Religious Pluralism & Society

Question 1

The development of multi-faith societies

Answer 1

• the Catholic Church and the Church of England have issued statements giving guidance about living a Christian life whilst living with people of other faiths showing its attempting to address the difficulties of living in multi-faith societies
• religious freedom means that religious groups from all over the world can live peacefully together

Benefits of multi-faith societies:
- people are likely to become a lot more understanding about each other’s religions and realise everyone is entitled to their own opinion
- religious toleration and understanding will exist in multi-faith society and this may help stop religious conflicts
- learning about other religions may make people think more seriously about their own and consider why they believe what they do

challenges of multi-faith societies:
- some people believe their religion is the only true one and this has led to a number of violent interfaith clashes
- some claim the UK is still a Christian country and argue Christian festivals should be respected remain an important part of UK life

conversion:
- conversion is an issue because of the teachings of religions conflict each other
- many believers see it as their duty to convert everyone to their religion because they believe its the right one
- however, many would say that trying to convert followers of other religions in a multi-faith society is a type of prejudice and discrimination
- it can lead to arguments and even violence when people are told their religion is wrong

bringing up children:
- a multi-faith society requires everyone (including children) to have religious freedom
- when children reach an age where they can think for themselves about religion they must be able to choose which religion to follow
- also requires children should learn about the different types of religions so they can be respectful towards them

community cohesion:
- members if different religions do not want to live in conflict as it goes against all faith beliefs
- in order to live together in harmony they will need to work together to promote community cohesion
- they will have to ensure that they:
- recognise all the things their faiths have in common
- respect the differences that arise between them
- listen to each others views
- learn to live and work in unity rather than in opposition
- share common values, such as respect, tolerance and charity
- main way in which religions are trying to promote community cohesion is through joining together in special groups (inter-faith networks)
- inter-faith networks exist to bring different religions together to help them to see how much we have in common

Question 2

The response of Christian communities to inter-faith dialogue

Answer 2

• many Christians find living in a diverse society rewarding and challenging as it forces individuals to constantly be reviewing the beliefs systems they accept and reject
• however, other Christians believe the presence of others faiths is damaging to Christianity, undermining its uniqueness

inter-faith dialogue:
- about building relationships and breaking down prejudice
- by encouraging positive communication all faiths should be able to speak openly about their faith
- the Church of England document identified 4 strands of interfaith dialogue:
1) the dialogue of daily people
2) the dialogue of the common good
3) the dialogue of mutual understanding
4) the dialogue of spiritual life
- David Ford draws attention to two strands in history that have led to new directions in inter-faith dialogue: the Holocaust, and the rise of tension between Islam and the west in the 21st century
- in a document called “speak the truth”, Jews invited Christians to a discussion were they highlighted the ideas that Jews and Christians share the same God and need to work together for peace
- in 2007, leading Muslim scholars and teachers wrote a letter to Christian Churches pointing out the passion Muslims and Christians share for worshipping one God and putting love for one’s neighbour in to practice

Redemptoris Missio:
- Pope John Paul II issued an encyclical called “Redemptoris Missio” in 1990
- it was issued to all Catholic Churches and tackled the issue of Christian missionary work in a multi-faith world

sharing the gospel of salvation:
- a document put out by the Church of England discussing whether Christians should be trying to convert members of other faiths
- it sends the message that Gods plan for the salvation of the world is uniquely achieved in Jesus. The Church of England, therefore, has a mission to be a witness to this, with each individual Christian being encouraged to live as a Christian disciple, sharing faith with others
- one issue addressed is the problem of finding the right way to share beliefs about the uniqueness of Christ, biblical references are used to support this view
- the Church of England recognises there are very substantial communities of non-Christians and this raises issues for Parish Churches in those areas
- the document recommends Christians should merely accept living amongst these communities but that they should actively seek opportunities to engage with these people
- most importantly, Christians should live by the commandment “treat others as they would like to be treated”
- ultimately the document reminds Christians it can be difficult to convert from one faith to Christianity, and therefore they need to be patient and let them take their time
- most importantly they should not threaten the darkness and hopelessness they believe awaits those who seek God in a non-Christian way and rather, remember that ultimately judgment lies with God

Question 3

The scriptural reasoning movement

Answer 3

• scriptural reasoning involves participants from multiple religions meeting to read and discuss passages from their sacred text
• they discuss the content of the texts and will often explore the variety of ways in which their religious communities have worked with them, and the ways in which those texts might shape their understanding of a range on contemporary issues
• communities across the world meet regularly for SR, and with the support of organisations like the Cambridge inter-faith programme, the practice has spread far and wide
• it has been adapted to suit the contexts of many different communities which have used it as a tool for inter-faith engagement