Religious pluralism Flashcards
What must you know for religious pluralism
exclusivism
inclusivism
pluralism
Meaning of exclusivism
Only Christianity offers salvation
Meaning of inclusivism
Christianity is the normal way of salvation, ‘anonymous’ Christians however may also receive salvation
Meaning of pluralism
There are many ways to salvation, Christianity is one of them
What are Catholic views on exclusivism
There is no salvation outside the Church, a person must live a faithful life and be Christian to receive salvation
Weakness of exclusivism
Leads to wars
What about people who haven’t ever heard of the Christian message
What about a loving God?
May make people live in fear of following the ‘wrong’ religion
+ it only makes sense if Christianity is truly correct
Who is Karl Rahner
An inclusivist who believed that Christianity is the one true religion. Institutions are a form of anonymous Christianity, because they have structures which also have truth
Because of the fact that they’re moral and followed a Christian life but not with the labels, they’re accepted
Assess inclusivism
It balances the idea of a loving God who would save people, it acknowledges the idea of a divine sense and understands that some people may never of been exposed to Christianity.
However, it may be seen as patronising towards other faiths, is a Muslim just an ‘anonymous Christian’
Who is John Hick
A pluralist who believed that we are all worshiping the same God under different lenses, which makes sense (elephant and the 6 blind men)
Assess pluralism
Hicks approach sorta devalues all religions of their uniqueness and their mystery. You may just reject religion outright.
However, in a global society, it recognises that religious beliefs are outdates and narrow and need to be reconsidered,
If Christ is the ‘truth’ can there be any other means of salvation
Exclusivists: Yes, there are large divides between religions, and because we disagree it doesn’t mean we must come to a compromise. Pluralism just defeats the whole purpose of religions being unique. Christs truth is for all of humanity, we should also respect all of humanity
Would a loving God deny any human being salvation ?
