Are All Religions Basically the Same?

(Why That’s Like Saying All Chemotherapy Is the Same)

Many people today feel uncomfortable with religious differences.
We want harmony. We want peace. We don’t want arguments.
So it becomes easy to say, “Well… aren’t all religions basically the same? Aren’t they all teaching us to be good people?”

I understand the instinct behind that.
But here’s the truth: saying all religions are the same is a little like saying all chemotherapy is the same.

And as a physician, that comparison matters to me — because the moment you compare treatments, you realize the details are everything.

1. They all try to help — but not in the same way

Every form of chemotherapy is trying to save a life.
But oncologists never say, “Just pick whichever one feels right to you. They’re all the same anyway.”

Why not?

Because different cancers behave differently.
Different cancers require different medicines.
Different medicines have different mechanisms, side effects, risks, and success rates.

In other words:
the goals may be similar, but the treatments are not interchangeable.

Religion is similar.
Every religion is trying to answer humanity’s deepest questions:
– What’s wrong with the world?
– What’s wrong with us?
– How do we heal?
– What brings true peace?
– How do we find God (or ultimate reality)?

But the answers differ dramatically.

That doesn’t make them enemies.
It just makes them different.

2. Different diagnoses lead to different treatments

Imagine telling an oncologist:

“Cancer is cancer. Just give everyone the same chemo.”

They would look at you with confusion — maybe concern.

Because treatment depends on diagnosis.

A leukemia is not a sarcoma.
A lymphoma is not a breast cancer.
Even within the same cancer type, one specific mutation can change the entire treatment path.

In the same way, each religion diagnoses the human condition differently.

Buddhism says the problem is attachment and illusion.
Hinduism says the problem is ignorance of your divine self.
Islam says the problem is disobedience to God’s will.
Secular humanism says the problem is lack of education and opportunity.
Christianity says the problem is human sin — our deep moral and spiritual brokenness — and that we cannot fix it ourselves.

Those are not small differences.
They are entirely different diagnoses.

And different diagnoses require different cures.

3. Different religions offer different solutions — not just variations of the same thing

Once the diagnosis differs, the treatment cannot be the same.

Some religions say:
– Do more.
– Try harder.
– Purify yourself.
– Escape the cycle.
– Live by certain commandments.
– Improve yourself morally.

Christianity says something startlingly different:

You can’t cure the disease yourself.
God has to come for you, rescue you, and heal you.

It’s not “be good enough for God.”
It’s “God stepped into history to save you.”

That’s not a small distinction.
That is a fundamental difference — a different kind of treatment altogether.

4. If the stakes are high, the details matter

When someone has cancer, details become life-and-death.
People get second opinions, read studies, ask questions, and weigh outcomes.

Nobody says, “Whatever treatment you pick is true for you. It doesn’t matter.”

We don’t treat physical health that way.
Why would we treat spiritual truth — which addresses every part of what it means to be human — more lightly?

This is not about being dogmatic or arrogant.
It’s about being honest.

If two religions teach opposite truths —
• God is personal vs. God is impersonal
• God is one vs. God is many
• The universe is eternal vs. created
• Salvation is earned vs. salvation is given
• Jesus is God vs. Jesus is not God

— they can’t all be “the same.”
They may all hold pieces of the truth.
They may all have deep insights.
They may all share moral teachings.

But they are not interchangeable paths.

5. Taking differences seriously is a form of respect

If two cancer treatments are different, pretending they’re the same is not kindness — it’s negligence.

If two religions make different claims, pretending they’re identical isn’t tolerance — it’s dismissal.

Real respect says:
“I want to understand what you actually believe, not flatten it into something easier for me.”

Real curiosity says:
“If these differences matter, I should at least explore them.”

Taking differences seriously is not narrow-minded.
It’s thoughtful.
It’s humble.
It’s honest.
It’s what we do in every other important area of life.

6. So where does this leave us?

If all religions were truly the same, then exploring Christianity wouldn’t matter.

But because they address the human condition differently —
and because they offer fundamentally different paths —
it’s worth asking:

Which diagnosis makes the most sense of the world?
Which cure actually brings peace, hope, forgiveness, and transformation?
Which story feels big enough and true enough to live in?

I believe Christianity offers something uniquely compelling.
Not because other religions are wrong about everything — but because Christianity takes the human problem with extraordinary seriousness and offers a rescue unlike anything else.

But the point of this article isn’t just to defend Christianity.

It’s to say:
If the details matter in medicine, they probably matter in faith too.

So explore.
Ask questions.
Take the differences seriously.
You deserve more than “all religions are the same.”