Religious pluralism and theology
Gavin D'Costa
Divides exclusivists into two kinds: -'Universal-access' exclusivists who believe Christ's salvation is offered to all and the will of God is that everyone should come to him through faith in Christ -'Restrictive-access' exclusivists follow a similar view to that of Augustine and Calvin, where God saves only those who he has chosen
Support for exclusivism in the Bible
'Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one come s to the Father except through me"'
Support for inclusivism in the Bible
'whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me'
Panikkar's elephant
-4 blind men feeling an elephant and describe different parts of it -All have the same idea of the elephant but are experiencing it differently -Same with religion
Broad exclusivism
-All who accept Christ through faith are saved, whatever their denomination or style of worshio
Barth on exclusivism
-Can be seen as an exclusivist -People cannot know God through their owns efforts, can only be found when God chooses to reveal himself -God chooses to reveal himself through Jesus, the Bible and the teachings of the Church -Criticised by Paley and Aquinas in the teleological and cosmological arguments
Criticism of inclusivism
-Christian message is diluted if there is a suggestion that Christ is not necessary for salvation -It is still arrogant, stating that Christian belief is the best and putting itself as the judge and measure of all other faiths -Kraemer: any other religion is misguided -People who have free chosen beliefs that are not Christian shouldn't be labelled as 'anonymous Christians'. If they wanted to be Christians they would say so
Inclusivism 1
-Christianity best route to salvation but possibility for salvation for those outside the Christian tradition -Inclusivists agree that Jesus' death and Resurrection = unique events of cosmic significance for salvation -But uncomfortable with idea that a God of love would always reject someone sincerely trying to follow God through the context of different religion -Some argue there might be possibility after death for non-Christians to accept the truth of the Christian message
Rahner on inclusivism
-Christianity is the 'absolute religion' with a unique offering of salvation -Rejects exclusivism because some people may not know of Christ through no fault of their own, but if they learn of Jesus they must convert -'Anonymous Christian' people following Christian ideals without realising they are actually following Christ -People may achieve salvation if they seek God with a sincere heart in contexts other than Christianity -Could be a partial truth in other religions -Figures in OT such as Abraham were anonymous Christians
Panikkar on pluralism
-Emphasised mystery of the divine and the need for openness to the truth wherever it may be found -God makes himself known in a variety of ways and cultural contexts and he can reveal himself in any way he chooses -Pluralism is a spiritual attitude rather than a reasoned philosophical perspective
Hick on pluralism
-God of love wouldn't deny salvation to people just because they chose a different religion to seek God or weren't born in a Christian culture -God wills universal salvation and eventually everyone will be saved, continuing their spiritual journey towards God after death -Called for 'Copernican revolution' in theology, removing Christianity from the centre of the universe and replacing it with the divine -Religions are a human, phenomenal (as we see it) attempt to uncover the noumenal (things as they really are) therefore all are flawed and limited so none can claim to have got everything right -Truth claims, e.g Jesus was God incarnate, should be interpreted as myth rather than literal truth
Pluralism
-Many different religions have the potential to lead their followers to salvation, truth is not exclusive to one particular religion -Often argue different religions share the same goals, even if they disagree on details of doctrine and practice. D&P are human constructs attempting to find ways to respond to the Divine -No need to try and convert people, instead they can communicate with each other and share different perspectives and styles of Worship
Criticisms of exclusivism
-Not compatible with the idea of an all-loving and forgiving God, suggests he lives some more than others but we are all made in his image -Causes social divisions and conflicts -Fails to recognise the richness and wisdom of different world religions -Exclusivism is arrogant in its assumptions that Christians know best
Exclusivism
-Other religions cannot lead to salvation -People must have explicit faith in Jesus as the Son of God and believe that salvation is found in Jesus or they cannot be saved -Exclusivists argue that Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross and Resurrection were real events of comic significance for all humanity
Kraemer on exclusivism
-Salvation is only for Christians -But God's revelation can be seen by people outside the Christian faith -Religions have to be understood as a whole, doesn't make sense to say that some aspects of a religion are true -Either a religion accepts the salvation offered by Christ, or it does not
Narrow exclusivism
-Salvation only got some, not all Christians -Augustine and Calvin taught that God will choose which Christians go to heaven -The Catholic Church before Vatican II taught that there was no salvation outside the Catholic Church
Inclusivism 2
-Some argue when truth found in other religions, it is Christian truth even though it's not been accepted as such -Other religions sometimes have 'rays of truth' in which they agree with the teachings of Christianity -Some argue people from non-Christian faiths call Christ by other names w/o realising that it's Christ at work e.g when Sikhs share free food with everyone they are doing the work of Christ w/o realising it
Criticism of pluralism
Self-contradictory: in claiming a relativist view is the right view, it is being absolutist which it criticises exclusivism and inclusivism as doing