3F Challenges from pluralism and diversity within a tradition Flashcards
(36 cards)
What is exclusivism?
• Belief that salvation belongs exclusively to C.ty
- Some C.tians have thought that all non-C.tians will be damned
What is inclusivism?
• C.ty is the final way to salvation, but other r.s may have some truth
- J’s work ‘includes’ all ppl, but the fullest expression of salvation = explicitly knowing Christ
What is pluralism?
• All religions reflect the truth
- C.ty views C.ty as the way to G for C.tians only
What four Bible passages relating to exclusivism does the spec require you to know?
- Deuteronomy 6:5
- Joshua 23:16
- John 14:6
- Acts 4:12
Give a quote from Deuteronomy 6:5.
• “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart”
Give a quote from Joshua 23:16.
• “If you […] go and serve other gods […] then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you.”
Give a quote from John 14:6.
• “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Give a quote from Acts 4:12.
• “There is salvation in no one else.”
Give the references of three passages that speak of condemnation/eternal punishment for unbelief.
- Matthew 13:50
- John 3:18
- Revelation 21:8
Give an example of a theological statement that developed which was exclusive in nature.
• “extra ecclesiam nulla salus” - ‘outside of the Church, no salvation’
- Originated from 3C theologian Cyprian of Carthage, and continues to be a part of Catholic teaching
- Protestants = similar: ‘no salvation outside of faith in Christ’
What were Karl Rahner’s views a major influence on?
• Vatican II documents
- His ideas are reflected in Nostra Aetate and Lumen Gentium
Outline Rahner’s basic beliefs.
- Thought it was possible to make a positive use of modern philosophy while holding true to Catholic doctrine
- Believed that all human beings have an awareness of something beyond the infinite realm + that all ppl = part of an infinite reality: God.
- Poss. to have an implicit awareness of G w/o explicitly knowing that this is the case - G = actively offering grace to all ppl.
What is Rahner’s idea of an ‘anonymous Christian’?
- One who responds to G’s presence but may not be explicitly aware of G, and certainly not aware of G’s full expression in J + the C.ch
- C.ch should not view those outside it as non-C.tians, but as anonymous C.tians
Which of Rahner’s works is most associated with his view of inclusivism?
• Essay, ‘Christianity and the Non-Christian Religions’
- (he outlines four theses in it)
Explain Rahner’s 1st Thesis.
• “Christianity understands itself as the absolute religion […] which cannot recognise any other religion beside itself as of equal right.”
• Necessary since the C.ch believes that G has chosen to relate to the world through the incarnation
- However, prior to this - as C.ty has a starting point in space and time - G did not demand specific assent to C.ty; there were other ways to come to G - all these ways = part of a single plan
• Can there be other ways to come to G in the present?
Explain Rahner’s 2nd Thesis.
• “a non-Christian religion can be recognised as a lawful religion without thereby denying the error and depravity contained in it.”
• By ‘lawful religion’, Rahner means a r. that provides a way for ppl to find a right r.ship w/ G - there may be other lawful r.s to a greater or lesser degree
- e.g. in OT, there were many ppl who pleased G but were outside of G’s ‘lawful r.’ of Judaism
- This theme = the ‘God-pleasing pagan’
• There are many places where the message of C.ty cannot be truly heard ∴ we must be open to the idea that G uses other r.s to reach ppl
- Does not mean that everything on these r.s is true, but merely that G = using it as part of his plan of salvation
Explain Rahner’s 3rd Thesis.
• “If the second thesis is correct, then C.ty does not simply confront the member […] as a mere non-Christian but as someone who […] must be regarded […] as an anonymous Christian”
- Even before missionaries arrive to proclaim their message, G has already been at work
- Becoming a C.tian = final step of a process that begins with anonymous C.ty
Explain Rahner’s 4th Thesis.
• “the Church will not regard herself today as the exclusive community of those who have a claim to salvation but rather as the […] explicit expression of what the Christian hopes is present as a hidden reality even outside the visible C.ch”
- Trying to change the attitude of the C.ch: should not see itself as the sole possessor of truth/goodness opposed to all outside of it
- G = greater than the C.ch, working through the reality of r. pluralism
How does Rahner end his essay?
• By urging the C.ch to have the attitude of St. Paul when he said to the Greeks, “Therefore what you worship as something unknown, I now proclaim to you.” (Acts 17:23)
What does Hick say about Rahner?
• Rahner “attempts to attain an inclusivist position which is in principle universal but which does not thereby renounce the old exclusivist dogma.”
What is Hick’s view of religion in relation to Copernicus?
• For many centuries, we had a Ptolemaic view of the world, with the earth at the centre of the universe, and many planets/stars orbiting earth
• The Copernican revolution showed that the earth was one of many planets that orbited the sun ∴ complicated theory of epicycles no longer needed
• H believes that a Copernican revolution is needed today for theology ∵ C.tian theologians have believed that J was at the centre of the r. universe + all the world’s r.s = circling C.ty (a ‘Ptolemaic’ way of thinking)
• It needs to be realised that C.ty, like other r.s, = circling something else
- H calls this the ‘Ultimate Reality’
• We need to move from a Christocentric/ecclesiocentric universe to a theocentric one - G/Ult.Rea. at centre, not J or C.ch)
How does Hick explain that inclusivism is an awkward epicycle?
• Theologians realised that there were spiritual ppl + profound truths outside C.ty
- How could they account for these whilst holding J at centre of theological universe? Like astronomers, they created their own version of epicycles - adjustments to the theory so it could still work, entailed viewing G as forgiving to other r.s that do not have a chance to know J
- Those outside C.ty have an ‘implicit faith’: they would accept J if they had the opp. to; w/o this opp., they could be seen as possessing the ‘baptism of desire’ (their desire to live in a right way could be counted as baptism)
• H sees Rahner’s theory of anonymous C.tians + Vat. II statements about truth in other r.s as further epicycles
• H attacks inclusivist theo. for failing to recognise the central fact that Ptolemaic theo. depends on where a believer happens to be born, e.g. most ppl born in Indai will form Hindu inclusivism
• Other r.s see their r. at centre of universe w/ other r.s as distant planets, perhaps having some truth but less than the planet at the centre
- Imperialistic/outdated way of looking at world
Give some of Hick’s further criticisms of inclusivism.
• Inclusive approach does not give up the exclusivist message that one cannot be saved outside C.ty; but also allows for salvation for ppl who have no conscious connection w/ J
- H: sticking a “Christian label” on ppl by predicting that one day they will become part of the C.tian C.ch
• If the old exclusivist message has been emptied of its content, is it still worth affirming?
- i.e. once ppl in other r.s are viewed as having access to truth in ways that lead to fulfilling lives in G’s eyes, is there any meaningful tie to trad. theology?
- It would be better to hold a position which affirms that all ppl can be on diff. paths to the Ultimate Reality.
• If the full truth is found in C.ty, implies that you can achieve greater spiritual heights by being a C.tian
- If this were true, one would expect to find more ‘saintliness’ in C.ty compared to other r.s - does not appear to be the case (although H notes that it is hard to tell how this would be measured)
Having disregarded inclusivism, what does Hick argue?
• Argues for a philosophy of r. pluralism - common experiential basis underlying all the major world r.s
- This common base moves us from self-centredness to “Reality-Centredness”
