Moreover, it seems a necessary truth that if the concept personal doesnt apply to the Real, then the concept non-personal must apply to it. It attracted widespread discussion and criticism, and Hick has engaged in a spirited debate with all comers. This, he will not do. This is not compatible with his thesis that Vishnu and others are phenomena of the Real, that is, culturally conditioned ways that the Real appears to us. The religious composition and social context varies considerably by generation. The first part of the article deals with the European and, specifically, Croatian sociopolitical and cultural framework of inclusive pedagogy and presents its basic postulates. Appropriating Immanuel Kants distinction between phenomena, how things appear, and noumena, things in themselves, Hick postulated that the Real is ineffable and is not directly experienced by anyone. (Legenhausen 2006, 2009). Protected characteristics | Equality and Human Rights Commission Email: filosofer@gmail.com (Peterson et. (Sharma 1990) This modern Hindu outlook has proven difficult to formulate in any clear way. For example, millennials, GenZers and GenXers can coexist in the same workplace. Diversity and discrimination (Sharma 1979) But if there is no one clear modern Hindu pluralism, it remains that various modern Indian thinkers have held to versions of core or identist pluralism. Though not true, doctrines such as the Trinity or the Incarnation, he argues, may be interpreted to have mythological truth, that is, a tendency to influence people towards getting what Hick postulates is the cure offered by the religions, the ethical transformation described above. 3, 3-4). (McDermott and Netland 2014, 148) But these are sometimes tempered with loopholes such as: a universal chance to hear the gospel at or after death, a free pass to people who die before the age of accountability, or the view that less was required to be saved in pre-Christian times. Religious diversity is the fact that there are significant differences in religious belief and practice. The most and least racially diverse U.S. religious groups Diversity is the differences in colour, ethnicity, abilities, age, gender, beliefs, interests, socioeconomic (class), marital or partnership status, sexual orientation, geographic, academic/professional backgrounds, opinions, backgrounds, thinking, experiences and many other characteristics. However, his theory seems to depend crucially on the existence of many human problems, each of which may be solved by participation in some religion or other. If a religion cures only a shallow, derivative human problem, leaving the deeper problem intact, then what it offers would not deserve the name salvation, for it would leave those who achieve it still in need of the cure. One idea is that all religions would turn out to be parts of one whole (either one religion or at least one conglomeration of religions). RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY. These are the undisputed facts of religious diversity. They can also influence components of enablement. (Plantinga 1999, 124-5; Neuner and Dupuis 2001, 305) Note that this might still be interpreted with or without the various non-standard ways to obtain church membership mentioned above. Religious diversity - differences within and between religious groups in a society - has re-entered the sociology of religion in new and powerful ways. 1939), have formulated various pluralist theories. On the Plurality of Religious Pluralisms., Long, Jeffery D. Anekanta Vedanta: Towards a Deep Hindu Religious Pluralism., Long, Jeffery D. Universalism in Hinduism., Mawson, T.J. Byrnes religious pluralism., Meeker, Kevin. (Sharma 1999, ch. Recent Islamic thinkers have independently come to conclusions parallel to those of Rahner, while critiquing various pluralist theories as entailing the sin of unbelief (kufr), the rejection of Islam. This view has not been widely accepted because the Process theology and philosophy on which it is based has not been widely accepted. 7; Griffin 2005b). This transformation, Hick theorizes, is really the point of religion. First, we have the protected characteristics, such as race, age, gender and sexual orientation. This led to both the questioning and the defense of various exclusivist traditional Christian claims. Differing people, perspectives, topics, ideas, etc. 2) He was what we now call a pluralistic Hindu (and most Hindus would add that he was also an unorthodox Hindu). Characteristics of cultural diversity : Multiplicity of cultures Each worldview is the product of the individual development of a people. A Dynamic Unity in Religious Pluralism: A Proposal from the Buddhist Point of View., Bogardus, Tomas. It is more real than all that comes from it. Another view which is taken by Bible-oriented evangelical Protestants allows the possibility of non-Christians receiving saving grace, but is firmly agnostic as to whether this actually occurs, and if it does, how often, because of the paucity of relevant biblical statements. It is here described as Identist pluralism because his theory claims that people in all the major religions interact with one and the same transcendent reality, variously called God, the Real, and the Ultimate Reality., Hick viewed religious belief as rationally defensible, and held that one may be rational in trusting the veridicality of ones religious experiences. Or are those gods mere fictions? One of Lucy's patients is a Buddhist man whose family immigrated from China before he was born. (Sedgwick 2004) Like traditional religions, it too offers a diagnosis of the human condition and a cure. (For others see Hick 2004, Introduction.). Many people associate any sort of pluralist theory of religious diversity with a number of arguably good qualities. All the major religions, then, are really oriented towards, and involve the experience of some reality regarded as ultimate (Creativity, God, or Cosmos). Nineteenth century popes condemned Enlightenment-inspired theories of religion pluralism about truth and salvation, then called indifferentism, it being, allegedly, indifferent which major religion one chose, since all were of equal value. Moreover, some influential modern Hindu leaders have adopted a complicated rhetoric of universal religion, which often assumes some sort of religious pluralism. Later on, Hick firmly settled on the view that this Real should be thought of as ineffable. While this is compatible with some religion being the best in some other respect(s), the theorists using this label have in mind that many religions are equal regarding the central value(s) of religion. While Smiths view rests on belief in an impersonal Ultimate, other versions of core pluralism rest upon monotheism. It is not Reasonable to Believe that Only One Religion is True., Cohn-Sherbok, Dan. How could a perfect being fail to be available to all people in all the religions? How DIVERSE Are the Religions? - Religion 101 Exploring the trend in religious diversity: Based on the geographical al. one? The exclusivist-inclusivist-pluralist trichotomy has become standard since the 1980s. This patient's religious beliefs have led him to pursue mindfulness and meditation as ways of . (Netland 2001, 23-54) Theories of religious diversity have largely been driven by attacks on and defenses of such claims, and discussions continue within the realm of Christian theology. Protestant versions of exclusivism can be at least as strict as Augustines. Thus, in experiencing what they call Emptiness or the Dharmakaya (truth body), Mahayana Buddhists really do perceive what Cobb calls Creativity (or Being Itself), as do Advaita Vedanta Hindus when they perceive Nirguna Brahman (Brahman without qualities). Hick realizes the incoherence of dubbing all religions true, for they have core teachings that conflict, and most religions are not shy about pointing out such conflicts. Nor can he be fruitful and multiply while living as a celibate Buddhist monk. (Hick 1982 ch. Diversity refers to all of the ways in which people differ, including primary characteristics, such as age, race, gender, ethnicity, mental and physical abilities, and sexual orientation; and secondary characteristics, such as nationality, education, income, religion, work experience, language skills, geographic location, family status, This seems incompatible with Heims agnosticism about which, if any, of the diagnosed problems is the fundamental one. We should respect freedom of religion by rejecting the kinds of false and damaging claims that are sometimes made about religion, especially Islam. Dale Tuggy Carefully worked out theories of religious pluralism often sound all-inclusive. Legenhausen, Hajj Muhammad [Gary Carl] Why I am not a Traditionalist. 2002. This in some sense manifests as, acts as, and is not different from a host of Enjoyment Bodies (Sambhogakaya), each of which is a Buddha outside of space and time, a historical Buddha now escaped from samsara and dwelling in a Buddha-realm. Finally, Cobb and Griffin emphasize that this approach does not endorse any unreasonable form of relativism and, as such, allows one to remain distinctively Christian or Buddhist and so forth. Equally, Advaita Vedanta Hindus must let go of their insistence on Nirguna Brahman as ultimate. Such a person is outside of the tradition, yet obtains the cure taught by the tradition. It has always been recognized by people outside the smallest and most isolated communities. This perennial philosophy appeals to many present-day people, particularly those who, like Smith, have moved from a childhood religious faith, in his case, Christianity, to a more naturalistic and, hence, atheistic outlook. These negative qualities include but are not limited to: being arrogant, unreasonable, mean, narrow-minded, closed-minded, uninformed, provincial, out of date, xenophobic, bigoted, intolerant, in favor of proselytism, colonialist, and imperialist. A similar pluralism is advanced by Japanese Zen scholar Masao Abe (1915-2006). A more inclusive and equitable workplace can lead to increased employee engagement, satisfaction, and productivity. People over age 40 are more likely to identify with a religion or engage in religious practices. It is impossible that all three experiences are veridical. (Hick 2004, ch. Contrary to widespread depictions of religious blocs of uniform practices, values and concerns, it is essential to emphasize the plurality of . (Legenhausen 2002) Those who believe the ultimate reality to be a unique god object to Smiths view that the ultimate reality is ineffable, and so not, in itself, a god. A theory of religious pluralism says that all religions of some kind are the same in some valuable respect(s). Such an outlook, often called the perennial philosophy or traditionalism, owes much to nineteenth and twentieth century occult literature, and to neo-Platonism and its early modern revivals. The following are the characteristics of diversity: Linguistic Diversity Regional Diversity Religious Diversity Linguistic Diversity Nationality includes, for example, being a British, Jamaican or Pakistani citizen. All the theories discussed in this article are ways that (usually religious) people regard other religions, but here we discuss them abstractly, without descending much into the details of how they would be worked out in the teachings and practices of any one religion. If the core is true teachings, theyll all be true (to some degree). In contrast, exclusivist approaches say that only one religion is uniquely valuable. One asserts not merely the possibility, but the actuality of salvation for those who are inculpably ignorant of the gospel but who seek God and try to follow his will as expressed through their own conscience. (Hick 2011), A less developed identist pluralism is explored by Peter Byrne. (OConnor 1999; King 2008; Bogardus 2013), Others object that given the transcategoriality or ineffability of the Real, even with the above qualifications, there is no reason to think that interaction with the Real should be ethically beneficial, or that it should have any connection at all to any religious value. (Sharma 1999, ch. While elements within it have been sectarian and exclusivistic, modern Hindu thought is usually pluralistic. OConnor, Timothy. Diversity Guide - Religion and Belief - Equality and Diversity Beyond this is infinite, unlimited Being (also called Absolute Truth, the True Reality, the Absolute, God). Buddhism has long been very doctrinally diverse, and many schools of Buddhism argue that theirs is the truest teaching or the best practice, while other versions of the dharma are less true or less conducive to getting the cure, and have now been superseded. religion or belief. The Global Religious Landscape | Pew Research Center As explained above (section 3c) a major impetus for this has been statements issued by the latest official council (Vatican II, 1962-5). : a critical examination of some formulations of the Neo-Hindu position., Smith, Huston. (Dupuis 2000, 165-170) A key area of disagreement is whether or not these imply that a person may be saved by means of their participation in some other religion. These, Hick holds, are all mistaken; the Ultimate reality is neither personal nor impersonal. Religious Diversity in Classrooms - Video & Lesson Transcript - Study.com On the other hand, many theorists want to adopt the friendly and broad-minded sounding label pluralism for their theory, even though they clearly hold that one religion is uniquely valuable. Preparation For The Future If a workplace has done the necessary work, it's bound to be culturally diverse. In Mahayana Buddhism, the ultimate reality, a formless but active non-thing, is Emptiness, or the Truth Body (Dharmakaya). Another, without saying that people may be saved through membership in them, affirms various positive values in other religions, including true teachings, which serve as divinely ordained preparations for reception the gospel. 2; see section 3c below). Diversity in religion is one of the world's strengths, not one of its weaknesses. Roy, however, always retained his Hindu and Brahmin identities. Hinduism., de Cea, Abraham Vlez. (Krkkinen 2003; Netland 2001) The most famous of these has been the view (held by some Christians) that all non-Christians are doomed to an eternity of conscious suffering in hell. Among these purported facts, for Hick, is that the great religions equally well facilitate the ethical transformation of their adherents, what Hick calls a transformation from self-centeredness to other-centeredness and Reality-centeredness.
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