Religious Pluralism and Theology Flashcards
Exclusivism
Humanity is fallen but the broken relationship was restored by christ, only through Jesus can people have salvation as he is the mediator, so only christians who follow Jesus can be saved
What do most exclusivists believe is necessary for salvation
Membership of a church community
What would protestant exclusivists need for salvation
Baptism and living a christian life
What would the Catholic Church need for salvation
Jesus is the mediator between gods grace, the church carries out this mediation by offering the sacraments which allow people to access Jesus, the church is the only way
Biblical evidence for exclusivism
John - ‘I am the way the truth and life’
Romans - ‘All have sinned and fall short of the glory of god’
Reasons why exclusivism makes sense and christ is the only way to salvation
- coherent idea as if Jesus was god incarnate then he would logically be the way to get to god and achieve salvation
- Biblical evidence shows gods plan was Jesus could offer salvation
- Church is Jesus legacy of his mediation so would offer salvation
- Jesus death saved all people not only christians
Reasons why Christ isnt the only way to salvation
- Why would a benevolent god exclude so many people from salvation
- Exclusisvism ignores ideas of the trinity and holy spirits role in salvation
- Parable of sheep and goats shows all good people will be saved
- If other religions have rays of truth why cant they be saved themslelves
What is the catholic churches rays of truth idea, that they came up with to modernise in the 1960s at Vatican 2
Other religions have rays of truths concerning salvation but the Catholic Church possesses the true insight into the truth of salvation
Inclusivism
Although Christianity is the true faith, loving god doesn’t condemn all non christians to hell, Jesus sacrifice has an effect on all people so non christians can be saved if they pursue a good and moral way of life
What does inclusivity rely on
God can be revealed in different ways, People can know god without the church due to sinus divinities, sense of divinity
Explain the story of Paul in Acts that supports inclusivism
Paul visits Athens to spread christianity where they have an altar for an unknown god, he tells them the Christian god is the unknown god, they still accessed god through sense of divinity but not the true christian god becauese they didn’t have the christian church
How does Parable of the sheep and the goats support inclusivism
People are judged on their actions not their beliefs
What is Karl Rahners support of Inclusivism in anonymous christian
Old Testament had many great religious figures who preceded Jesus, did they miss out on salvation as they weren’t christian, he argues they were anonymous christian as they experienced gods grace but not in christianity
What is Karl Rahners support of Inclusivism in anonymous christianity
Other religions and institutions can be forms of anonymous christianity as they reflect the structures of christianity in accessing gods grace
Who did Rahner argue couldn’t be anonymous christians
People who openly reject the christian message or gods grace when encountered with it
Reasons why anonymous christians can receive salvation
- Maintains central christian belief of Jesus as saviour of the world, but rejects a malevolent god
- Clarifies how non christian aspects of human experience come from god
- acknowledges reality of multi-faith societies
Reasons why anonymous christians cant receive salvation
- Patronising to other religions, as it enforces Christianity as superior
- gets rid of individuality of religions as it enforces they are all the same god
- Little biblical evidence
- undermines Jesus death on the cross for christians
- Rahner undemrines churches importance as mediators with the sacraments
Why was did John Hick advocate for religious pluralism
he spent time in Birmingham where he was exposed to multicultural life, seeing different types of genuine worship
What did Hick have as the reason why people experience divinity through different lenses and religions
Cultural and geographical differences
Hicks analogy of the blind men and the elephant
- Group of blind men all touching an elephant, they are all touching different parts so they disagree on what they are touching, but it is actually the same thing
- The blind men are all different religions that have different gods, they all have the same god and need to come together to figure the full picture
For Hick what does christianity need to change
Change centrality on Jesus to god so it can accept other religions and live harmoniously,
Religious pluralism
All religions have their own path to salvation including christianity
What does pluralism undermine
Sola scriptura
What does Hick suggest about the bible
It is full of myth in miracles, when these are stripped down the bible leaves Jesus message as a wisdom teacher and liberator who taught life is challenging
What is Hicks Real
Divine reality
who are two narrow exclusivists
Calvin Augustine
Narrow/Restricted access exclusivism
Humans are inherently sinful, so god is under no obligation to save anyone but chooses some christians based on their devotion
How did Kraemer support exclusivism
non christians cannot achieve salvation but if they convert to christianity they can achieve salvation, advocated for missionary work
What does Karl Barth argue about exclusivism
God can only be known with revealed theology in Jesus or the bible or the church, humans cant know god without this as their reasoning is flawed. This is exclusivist as one must be a Christin to be saved
Extra ecclesiam nulla sallus
Catholic belief that there is no salvation outside the church
What does UAE argue about life after death
One can still find and encounter the gospel is purgatory or hell and then accept gods redemption in christ
UAE
Universal access exclusivism, god wills the redemption of all people so can happen in the afterlife
Augustines limited election
Only some can get into heaven
Augustines double predestination
God selected the good for heaven and the wicked for hell at the time of creation
Universalism
Belief in exclusivism that everyone will be saved
Who is the broad exclusivist/ UAE
d’costa
Weaknesses of Exclusivism
- RAE can cause religious conflicts and wars
- UAE lacks consistency as rays of truth idea is contradicting
- Barth emphasises unknowable nature of god undermines many theology of religions
- Exclusivist wrongly judge universalism as undermining Christian belief
How does Kraemer criticise Rahners inclusivism
Any other religion that isnt christianity is misguided in its idea of the truth influenced by cultural constructs and not founded in gods revelation of christ
What is the quote for Rahners inclusivism of anonymous christians
‘Through no fault of their own do not know gospel of christ’
Who does Rahner express experienced grace of god not through Jesus
Moses in the Old Testament had god revealed to him in the burning bush
How does Von Balthasar criticise the anonymous christian
Multiculturalism shouldn’t be an excuse to water down the importance of christ to appease secular and other religions, should reinforce christ as the only means of salvation
Other weaknesses of inclusivism
- Inclusivism is still an arrogant idea putting itself above other religions
- Calling on christians anonymous christians is wrong to label them as they are not christians
- anonymous christians surely cant take part in fundamental aspects of chrsitiantiy like repentance and prayer
- anonymous christians in theory are better off never hearing the christian message
Hicks Copernican revolution
copernicus realised the earth wasn’t the centre but the sun was with many other planets orbiting the sun, Hick wants religions to realise they aren’t the centre but are all planets orbiting the same god like the sun
How does Hick use Kants noumenal and phenomenal
God ixists in the nominal real world that humans cant access, religion exists in the phenomenal world and is a human construct where the understanding of god is filtered to a human understanding
What does Hick argue all religious truth claims are
They are myths and not real like Jesus resurrection, but they hold value in the context of their own religions, but shows no religion is the truth
What did Panikaar argue about pluralism
Classifies himself as multiple religions at once, an openness in all religions that all religions have cultural value but enforced the mystery of the divine
Parable of the vineyard interpretation for universalism
landowners pays equal to all who have worked no matter how long, all people will be saved no matter how devout
What is the difference between requirements for getting salvation for protestants and catholics
Martin Luther and protestant tradition requires that only good faith is needed for salvation, god is in control
In catholicism the person has control as well as good as faith and good actions are needed for salvation
Reasons why a loving god may deny some people salvation
- Gods benevolence is about justice and tough love some aren’t saved
- truly loving god allows people free choice to choose christianity and be saved
- If all people have salvation then there is no ultimate purpose of choosing and pursuing god to be saved
- God has no obligation to save anyone as all humans are sinful calvinist augustinian idea
Reasons why a loving god would not deny people salvation
- Benevolence as tough love or justice isnt love
- All men are made in the image of god so would be treated equally and saved
- Pluralism would reject god denying some salvation due purely to their culture
- God would be malevolent as he condemns his creation to infinite suffering
- Humans can find god at anytime in the afterlife or purgatory
Primary criticism of pluralism
Reduces unique nature of different religions across the world and merging them to the same
