In response to his claims that non-pluralistic religious believers are being arrogant, irrational, or arbitrary in believing that one religion (theirs) is the most true one, it has been pointed out that Hick too, as a religious pluralist, holds views which are inconsistent with many or most religions, seemingly preferring his own insights or experiences to theirs, which would, by Hicks own lights, be just as arrogant, irrational, or arbitrary. Facts and Theories of Religious Diversity, Abe, Masao. Scholars distinguish seven aspects of religious traditions: the doctrinal and philosophical, the mythic and narrative, the ethical and legal, the ritual and practical, the experiential and emotional, the social and organizational, and the material and artistic. This diversity is increasing, even in communities that have previously been relatively homogeneous. Diversity is a wide array of people that come from different backgrounds, lifestyles, social experiences, races, and religions. (Dupuis 2001; Burton 2010), Historically, Jewish intellectuals have usually adopted an inclusivist rather than an exclusivist view about other religions. Instead, it is the view that all religions are valid, meaning that they have some degree of (some kind of) value. However, his theory seems to depend crucially on the existence of many human problems, each of which may be solved by participation in some religion or other. 1939), have formulated various pluralist theories. (Stenmark 2009) He does not advocate this view, but explores it as an alternative to exclusivism, inclusivism, and Hickian identist pluralism. In this and in a later book Heim asserts that such a plurality of ordained religious goals is implied by the doctrine of the Trinity. Research on religious diversity has found that when the percentage of a dominant religion and religious diversity are both included, the proportion of the dominant religion is an arithmetic component of the religious diversity measure (Chaves and Gorski 2001; Olson 1999), resulting in a misspecified model. (b. Appropriating Immanuel Kants distinction between phenomena, how things appear, and noumena, things in themselves, Hick postulated that the Real is ineffable and is not directly experienced by anyone. A muted ally in this was the influential religious scholar Mircea Eliade (1907-86), whose work focused on comparing mythologies, and on what he viewed as an important, primitive religious outlook, which separates things into the sacred and the profane. Diversity refers to all of the ways in which people differ, including primary characteristics, such as age, race, gender, ethnicity, mental and physical abilities, and sexual orientation; and secondary characteristics, such as nationality, education, income, religion, work experience, language skills, geographic location, family status, This view has not been widely accepted because the Process theology and philosophy on which it is based has not been widely accepted. The Politics and Practice of Religious Diversity engages with one of the most characteristic features of modern society. Cobb and Griffin assume that there is no supernatural intervention (any miraculous interruption of the ordinary course of nature) by God or other beings. All the theories discussed in this article are ways that (usually religious) people regard other religions, but here we discuss them abstractly, without descending much into the details of how they would be worked out in the teachings and practices of any one religion. Monotheistic religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam agree that there is a sole God. Although many traditional Protestant Christians hold some form of exclusivism, others favor an inclusivism much like Rahners. Similarly, in Christianity, one must realize that ones self is a sinner in need of Gods grace. While Smiths view rests on belief in an impersonal Ultimate, other versions of core pluralism rest upon monotheism. While this trichotomy is sometimes thought of in terms of general attitudes that a religious person may have towards other religionsapproximately the attitudes of rejection, limited openness, and wide acceptance respectivelyin this article they figure as theories concerning the facts of religious diversity. Still other Catholic theologians have found these moves to be positive but not nearly different enough from the more pessimistic sort of exclusivism. Further, it respects and does not try to eliminate all these differences, and so makes genuine dialogue between members of the religions possible. Such theologians, prominently Hans Kng (b. If a religion cures only a shallow, derivative human problem, leaving the deeper problem intact, then what it offers would not deserve the name salvation, for it would leave those who achieve it still in need of the cure. pregnancy and maternity. Some practices seem compatible, such as church attendance and mindfulness meditation. In principle, it would seem that an exclusivist or inclusivist may have all or most of the good qualities, and one who accepts a theory of religious pluralism may have all or most of the bad qualities. The Religious Diversity Index is divided into four ranges: very high (the top 5% of scores), high (the next highest 15% of scores, which works out to 16% because of tie scores), moderate (the next 20% of scores) and low (the bottom 59% of scores). RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY. It attracted widespread discussion and criticism, and Hick has engaged in a spirited debate with all comers. Physical appearance becomes a way of allowing particular groups of people to feel that they are . The latter two classes of beings, but not the first, may be described as personal.. Has Normative Religious Pluralism a Rationale?. At bare minimum, the slogan that all religions are true means that all religions are in some way directed towards one Truth, where this is understood as an ultimate reality. Insofar as they in good conscience practice what is good in their religion, people in other religions receive Gods grace and are anonymous Christians, people who are being saved through Christ, though they do not realize it. The underlying metaphysics here is that of process philosophy, in which events are the basic or fundamental units of reality. 7; Griffin 2005b). But these lesser ways should and eventually will give way to Christianity, the truest religion, intended for all humankind. A vast diversity of religious and spiritual traditions exists, and your clients may be affiliated with any of them. Starting as a traditional, non-pluralistic Christian, Hick attended religious meetings and studied with people of other religions. For example, both Christians and Buddhists have adopted religious-diversity-celebrating rhetoric while clearly denying anything described above in this article as a kind of pluralism about religious diversity. Buddhism has long been very doctrinally diverse, and many schools of Buddhism argue that theirs is the truest teaching or the best practice, while other versions of the dharma are less true or less conducive to getting the cure, and have now been superseded. Importantly, he construes the various religious goals as experiences obtaining in this life and continuing beyond. This means making sure each employee is treated equally. Religious diversity - differences within and between religious groups in a society - has re-entered the sociology of religion in new and powerful ways. (McDermott and Netland 2014) Other Protestants choose forms of inclusivism similar to Rahners (see 4b below). From African Americans to Russian Americans . Given that it is ineffable, this Being is neither a god, nor the God of monotheism. In contrast, exclusivist approaches say that only one religion is uniquely valuable. Legenhausen, Hajj Muhammad [Gary Carl]. Hick doesnt argue for the salvific or cure-delivering equality of all religions. But Stenmarks some-are-equally-right view can also be seen as a form of core pluralism, the core being truths about the one God and our need for relationship with God. In modern societies, religion and its diversity is attached to public institutions. However, God has ordained Nirvana as a goal suitable for some non-Christians to both pursue and attain. (Yandell 2013), Again, it has been objected that Hick, contrary to many religions, downgrades religious practice and belief as inessential to a religion, the only important features of a religion being that it is a response to the Ultimate Reality and that it fosters the ethical transformation noted above. We should respect freedom of religion by rejecting the kinds of false and damaging claims that are sometimes made about religion, especially Islam. First, some religious claims can be empirically confirmed or disconfirmed. In other contexts, religious pluralism is a normative principle requiring that peoples of all or most religions should be treated the same. However, he thought that it is arbitrary and indefensible to hold that only ones own experiences or the experiences of those in ones group are veridical, while those of people in other religions are not. (Heim 1995, 7). Spiritual and Religious Diversity Religious and spiritual beliefs can be a personal determinant of enablement. Diversity is the differences in colour, ethnicity, abilities, age, gender, beliefs, interests, socioeconomic (class), marital or partnership status, sexual orientation, geographic, academic/professional backgrounds, opinions, backgrounds, thinking, experiences and many other characteristics. These objects of religious experience are mind-dependent, in that they depend for their existence, in part, on people with certain religious backgrounds. It is here described as Identist pluralism because his theory claims that people in all the major religions interact with one and the same transcendent reality, variously called God, the Real, and the Ultimate Reality., Hick viewed religious belief as rationally defensible, and held that one may be rational in trusting the veridicality of ones religious experiences. A more inclusive and equitable workplace can lead to increased employee engagement, satisfaction, and productivity. (McDermott and Netland 2014, 148) But these are sometimes tempered with loopholes such as: a universal chance to hear the gospel at or after death, a free pass to people who die before the age of accountability, or the view that less was required to be saved in pre-Christian times. These are the undisputed facts of religious diversity. Smith holds that in former ages, and among primitive peoples now, such a worldview is near universal. (Sedgwick 2004) Like traditional religions, it too offers a diagnosis of the human condition and a cure. The Equality Act replicates the provisions of previous legislation. (Burton 2010). This transformation, Hick theorizes, is really the point of religion. All religions, then, are equal in that they are responses to the ineffable Ultimate Reality which equally wellor for all we can tell equally wellbring about an ethical improvement in humans, away from self-centeredness and towards other humans and the Ultimate Reality. Roughly, pluralistic approaches to religious diversity say that, within bounds, one religion is as good as any other. (Dupuis 2000, 165-170) A key area of disagreement is whether or not these imply that a person may be saved by means of their participation in some other religion. (Morales 2008), Within the pluralistic mainstream of Hinduism, a popular slogan is that all religions are true, but this may be an expression of almost any sort of positive religious pluralism. Second, the claim that meaningfulness requires the possibility of empirical verification has little to recommend it, and is self-refuting (that is, the claim itself is not empirically verifiable). 4. 3, 3-4). Heim suggests that those who attain Nirvana would be, from a Christian perspective, either a subgroup of the saved or of the damned, depending on just what, metaphysically, is actually going on with such people. Religious Pluralism: Generic, Identist, Deep., Griffin, David Ray. Legenhausen, Hajj Muhammad [Gary Carl]. Religions span national, geographic, cultural and ethnic boundaries and may be the focus of individual and family identification Religious institutions and observances play an important role in catering for people's social, psychological and cultural needs as well as their spiritual needs. 2; see section 3c below). Religious and spiritual understanding and beliefs about medicine and healthcare may support or conflict with evidence-based medicine. All religions are equal? gender reassignment. Another view which is taken by Bible-oriented evangelical Protestants allows the possibility of non-Christians receiving saving grace, but is firmly agnostic as to whether this actually occurs, and if it does, how often, because of the paucity of relevant biblical statements. Griffin and Cobb seem to attribute the deepest insight to those who think the ultimate reality is an impersonal, indescribable non-thing. This position cannot be self-consistently maintained. (Netland 2001; Burton 2010). Attending a culturally diverse institute of education will prepare students for their future in a workplace. Thus, for example, the earliest Buddhist and Christian sources prominently feature staunch criticisms of various rival teachings and practices as, respectively, false and useless or harmful. the coexistence of various perspectives (political, religious), backgrounds (racial/ethnic, sexual orientation, nationality) gender) variety. U. S. A. Finally, because of their fit with many traditional religious beliefs and commitments, sometimes exclusivism and inclusivism are considered as two varieties of confessionalism, views on which one religion istrue andwe must view other religions in the light of that fact. (Byrne 2004, 203). These qualities include but are not limited to: being humble, reasonable, kind, broad-minded, open-minded, informed, cosmopolitan, modern, properly appreciative of difference, non-bigoted, tolerant, being opposed to proselytizing (attempts to convince those outside the religion to convert to it), anti-colonialist, and anti-imperialist. But one may talk also of negative religious pluralism in which most or all religions have little or no positive value and are equal in this respect. One prominent scholar argues that the neo-Hindu position on religious diversity (that is, modern Hindu pluralism) is not the view that all religions are equal, one, true, or the same. Following these same steps, our second . Carefully worked out theories of religious pluralism often sound all-inclusive. The formation and development of religious diversity is a manifestation of the free expression of human thought, belief, and practice, as well as a historical premise and ideological condition for the gradual recognition and integration of modern religions into modern political values. Email: filosofer@gmail.com Keywords: nation-state, religious diversity, social life, global conflicts, peace building. Religious pluralism in some contexts means an informed, tolerant, and appreciative or sympathetic view of the various religions. Thus, the slogan that there is no salvation outside the church (Latin: Extra ecclesiam nulla salus) was meant to communicate at bare minimum the uniqueness of the Christian church as Gods instrument of salvation since the resurrection of Jesus. The basic idea is that the inclusivist grants more of the values in question to religions other than the single best religion more truth, more salvific efficacy, more veridical experience of the objects of religious experience, more genuine moral transformation, and so forth. First, we have the protected characteristics, such as race, age, gender and sexual orientation. (Sharma 1999, ch. And how can the ultimist pluralist demand such changes? (Peterson et. The term exclusivist was originally a polemical term, chosen in part for its negative connotations. A comprehensive demographic study of more than 230 countries and territories conducted by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life estimates that there are 5.8 billion religiously affiliated adults and children around the globe, representing 84% of the 2010 world population of 6.9 billion. Heim strenuously objects to pluralist theories that they impose uniformity on the various religions. (Sharma 1990) This modern Hindu outlook has proven difficult to formulate in any clear way. (Legenhausen 2002). (Long 2005) The slogan may also imply that all religions feature veridical experience of that one object, by way of a non-cognitive, immediate awareness. In this article exclusivism about religious diversity denies any form of pluralism; it denies that all religions, or all major ones, are the same in some important respect. (Heim 1995, 154-5, 161) This is an important qualifier, as various religious goals clearly presuppose contrary claims. The unaffiliated represent close to 5%. On the Plurality of Religious Pluralisms., Long, Jeffery D. Anekanta Vedanta: Towards a Deep Hindu Religious Pluralism., Long, Jeffery D. Universalism in Hinduism., Mawson, T.J. Byrnes religious pluralism., Meeker, Kevin. Finally, Cobb and Griffin emphasize that this approach does not endorse any unreasonable form of relativism and, as such, allows one to remain distinctively Christian or Buddhist and so forth. It's also important because in the 21st century there are global problems and issues which seemingly have religious origins and which will take a concerted effort of people of different faiths to help resolve. These ideas, and the fact that religious belief is strongly correlated with birthplace, convinced him that the facts of religious diversity pose irresolvable problems for any exclusivist or inclusivist view, leaving only some form of pluralism as a viable option. It can build strength of character, pride, and confidence. But doesnt Christian tradition demand that each person eventually either achieves fellowship or union with God, or is irrevocably damned? Local variations in Protestant practices and ethnic differences among the white settlers did foster a religious diversity. This encompasses the idea that physical reality, the terrestrial plane, is contained within and controlled by a more real intermediate plane (that is, the subtle, animic, or psychic plane) which is in turn contained and controlled by the celestial plane. For instance, some religions teach that the ultimate reality (the most real, only real, or primary thing) is ineffable (such that no human concept can apply to it). The Epistemological Challenge of Religious Pluralism., Ignatius of Antioch, The Letter of Ignatius to the Philadelphians, in, King, Nathan. Insofar as a religion claims to possess a diagnosis of the fundamental problem facing humans and a cure, that is, a way to permanently and positively resolve this problem, it will then assume that other, incompatible diagnoses and cures are incorrect. The Problem of Contingency for Religious Belief,, Byrne, Peter. For instance, as an inclusivist Christian, Heim holds that Buddhists really do attain Nirvana. (Dupuis 2001; Meeker 2003; section 3c below) Similarly, Buddhists usually allow that a person may gain positive karma, and so a better rebirth, by the practice of various other religions, helping her to advance, life by life, towards getting the cure by means of the distinctive Buddhist beliefs and practices. (Prothero 2010, 13-6; Yandell 1999, 16-9), Scholarly study of a wide range of religions, and comparison and evaluation of them, was to a large extent pioneered by Christian missionaries in the nineteenth century seeking to understand those whom they sought to convert. Letters by Pius XII (r. 1939-58) declared that a by an unconscious desire and longing non-Catholics may enjoy a saving relationship with the church. (King, 2008; Rowe 1999; Yandell 1999) In response, Hick concedes that some concepts, formal ones, can be applied to the Real, while substantial ones cannot. It can be argued that Abe is an inclusivist, maintaining that Buddhism is the best religion, rather than a true pluralist. nbc15 staff changes 2021,

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