Jesus did not rise from the dead (i.e. the disciples stole the body), Christianity is pointless. Not only that, Christianity would be evil! It would be based on a cruel lie that promised eternal life because it’s Messiah was raised from the dead. According to its own founders, if Jesus was not raised from the dead, Christianity is not true, and could not be a legitimate way to “god.”

1. The Tomb was Empty Because Jesus Rose from the Dead

The only other option afforded to those that deny that Jesus’ body was not stolen by his disciples would be to acknowledge that Jesus’ tomb was empty because he was resurrected. This is the view that all four Gospel accounts take. They each mention a resurrected Jesus appearing to various followers: Mary Magdalene (Matthew 28:1-10, NIV)(Luke 24:1-12, NIV)(John 20:11-18, NIV) , Mary his mother (Matthew 28: 1-10, NIV)(Luke 24:1-12, NIV) , two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:14-35, NIV) , and his disciples multiple times (Luke 24:36-34, NIV)(John 20:19-23, 26-30; 21:1-14, NIV)

In his epistle to the Corinthians, Paul records that Jesus appeared to over 500 people, some of whom were still living at the time of his writing (1 Corinthians 15:6, NIV). He also plainly states Jesus rose from the dead in  what some scholars think is an ancient creed stemming back to just 5 years after Jesus’ death:

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, NIV)

Remember, Paul wrote this letter within 20 years after the death and supposed resurrection of Jesus. This would be plenty of time for dissenters to try and disprove the resurrection, but no such evidence was ever provided.

Jesus’ empty tomb leaves no escape for those who believe in religious pluralism. Either Chrisitanity is false and based on a lie, or Jesus rose again from the dead and is the only way to God (John 14:6, NIV). If he rose from the dead, why wouldn’t we worship him? If he didn’t then why would we? The pluralists have no answer.