Invitation to Ahmadiyyat — Page 164
164 it cannot be correct to say that they are different paths leading to the same God. The second objection to the Hindu doctrine is that while they see their religion as superior to all the others, they also say that it is the most ancient religion. However, no sane mind can accept that God revealed the best religion first and lesser religions afterwards. If man, in his initial stages, had been able to receive and benefit from a perfect teaching, why would God reveal lesser religions later on when mankind had become more advanced in its knowl - edge and understanding? It is more reasonable to believe that the religion that comes afterwards is superior than, if not equal to, the religion that came before. So formidable were these objections that the proponents of the doctrine could not answer them, and the question remained as to what provisions God had made for the guidance of mankind since the beginning of the world. The Christian solution to the problem of conflicting religious beliefs was to contend that since God had invited the whole world towards guidance through Jesus Christ, the Christian faith could not be accused of bigotry. This solution also did not work as it did not answer the vital question of what were the means that God had adopted for the guidance of mankind before the coming of Jesus. The Bible tells us that Jesus came only for his own people and that his teachings were not for anyone else. Later Christians, however, opened the doors to others. Yet, the question remains as to what provisions had God made for guiding millions of people who had lived before him? The question remained unanswered and was inwardly gnaw - ing at people’s minds when the Promised Messiah as turned to the