Questions & Answers

The clearly consistent pattern we find in the Bible is the privilege and responsibility to appraise all religious views that we come into contact with and then to respond to those views by speaking the truth in love. When we find that the religious views of others are in agreement with the Bible message (especially when they are centered in Christ and his work, faithfully pointing sinners to God's gracious pardon of sinners based totally on Christ's work), then we rejoice and affirm the truth. However, when we find that the religious views of others involve departures or denials of Bible truths, we are to expose the errors as errors and lovingly warn the people of the dangers of falsehood. And when we examine and discover that someone's religious views are a combination of truth and error, we affirm and rejoice in the truth but then identify and expose the error at the same time. The goal is always to strive, in love, to serve the religious needs of others by pointing them to God's truth and warning them against departures from God's truth.

You use the words "mock" and "bash." These are not the kind of words that describe what a child of God does in love to serve souls. Mockery and ridicule do not build people up and do not communicate love. You also use the word "judge." Of course we judge religious teachings in the sense that we appraise them and approve of them (to the degree that they faithfully echo what the Bible teaches) or reject them (to the degree that they deny or depart from Bible truth). God urges to "judge" doctrine and religious practice in that sense. But we are not to "judge" lovelessly or hypocritically, with an attitude of superiority or arrogance, thinking that we are better people. We desire to give God glory and serve souls, not to glorify ourselves at the expense of others or somehow to give the impression that we are more worthy than others. Let us speak the truth in love and in that way serve fellow sinners by pointing them to the gracious Lord who through Christ has provided salvation for us all.