Religious pluralism and society Flashcards
Catholic inter-faith dialogue A01
-Redemptoris missio 55-57
-Other religions contain ‘gaps, insufficiencies and errors’.
-Inter-faith dialogue exists to find in other people and in other traditions aspects of the truth, which the text calls ‘seeds of the word’ or rays of truth - its primary purpose is about understanding the other traditions and avoiding intolerance.
Define inter-faith dialogue
the cooperative and creative process by which members of different religious faiths meet and exchange ideas in order to understand each other better.
Church of England inter-faith dialogue A01
-Sharing the gospel of salvation published in 2010 with a second edition in 2019
-sets out the CofE’s approach to evangelism
-set out a four-fold model of inter-faith dialogue (dialogue in daily life, for the common good, mutual understanding and spiritual life) o respect those from different faiths and at the same time be confident to the witnessing in Christian faith
Which ways can inter-faith dialogue occur ?
It can take place in many different ways, it may take pace between local faith leaders or at more informal pastoral community gatherings; it may occur through academic publications; it may take place via scriptural reasoning sessions.
Define social cohesion
when there is a strong sense of belonging and feeling valued with common aims to promote a peaceful society.
what are features of a coherent society
Harmony - which can be said to be promoted by inter-faith dialogue by breaking down barriers and overcoming extremism or racism or other forms of intolerance.
protection of the individual - ppl should be able to hold beliefs without any fear or repercussions, inter-faith dialogue can be said too ensure that no one majority group becomes too overwhelming for the minorities, e.g. through education
Respect for others - inter-faith dialogue occurs through shared experiences of life and so by living alongside others, respect can grow
Common goals and a public good - inter-faith dialogue can lead to shared and joint work - for example, in charitable projects and the common quest for justice.
what are base communities?
bottom up approach of starting with the needs of individuals, which can stop inter-faith dialogue from being dominated by leaders who have been trained in theology having academic discussions, but become more about people, their needs and common values. redemptoris missio applauds the work of ‘base communities’
What was the scriptural reasoning movement?
-the scriptural reasoning movement grew out of a university setting
where academics applied scholarly analysis of texts to the scriptures
- it was seen as a good way in which practicing members of the
three main monotheistic religions Christianity, Islam and Judaism
could engage in discussion each with their own distinctive
interpretation of their scriptures.
Who is scriptural reasoning aimed at?
although scriptural reasoning is mostly aimed at the Abrahamic
religions it is now developing to other faith traditions
An aim of scriptural reasoning movement? How many people in each group? what do they share?
another aim is collegiality by working in a small group of no more
than twelve people. Over a period of time, as groups get to know
each other, they develop trust and openness. Having a meal
together is integral to hospitality and symbolises sharing ideas
What is another aim of the scriptural reasoning movement?
another aim is wisdom. The aim is not to convert or proselytise but
to explore an idea or theme through texts from the different
religions. Each person presents their set passage, interprets it and
then allows members of the group to reflect and learn on it from
their faith position.
What was the inspiration for scriptural reasoning ?
It was through observing the way that Jews have read the scriptures for thousands of years.
is the scriptural reasoning movement realist?
(+)no-one in a group is assuming to be an authority or
claiming to be a typical representative of their religious
tradition, this enables more open-ended discussion of texts
and fuller understanding of different religious beliefs
(-)However, those who see the scripture as their authority may not be willing to accept others as valid
(-)As well as this, if there are no right or wrong interpretations, then who decides on the validity of an interpretation? This could lead to misinterpretations and possibly even disagreements amongst believer, creating tension?
(+)scriptural reasoning is also effective and reasonable for theological exclusivists as each person is committed to the truth of their tradition and is not seeking to compromise the doctrinal basis of their religion.
Overall, I think it is important to have an understanding of other religions and to respect others beliefs. Whilst being able to engage in meaningful conversation without trying to push your beliefs on others, but rather to try and understand each other to create a sense of harmony.
is ‘those with no faith’ easy to define? why/why not?
No because, it may include those who class themselves as: atheists, believers that do not follow a religion, those who have stopped following a religion but whose tradition is Christian.
define prosleytising
aiming/seeking to convert
Biblical (catholic) evidence for/against prosleytising
-the last word of Jesus to his disciples in Matthews gospel are an instruction to proclaim the good news to all (Matthew 28: 19-20)
-The bible accepts that there will be those without faith who will make the free choice not to accept the Word (Ephesians 2:8-9)
The Anglican church shows its commitment to mission through the ‘Five Marks of Mission’ which are…?
1)To proclaim the good news of the kingdom
2) to teach, baptise and nurture new believers
3) to respond to human need by loving service
4) to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation
5) to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.
Biblical quote the suggests we should look to our own issues before others. What does this suggest about Christian mission?
“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? … You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:3-5
-There are too many divisions (disagreements?)/ internal issues for Christianity itself that need to be explored. They should concentrate on these, not mission
An argument for mission with 2 counter arguments
Exclusivists may argue that it is important that we save the souls of those outside the faith or those who have rejected it as they need to hear the message of Christ if they are going to be saved. However, those who believe that we are elected and chosen before birth may argue that there is no need to try to make new followers. As well as this, some might argue that people have used their God-given free will to reject religion and that this choice should be respected.
