Religious diversity and pluralism

1. Religious diversity and pluralism Intro to Religion

2. Diversity of Religions • Major World Religions • Christianity - 33% - 2.1 Billion • Islam – 21% - 1.5 Billion • Secular/Agnostic/Atheist - 16% 1.1 Billion • Hinduism – 14% 900 Million • Chinese Traditional Religions - 6% - 394 Million • Buddhism – 6% - 376 Million • Indigenous – 6% - 300 Million • African Traditional & Diasporic – 6% - 100 Million • Sikhism (23 Million), Juche (19 Million) & Spirtism (15 Millsion) • Judaism - .22% - 14 Million

3. Approaches to Relgious Diversity • Atheism • Agnosticism • Religious relativism – explanations and truths in religions can be regarded as “effective” for its adherents, but there is no objective truth that transcendences personal experience. • Religious Pluralism – ultimately all religions are correct, each offering a different path and partial perspective. • Religious Inclusivism – only one religion is fully correct, but other religions participate and reveal partial truths. It is possible to obtain salvation through many paths • Religious Exclusivism – one world religion is correct & all others mistaken. Salvation is found only through one

4. Evaluating religious system • Criteria (what are the ways they justify their beliefs) • Logical consistency (is it logical, rational and not contradictory) • Coherence of overall system (do these beliefs work together as a system of understanding reality in entirely?) • Consistency with knowledge in other fields (science, etc) • Reasonable answers to fundamental questions • Existential plausibility (can we think it true in reality, does it make sense in a material/empirical way?) • Ethical, sociological, and psychological value or impact (how do we feel about it, does it help us cope/live?)

5. Religious Tolerance • Religious tolerance is recognizing and respecting the religious beliefs and practices of others • A paradigm shift from rejecting to understanding • Tolerance doesn’t affirm that everyone is right, but does realize that everyone is significant.

6. Questions for Discussion • Which of the 6 approaches to religious diversity do you find most persuasive? Why exactly? • Can one hold to exclusivism or inclusivism and also be religiously tolerant? What would tolerance mean in these cases? • Do you believe that it is possible to compare rival religious systems in such a way that one can objectively(rational not emotional and without history or cultural context) assess their plausibility? (come to a conclusion about which one has the truth right and which has it wrong)