1.6 Religious Pluralism

Question 1

overview of exclusivism

Answer 1

only christianity fully offers the means of salvation
- restrictive access exclusivism: Calvin argued due to the fall humans are sinful and no one deserves to be saved
- universal access exclusivism: some believe that Jesus’ salvation restored the whole of humanity and God wishes to save everyone
- Catholics teach there is no salvation outside of the church

Question 2

bible quote to support exclusivism

Answer 2

“I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me”

John

Question 3

overview of inclusivism

Answer 3

although christianity is the one true faith and normative way to salvation, anonymous christians can be saved
- Rahner argued that other religions can help people to salvation but only until a person encounters the christian message at which point they can choose to accept or reject it
- Rahner references Paul making the speech to the Athenians worshipping the unknown God

Question 4

overview of pluralism

Answer 4

everyone is right but have just approached it in a different way
- revelation is interpreted differently by individual faith traditions and cultures but people are just experiencing the same reality in different ways
- argued primarily by Hick
- christianity is christocentric (focused on christ) but hick said the central point should be focused on God instead things like the resurrection can be reinterpreted as mythical

Question 5

wider scholars for pluralism

Answer 5

Raimon Panikkar and christophony:
- Christ made plain to human consciousness but not limited to the christ of christianity (obviously then not called Christ), Christ is just a name for God making himself known to people

Karen Armstrong:
- contemporary British author on comparative religion
- emphasised the commonality of the golden rule amongst religion and aims to use interfaith dialogue to dispel ignorance

Question 6

what were four attempts to encourage interfaith dialogue

Answer 6

• ‘redemptoris missio’ 1990 papal encyclical spoke of importance of spreading the word of the gospel without detracting from other religions
• David Ford: ‘future of christian theology’ identified the holocaust and 9/11 as two things causing interfaith dialogue
• Muslim open letter in 2007 ‘a common word between us and you’ that called for peace and harmony amongst Muslims and Christians worldwide (supported by Rowan Williams, not supported by the Barnabas Fund who said it made Christianity seem like the wrong ones)
• church of England ‘sharing the gospel of salvation’ 2010 restated the importance of evangelising

Question 7

what is evidence of growing multiculturalism in the UK

Answer 7

multi-faith societies are more common than ever e.g. Southall in London largest percentage Sikh then Islam due to high levels of contemporary migration

Question 8

what is the scriptural reasoning movement

Answer 8

• began amongst Jewish scholars in the US, typically done between abrahamic religions
• not about seeking agreement but to ‘disagree better’

Question 9

what are two positives of the scriptural reasoning movement

Answer 9

1. allows one to gain a deeper understanding of their own scriptural texts
2. creates a strong bond and mutual understanding between interfaith communities, promoting peace and tolerance

Question 10

what are three drawbacks of the scriptural reasoning movement

Answer 10

1. may highlight further disagreement that worsens the situation
2. people may still attempt to use it as missionary work and if they don’t they are arguably going against their own scripture