Why Religions Aren’t All Just “paths up the same mountain.”
“Different philosophies and religions may seem to conflict, Johnny, but they’re all just different paths up the mountain.”
So says __insert wise figure__. What this means is that there is a metaphysical reality or Truth which transcends all religions and philosophies. Each of these belief systems is a particular expression of some Ultimate Reality which is indescribable in and of itself. All knowledge has grown from this Truth. Such a perspective is called perennialism, or the perennial philosophy.
This idea has appeal, especially when expressed with a mountaineering metaphor. There is something primal about hiking in nature, the sense of journey, and accomplishment that comes from scaling a summit with its broad and majestic views.
Indeed, it would be hard to deny that many religions and belief systems have commonalities. For example, there are the beliefs in human dignity, creation, and the similarities in experiences of transcending ego.
And the idea of a deeper, broader truth isn’t a new concept touted post-Enlightenment by New Age thinkers. Serious Renaissance humanists such as the philosophers Marsilio Ficino and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola sought to unify Aristotelianism and Neoplatonism with aspects of the great religions. Versions of perennials existed in the 1800s before it was popularised by Aldous Huxley.
Yet I can’t help but find it simplistic.
In some sense I do think it’s true. Firstly, we all experience aspects of physical reality, which is independent of our subjective experience, so there must be some kind of independent explanation for various experiences of transcendence. This could, of course, be naturalistic.
Secondly, Ultimate Reality, God or Infinity or what have you is, by definition, so far beyond human understanding that language will always fail to perfectly capture it. Therefore, the various religions may all be describing “the same thing”, but reflected in different cultures and languages.
But saying that all religions and philosophies are like the same paths up a mountain can be misleading and disrespectful to the intellectual depth of each of the traditions. Would a scholar of Islamic jurisprudence think that his religion is an equal expression of divine realities in the same vein as a seaside Zen Buddhist monk?
The mountain metaphor can also encourage laziness and lack of self-criticism. Imagine someone poses a challenge to your belief system, but you don’t take it too seriously because you’re each just two travelers “on the same path.” You gloss over the conflicts, which may even be serious conflicts in logic or core beliefs, such as the belief in time being eternal or not. Or someone could fail to seriously weigh up different philosophies and moral traditions, instead dismissing their nuances as quirks or particularities that are swept aside in the universalist claim.
We have to be careful which “paths” we’re talking about here. Few would claim that the major religions, or ancient philosophies such as Stoicism that find resonance with modern audiences and psychology, aren’t acknowledged paths “up the mountain.” But what about when a lesser-known religion or breakaway sect devolves into becoming cult-like? The mountain metaphor could accidentally confer legitimacy on such interpretations which are shaky at best, or serpents hiding under roses at their worst.
If what these people are saying is that the summit contains some ultimate moral truth, such as kindness or the Golden Rule, then this is such a bland and self-evident commonality among religions. Of course, these different paths will all teach you how to be a good person. And yes, on the face of it, they may even bring experiences of transcendence as well.
But the experience of transcendence is not the same as knowing the Truth. Just because people around the world and throughout time have had mystical moments, does not mean that it doesn’t matter which path you take, because you’ll “have such feelings regardless.” No, it’s not the feeling that matters, but the epistemological content of these moments — the actual truth to which they point. Knowing is not the same as feeling.
I don’t know what “the right path” is, as I’m inspired by a number of religious and philosophical traditions. I just hope that whichever mountains I’m claiming can humble me and motivate me to pursue truth, wonder and service to humanity.
