Christianity, migration and religious pluralism

Question 1

Explain the implications of Article 18 of the
UN Declaration of Human Rights – what does
it mean for people living in 21st century
Britain?

Answer 1

Article 18: Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

European Convention on Human Rights adopted this as law.

Part of British Law within the 1988 Human Rights Act.

Equality Act 2010: Religion and Belief named as a ‘protected characteristic’.

It allows religious pluralism by making illegal any attempt to ban or restrict the practice of religion.

Freedom to manifest one’s religion/beliefs can be subject ‘only to such limitations as a prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of public safety, for the protecting of public order, health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others’.

Question 2

Give a benefit of multiculturalism.

Answer 2

Culture is enriched and benefits from different foods, festivals, perspectives.

Opportunities for education.

More choice for all.

A way of promoting tolerance and equal opportunities.

Question 3

Give a criticism of
multiculturalism.

Answer 3

Can lead to tensions / divisions if not enough is done to promote community
cohesion.

Conflict of values / key beliefs (e.g. on issues such as homosexuality).

John Sentamu (Archbishop of York): “Multiculturalism has seemed to imply,
wrongly for me: let other cultures be allowed to express themselves but do
not let the majority culture at all tell us its glories, its struggles, its joys, its
pains…The English are somehow embarrassed about some of the good things
they have done”.

Question 4

What is salvation?

Answer 4

Salvation = being saved (and therefore going to heaven / have eternal life).

Christians believe in the need for salvation from sin.

St Augustine: Original Sin – we are all corrupted by Adam and Eve’s sin in the
Garden of Eden. We are all born sinful (and so need salvation) as a result.

St Paul: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3).

Christians believe that the purpose of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross is for
the sake of human salvation. He is the ‘lamb of God who takes away the sins
of the world’ (John 1:29).

Key questions: who is saved and how are we saved (how are we justified?)

Question 5

What is exclusivism? According to
exclusivism, how are you saved?

Answer 5

Christian exclusivism is the belief that Christianity is the one true faith.

It is only through practising Christianity that salvation can be achieved.

You cannot be saved outside Christianity (or one Christian denomination).

Christian Exclusivists believe Jesus is the ONLY source of salvation. This is only
possible through a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with Jesus. This means that only
Christians will be saved.

Pope Pius IX (1863): “Ecclesiam nulla salus” – No salvation outside the Church.

Question 6

Give two Bible quotes that
supports exclusivism

Answer 6

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through me” (Jesus, John 14:6)

“Salvation is found in no one else, for these is no other name under heaven
given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes
in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16)

Question 7

Why could belief in exclusivism
influence Christians to evangelise?

Answer 7

Salvation depends on belief in Christ – making evangelism an absolute priority.

If you believe that people have to be a Christian (and believe in Jesus Christ,
following his teachings etc) in order to achieve this salvation, you will want to
convert them to the religion.

This may involve talking to people about Christianity (e.g. on the street, handing out
leaflets), distributing Bibles, using media / social media.

This will involve raising your child within the faith e.g. baptising them and teaching
them about the religion. ‘Bring up your children in the training and instruction of the
Lord’ (St Paul).

Reflects Jesus’ Great Commission: ‘Make disciples of all nations, baptising them in
the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit’ (Mathew 28).

Pope Pius IX (1863): “Ecclesiam nulla salus” – No salvation outside the Church.
However, this pre-Vatican II position has since been modified.

Question 8

Give two strengths of exclusivism

Answer 8

Supported by many verses in the New Testament, such as John 14:6 & Acts 4:12.
Scripture is seen as the infallible and inerrant Word of God.

Affirms the central Christian belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the anointed
one (the meaning of the term ‘Christ’) – it shows he is worthy of worship and the
‘way, truth and the life’.

Validates and exemplifies John the Baptist’s assertion that Jesus is the ‘lamb of God
who takes away the sins of the world’ – shows the purpose and value of the
resurrection, the central tenet of the Christian faith

‘If Christ has not been raised, your faith is pointless and you are still in your sins’
(Paul). Exclusivism confirms why Christmas and Easter are so important.

Affirms the importance of evangelism and the Church’s role in spreading the ‘Good
News’ of the Gospels (e.g. Redemptoris Missio).

Question 9

Give two weaknesses of
(problems with) exclusivism

Answer 9

Limits God’s omnibenevolence – it suggests His love is conditional.

The Gospels present Jesus as reaching out to all people in society, not creating
an exclusive ‘club’.

The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25) teaches salvation is
based on your actions rather than your beliefs.

Unjust as though who never knew about Jesus (e.g. who lived before Him)
have no chance of salvation through no fault of their own

Question 10

What is inclusivism? Refer to Karl Rahner in your answer

Answer 10

Inclusivism is the belief that other religions may have aspects of beliefs that
are the same as – or compatible with – Christianity, the ‘true’ religion.

Rahner believes that non-Christian religions have much in common with
Christianity.

Therefore, they themselves contain something of the ‘truth’.

Therefore, should not be excluded from salvation.

For example, many religions teach the importance of helping others and being
a moral person. As a result, non-Christians are able to experience grace and
salvation (because they are Christian in all but name…they’re Christian and but
don’t know it!).

Question 11

Explain Rahner’s concept of ‘anonymous Christians’.
Refer to his assertion that ‘the devout Muslim, Hindu, Sikh,
Jew can be regarded as an anonymous Christian’ – what
does he mean by this?

Answer 11

“Anonymous Christianity means that a person lives in the grace of God and
attains salvation outside of explicitly constituted Christianity”

“If I hold [that] everyone depends upon Jesus Christ for salvation, and if at the
same time I hold that many live in the world who have not expressly
recognised Jesus Christ, then there remains in my opinion nothing else but to
take up this postulate of an anonymous Christianity”

For example, a Buddhist monk who lives a good and moral life – but does not
know about / explicitly state a belief in Jesus Christ – can still attain salvation,
as they are an ‘anonymous Christian’…they’re Christian in their actions and
‘live in the grace of God’ but don’t give themselves the title ‘Christian’.

People outside Christianity can therefore still be saved…because they are
‘anonymously’ Christian!! (They’re Christian but just don’t know it!)

Question 12

How could St Paul’s letter to the
Romans (2:9-11) support
inclusivism?

Answer 12

“There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first
for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honour and peace for everyone
who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show
favouritism”.

He writes that there will be ‘glory, honour and peace for everyone who does
good’ – doing good (rather than identifying as a certain religion) matters.

‘For God does not show favouritism’ – God’s omnibenevolence extends to all
people, not just those who explicitly identify as Christian / belong to
Christianity. People will be treated equally and judged fairly.

Question 13

Give two beliefs/practices that
are found in multiple religions

Answer 13

Prayer

Helping those in need

‘Do not kill’

Golden Rule - Treating others as you would like to be treated

Question 14

Why could ‘anonymous
Christians’ be seen as patronising?

Answer 14

It may be seen as patronising to say somebody is an ‘anonymous Christian’. It
undermines their own beliefs and suggests the only reason someone could
possibly be a good person is if they are Christian (even if an ‘anonymous’ one)

You are imposing a label / belief upon somebody who has not chosen it for
themselves. Suggesting ‘ they just don’t know it’ – invalidating the beliefs that
they do hold, arguably questioning their own intelligence.

Suggests that their own religion / belief system is insufficient and is lesser than
Christianity (you are saying their religion / belief only has value because it is
similar to Christianity in some way).

Question 15

Give two strengths of inclusivism

Answer 15

It means that good people who do good things can still be saved, even if they
do not identify themselves as Christian – it is much more ‘inclusive’.

This resolves some of the unjust elements of exclusivism – for example, it
takes into account those who have never known about Christianity (due to
history / geography etc) but who have still lived a Christ-like life.

It is consistent with Jesus’ teaching in the Parable of the Sheep & the Goats
(Matthew 25) that you will be saved based on your works rather than faith.

Consistent with God’s omnibenevolence – it means those who, through no
fault of their own, have not heard about Jesus, yet are good people, can still
be saved. This is a good position to take because otherwise many people
would be unfairly excluded from salvation.

Question 16

What does John Hick believe often determines your religious
beliefs?

Answer 16

“Whether one is a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh or Hindu – or for
that matter a Marxist or Maoist – depends nearly always on the part of the
world in which one happens to have been born”

Religion is culturally shaped – our religion is determined by where we have
been born and how we have been raised.

It’s an ‘accident of birth’.

Consider the world’s 2.4 billion Christiana and 2 billion Muslims – how did
they end up belonging to these respective religions?

Question 17

What does John Hick believe often determines your religious
beliefs?

Answer 17

“Whether one is a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh or Hindu – or for
that matter a Marxist or Maoist – depends nearly always on the part of the
world in which one happens to have been born”

Religion is culturally shaped – our religion is determined by where we have
been born and how we have been raised.

It’s an ‘accident of birth’.

Consider the world’s 2.4 billion Christiana and 2 billion Muslims – how did
they end up belonging to these respective religions?

Question 18

Why does Hick believe that ‘God
has many names’?

Answer 18

“What Christians call the Mystical Body of Christ within the life of God, and
Hindus the universal Atman which we all are, and Mahayana Buddhists the
self-transcending unity in the Dharma Body of the Buddha, consists of the
wholeness of ultimately perfected humanity beyond the existence of separate
egos”

Question 19

What does Hick mean by the
phrase ‘the rainbow of faiths’?

Answer 19

“These traditions are accordingly to be regarded as alternative soteriological
‘spaces’ within which, or ‘ways’ along which, men and women can find
salvation/liberation/ultimate fulfilment”

Religion’s share a primary function/goal - “the transformation of human
existence from self-centredness to Reality-centeredness”.

As far as can be judged by human observation, no one religion stands out
above the rest in terms of its ability to transform lives. Moreover, no one
religion can lay claim to being the only context for authentic religious
experiences.

Question 20

What is universalism?

Answer 20

The belief that all humankind will eventually be saved.

The ‘salvation of all souls’.

Everybody will ultimately go to Heaven; nobody will end up in Hell.

Universalists believe it impossible that a loving God would elect only a portion
of humankind to salvation and doom the rest to eternal punishment.

Question 21

What is ecumenism? Why does
this give hope to pluralists?

Answer 21

The principle or aim of promoting unity among the world’s Christian Churches.

The concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian
denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among
their churches and promote Christian unity.

In the same way that unity within Christianity has proven to be possible, they
hope this shows that unity between all the world’s religions can be possible.

Question 22

Give two strengths of pluralism

Answer 22

Interdenominational relations within Christianity suggest pluralism may be
possible – Hick writes: “eventually, we may hope, the relationship between
the religions will be rather like that between most of the main sections of
Christianity today.”

The idea of universalism supports the idea God is omnibenevolent, a key belief
for many Christians.

Keith Ward: ‘Diversity in religion is natural and good’.

Hans Kung: Argued for the creation of a ‘global ethic’, based on shared moral
values.

Reflects the multifaith nature of UK society – gives hope for harmony.

Question 23

Give two criticisms of pluralism,
including from exclusivists

Answer 23

It contradicts key New Testament teachings, such as Jesus Christ’s claim that ‘I
am the way, the truth and the life, nobody comes to the Father except
through me’ (John 14:6). Many Christians do believe Jesus alone is the source
of salvation, as He is the Incarnation.

Paul Griffiths observes that some religious groups are hostile to others,
suggesting true pluralism would not be possible. For example, Islamic State
are at odds with most theists.

It is not a view held by many religious people, who believe that their religion is
the truth. By being theocentric – rather than Christocentric – it reduces the
important role Jesus has.

Question 24

Give two reasons that someone’s
freedom of religious expression
might justifiably be restricted

Answer 24

Public authorities cannot interfere with your right to hold or change your
beliefs, but there are some situations in which public authorities can interfere
with your right to manifest or show your thoughts, belief and religion. This is
only allowed where the authority can show that its action is lawful, necessary
and proportionate in order to protect:

public safety

public order

health or morals, and

the rights and freedoms of other people.

Action is ‘proportionate’ when it is appropriate and no more than necessary to
address the problem concerned.