Relating the religions

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Relating the religions
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Basic approaches

• Question Is our God listening?
• Exclusivism
• God is revealed in a unique and definitive way in
  one religion, not in other religions
• Inclusivism
• God is revealed in all religions to some extent,
  but in one religion to the greatest extent.
• Pluralism
• God is revealed in all religions, but in
  different ways. No one religion completely
  encompasses sacred Reality (p. 169).

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Exclusivism

• Very strong belief in the truth of ones own
  religion and its distinctive claims
• Oneness and onlyness of truth
• Recognizes uniqueness of religious claims
• Salvation is through one means

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Inclusivism

• All religions have truth
• One religion has defining claims of truth
• Christianity God revealed in life, death, and
  resurrection of Jesus
• Islam Corrects Judaism and Christianity
• All can be included
• Others can be saved Gods grace extended to all
  in ways they can receive it
• Some inclusivists are also universalists (all
  will be saved)
• Fullness of truth given in the distinctive claims
  of ones own religion
• Emphasizes strength and importance of ones
  beliefs

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Pluralism

• All religions have truth none has whole truth
• God transcends our idea of God (Eck, 186)
• So, one can learn different truths from other
  religions
• Plurality is not a problem, but the means of
  learning about God
• But, not all religions are the same
• Not relativism (reduces all religions to one)
• Need to be committed in ones own religion to
  better engage other religions

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Other positions

• Universalism all people will be saved
• Relativism all religions are the same, but
  express their beliefs relative to their own
  history
• If everything is more or less true, I do not
  give my heart to anything in particular (Eck,
  195)
• Either they express one basic truth, or no truth
• Supercessionism one religion replaces another
• Syncretism combining religions

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Questions

• Is the typology accurate?
• Which appeals to you? Why?
• What are strengths and weaknesses of each?
• In the religions we have studied, how do you see
  distinctive visions of truth in each?