Does the Following Metaphor Adequately explain Religious Differences?

Three blind men were touching an elephant. The first blind man was holding the elephant’s leg. He said, “I think an elephant is like the truck of a great tree.” The second blind man disagreed. While holding the elephant’s trunk he said, “I believe an elephant is like a large snake,” The third blind man believed they were both wrong. “An elephant is like a great wall,” he exclaimed. He was touching the elephant’s side. Each blind man was convinced he was right and others were wrong without ever realising they were all touching the same elephant. Some believe the blind men in this parable represent the major religions of the world, each in contact with the same “elephant” without knowing it.

Evaluation (can be handed out later)

Yet, how do we know these blind men were all describing the same elephant? What if the first blind man, while holding an oak tree said, “I think an elephant is like the truck of a great tree.” Then imagine the second blind man, who was actually holding a fire hose claimed, “No, I believe an elephant is like a snake.” What if the third blind man, while touching the side of the Sear’s Tower in downtown Chicago asserted, “I think you are both wrong; an elephant is like a great wall.” This story has a critical flaw–it assumes the very thing it allegedly proves–namely, that all three blind men were touching an elephant.

Furthermore, the situation depicted in this is parable does not really describe the worlds religions. None of blind mens’ descriptions were contradictory. They were merely different. But what if each of the blind men made statements about an (alleged) elephant which actually contradicted the claims of the others? Would it still be plausible to believe they are all describing the same elephant? How much contradiction would be required in their accounts before it would become obvious that they were not describing the same elephant? A similar question can be asked of Hick’s hypothesis. In light of the conflicting truth-claims of various religions make, is it really plausible to accept Hick’s claim that all religions are manifestations of the same ultimate reality?