I am obviously either naive or stupid.
One day back in my university days, I was talking to a young man who was in training for ministry. We were having a great chin wag. During our conversation we turned to how we could know God. My answer was, I felt, simple and straight forward - ‘Jesus’ I replied. To my surprise, a look of some astonishment came over his face. I began to worry. Had I left my fly undone? had someone shaved my eyebrows off the last time I had had a few drinks too many? I began to sweat. Then he began to give a small laugh. I had had my eyebrows shaved off!
‘No, no, no, no. . . . there are many ways to God’
That was a relief, I didn’t look stupid after all. . . .
Wait a minute . . . . . wasn’t this person training for Christian ministry.
Obviously, I had misheard, so I clarified my position.
‘No, through Jesus - the bible says so’
I get a strange look. Oblivious to the fact that I was gradually sounding stupider, I continued
‘You know ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’ stuff ‘no one comes to the father except through me’ It’s stuff Jesus said somewhere in the NT’. I had no idea where. I Hadn't read it much
That was a biblical statement, surely that must clarify the subject
‘But David, how are we to know what that really means?’
I began to think that clearly, I was in fact really stupid. I paused and thought to myself. It means that Jesus is the way. Jesus is the truth, and Jesus is the life. No one can come to the father (which is God) except through Jesus. It all seemed too obvious for there to be any room for disagreement, particularly amongst Christians.
‘Besides, its only a proof text’
A rather blank look came across my face - I was stuck for words
Perhaps this person, who had much more theological training than I had, knew something I wasn’t being told. - He hadn’t
Sadly, I think the problem was that I knew someone who he didn’t.
It was on this day that I realised that there was an element of truth in the ‘Yes Prime Minister’ episode, when Humphrey explains to the PM that belief in God was optional for anyone who thought they might like to be a Bishop.
I have come to understand that the fundamentals of Christianity, such as the physical resurrection of Jesus, that he died to atone for our sins, that he was God, and that he will come again to judge the earth and that the bible is the inspired word of God, are not necessarily held by those who go under the banner of Christians. I thought it was all a bit inseparable.

Clearly, one of us had to be wrong. To say there is ‘One way’ clearly contradicts the statement that there are a few probable ways which then contradicts the statement that there a so many ways, that you’d have to be completely oblivious to what was going on to miss the boat. What is the problem here? Why do so many  people, who are happy to accept a large quantity of Jesus’ teaching, are unable to handle his claims to uniqueness.

There appear to be several reasons why many people in Australia are reluctant to admit to the truth of Christ’s own words that he alone is the way to the Father. Some of these reasons have some validity, but their basis tends to rest on human example.
 

1. Longevity of world religions.
‘As many other world religions have been around for so long, then there must be some validity to them. If not, millions of people would have died not knowing that they were following a false track’.

Response: Yes. In many religions, there is an element of truth. Some religions, perhaps through the grace of God pick up rather large chunks of truth. However, large chunks of truth do not make something true when there is ‘half-truths’ and deception within a religious framework. Satan is described as ‘a murderer from the beginning’ and ‘the Father of lies’ (John 8:44), masquerading as an ‘angel of light’. This is serious stuff. Of course Satan wants people to be deceived; the best way to deceive someone is to let them think they don’t have a problem
 

2. Arrogance.
This argument goes ‘It is an arrogant view that ‘my understanding of God is the truth and anything not in accordance with it by definition cannot be true.’
So what is arrogance? Words such as dogmatic and arrogant describe how a personal relates to another person. You may have had arrogant teachers; what they taught may have been true, but their manner was off putting. Arrogance is presenting certain ‘facts’ in a way that shows that you are very stupid believing your ‘facts’. I am right, you are very wrong.

Response: When I am sharing what I believe are truths about God, I can only share that which I can comprehend from revelation as a fallen human being. What I share about God, while being ‘true’ in the end, is only part of the whole picture of God. ‘Who can comprehend the mind of God.’ In the end, it is the spirits working through us that gives power to our proclamation, not how much I can cram into my human brain. We have a revelation from God, and it is not an act of arrogance to present that which has been revealed. We are called to present our facts in a humble and caring manner.
 

3. Sincerity.
This goes ‘Those who are very devout in the pursuit of their own religion will be honoured by God.’
We have become more aware of how sincere and devout many followers of other religions are through Australia becoming Multicultural. In the days of White Australia, most Australians would have looked down on the followers of other religions as being naive and stupid. Now we almost go to the other extreme where anyone with a belief is to be encouraged.

Response: Though we sincerely believe something, we can still be wrong. Take the example of Superman. Many children sincerely thought that if they dressed up, they would be able to fly like superman. They had read about it, they had seen it, in many cases, no one told them it wouldn’t work. So God, who is loving and just, watched small Children who sincerely believed they could fly, jump out of windows, trees, and off of roof tops, fall, and suffer injuries and occasionally die.
 

4. Lack of mass conversions.
Over the centuries, so few people have been converted from their traditional religion to Christianity

It is true that traditionally, a many people stay in the religion (or even denomination) that they were born into. There’s a few probable reasons behind this. Sticking with what you know, not being aware of alternatives, cultural pressures, a sense of betrayal from family members if someone turns their back on their traditional religion all stop cross religion conversions.

While Christianity has not wiped out other religions, or prevented new ones from emerging, people throughout the ages have been converted from other religions; sometimes in large numbers, sometimes one by one. We try and avoid those evangelistic methods that are guaranteed instant responses; the ‘believe or I will kill you approach’. Has been used in the Islamic world.
 

5. A poor example.
Christianity has not lived up to biblical expectations and has failed to be the witness it should to the almighty God that the bible refers to.

Yes - too right we haven’t. We, along with every other ‘religion’ fail in our attempts to stick to the masters ethical principles. Islam often equates ‘western society’ and it’s lack of morals with Christianity. In the Islamic mind, the two are inseparable. Just as well we’re saved by who we know, not what we do.
 

6. We need them like they need us.
Christianity has influenced world religions and given them a new enthusiasm this century.
Therefore, if they can learn from us, then we can learn from them. Other religions will help us understand better God’s revelations.
Yes, Christian influences have kept some religions going - Oxford scholars and Zen Buddhism. Can we learn from their piety? People often say, ‘we could learn so much from Buddhism’ Can we? They may have some good questions, but do they have any answers. Salvation by good works and attitude are excluded by Christ. Their meditation involves a complete emptying of the self. Who knows what will sneak in? Compare this with Christian meditation with it’s focus on Christ.
 

But,
If we begin to be reluctant in admitting the truth of these words of Jesus, how much more is untrustworthy? Should we trust anything that he is recorded as saying. If we can’t handle this, perhaps everything should be discarded. Perhaps we should only view him as a good man whose example we could do well to follow.

Or, ‘Perhaps he never said this and the record is inaccurate’
If this is true, then we have to wonder what came over the apostles. They certainly believed it. Some of these men we good Jewish boys who would daily confess that Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel, was one, and that they were completely devoted to him. Clearly They took Jesus at his word, and re-defined the God who is one as a trinity, consisting of three persons. The apostles believed it, the early church believed it, and spent much of the first three centuries suffering torture, providing food for wild animals (lions), or general suffering in other ways. You would not put yourself through this unless you were certain about what you were following.

On the other hand, perhaps he was deluding himself - he was a phony. If he was deluding himself, then we cannot trust anything else he said, and the whole Christian faith collapses. However, His words don’t come across to me as those of an insane man. On the contrary, several times he gave very clever answers that got him out of tight corners.

Other option; He is Lord! The records are right, he knew what he was talking about. That’s what it all boils down to. If this it true, we have to do something about it. Accept it, take it on board, and live under the rule of Jesus. If not, we discard the whole lot, and look elsewhere.
 

In conclusion:

That’s a load of  individual answers, but how do we apply this across the spectrum.
What do we do with these concerns?

Perhaps we could admit the necessity of Jesus’ death on the cross, but declare it as being applicable to all people in all places over all time, regardless of whether they ever knew anything about Christ. The only ones excluded from eternal life would be those who clearly reject Christ. This type of thought is very appealing to our human nature. Of course we want everyone to be with God. This may well be applicable for some categories of people; those who die at a very young age, those with severe mental handicaps, or those Paul speaks about in the first two chapters of Romans.

But we are not told expressly whether eternal life is granted to those who have died without ever knowing about him as revealed in Christ. We may think they are all dammed, perhaps Jesus picked up a few repentant souls who came before him on his quick trip to the place of the dead. In the end, it remains one of those mysteries where there is no quick and simple answer.

What we do know, is that regardless of how God views such people, we have a responsibility to take the message of the gospel to the whole world. It is not in our job descriptions to be the judge of others or ponder their eternal destiny. We are Christ’s representatives in this world. The great commission is clear in its instructions that the gospel is for the whole world. The church exists as God’s witnessing presence in the world. If we don’t take up this challenge, the church becomes little more than a mutual caring society.

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The overhead transperancy
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Jesus said;
‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Is this a real problem, or are our concerns wasted?

World religions have been around a long time.
 Surely they must have some truth.

Arrogance.
 Isn’t this a bit on the arrogant side.

Sincerity.
 Won’t God reward sincere religious people

Total conversions.
 We haven’t had mass conversions from other religions

Example.
 Those Christians area a very poor one.

Dependency.
  We need them like they need us.
 

But then,
     perhaps we got it wrong
     perhaps he got it wrong
     perhaps God is trying to tell us something here!