christianity, migration and religious pluralism

Question 1

give an outline of migration to britain

Answer 1

• many people migrated from eastern europe after the second world war 2
• many indians and pakistanis migrated after Indian independence was declared in 1947. they continued to come to the Uk in 1972 after their expulsion from uganda
• in the 1950s there was a shortage of labour in the UK, so the British Government encouraged immigration from the Caribbean and Hong Kong
• in the 1980s many somalis came to escape the civil war in the homeland
• in the 1990s, the balkan conflict led to many people migrating from there

Question 2

what are the some responses to multiculturalism in the past

Answer 2

• some viewed immigration as a threat to traditional british values, which they linked to christianity even if they had no real connection
• emotive and inflammatory language was used, such as talk of being swamped and enochs powells speech in 1968, warning of disastrous results
• in modern times, this feeling has been encouraged by some political parties
• most people saw multiculturalism as a opportunity for enrichment

Question 3

what did the 2011 census show for diversity of faiths in britain

Answer 3

• a continuing decline in numbers of those declaring they were christian (now just over 59%)
• a rise in those of no religion (just over 25%) and in muslims (almsot 5%)
• statistics for hinduism, sikhism, judaism and buddhism also saw an increase

Question 4

why isnt diversity seen everywhere in britain

Answer 4

• some areas of Britain are still monocultural as when people first migrated, they tended to settle in groups and places where employment was to be readily found
• some, for example the indian asians expelled from uganda, were settled in places where local governments said they had the capacity to receive them

Question 5

what is religious pluralism

Answer 5

• a situation where people of different faiths live in the same society as one another without conflict and show respect to one another

Question 6

how is a society in which religious pluralism is embraced is characterised

Answer 6

• explored one another’s traditions
• helping one another and respecting differences

Question 7

what are some criticisms of multiculturalism and religious pluralism

Answer 7

• multiculturalism threatens social cohesion as there is no sense of common identity
• immigrant cultures might flourish without being assimilated, which can lead to a sense of isolation, or discrimination
• certain practices carried out by some communities are illegal under UK law
• multiculturalism assumes that no culture can claim to be the best, but a major reason for belonging to a particular religion is the conviction that it offers the best way of life

Question 8

what is exclusivism in christianity

Answer 8

• claims that christianity is the one true faith
• john 14:6 seems to say that salvation depends on absolute and explicit commitment to jesus: truth is to be found exclusively in his teaching and way of life

Question 9

what does john 14:6 say

Answer 9

• jesus answered ‘ i am the way and the truth and the life. noone comes to the father except through me ‘

Question 10

what are the exceptions exclusivists make

Answer 10

• children who die before they are able to make this commitment can be saved. this is also reflected in the reason that used to be given for emergency baptisms
• those who die never having heard about jesus will be judged on the conformity of their lives with the natural moral law that some Christians believe is built into the fabric of the universe and accessible to all

Question 11

what are emergency baptisms

Answer 11

• refers to baptising those likely to die

Question 12

how do fundamentalists interpret john 14:6

Answer 12

• salvation depends on declared belief in christ which means that evangelism is an absolute priority
• other new testament texts are quoted as support for their view
• the belief that god was uniquely revealed in christ is seen as a central truth of christianity that is threatened by any dilution of exclusivism

Question 13

what are criticisms of exclusivism

Answer 13

• it limits gods unconditional love and forgiveness by tying him to a fundamentalist interpretation of certain biblical texts
• it lacks balance
• this conflict points to the fact that the New Testament is a product of the church

Question 14

how does exclusivism lack balance

Answer 14

• this interpretation conflicts with the teaching of jesus recorded in Luke’s gospel in particular and with thr unconditional friendship he showed to those who were generally despised by jewish society

Question 15

what is open and closed inclusivism

Answer 15

• closed inclusivism takes the approach that one religion does contain all truth, but that other religions have some aspects of it
• open inclusivism adopts the approach that one religion has a better grasp of the truth than others, but not all aspects, so it can learn from others

Question 16

how is inclusivism interpreted by the author of Luke/Acts and by Paul

Answer 16

• the approach taken by the author of Luke/Acts and by Paul in his letter to the christians in Rome stresses god showing no favouritism
  
  • salvation is open to all
  • it is based on peoples adherence to or
    rejection of the natural sense of morality
    that is an inbuilt feature of the world

Question 17

how does Barth interpret inclusivism

Answer 17

• based on his belief that all human nature has been so corrupted by the Fall that everyone, regardless of religion, is totally dependent on salvation on gods grace

Question 18

what is karl rahners concept of anonymous christians

Answer 18

• an attempt to reflect the inclusive teaching and lifestyle of jesus, as seen in the gospels
• it sees gods power as transcending human limitations caused by ignorance, error and evil inclinations
• gods grace is at work in all people; it is not limited to Christians
• non christians may be saved through good moral conduct, which is not dependent on belief in christ
• non christian religions have much in common with Christianity

Question 19

what are the two perspectives rahners idea has been criticised from

Answer 19

• fundamentalists have condemned its inclusivist approach
• some liberal christians, notably john hick, have accused it of paternalism
  
  • it is insulting to other religions, which
    should be respected in their own right
  • hick claimed that rahners view implied other
    religions are flawed

Question 20

how does the catholic church view other denominations

Answer 20

• reflect aspects of the christian faith
• only the catholic church has true continuity and authority
• dialogue is encouraged with non-catholics, but not compromise

Question 21

how does the CofE view other denominations

Answer 21

• the position of the CofE is more difficult to pin down as it includes members with a wide range of views. it could be said to be inclusivist for the following reasons:
  
  • its ability to hold together Christians from a
    variety of viewpoints
  • its recognition of other churchesz despite
    differences in structure
  • its unwillingness to exclude other Christians
    from the possibility of salvation

Question 22

how do protestant evangelical christians view other denominations

Answer 22

• tend to adopt an exclusivist position
• salvation comes by the grace of god through faith, which is a personal commitment to Christ
• the threefold ministry of the church and the sacraments are viewed as unbiblical and so the catholic, orthodox and anglican churches are in error
• those who do not make this personal commitment to god have rejected gods offer of salvation

Question 23

what is the ecumenical movement

Answer 23

• a movement aimed at promoting Christian unity
• in the UK, there is an annual week of prayer for christianity unity led in january
• in 1948, the world council or churches was set up, which seeks to promote dialogue between the member churches and a greater shared understanding of the christian faith

Question 24

what is hicks view of the nature of god and religion

Answer 24

• the relationship between humans and what he thought of as an ultimate reality is shaped by history and culture
• it is a mistake to understand salvation in terms of the sacred writings of one particular religion and to adopt an exclusivist position
• he rejected the concept of hell as incompatible with the belief in a benevolent god
• hick distinguished between the concept of ultimate reality and the widely differing views that humans have of that reality
• he thought that religion was about self transformation rather than about believing certain teachings and practices are true so he found that so called incompatibilities between religions are insignificant

Question 25

what is hicks universalism

Answer 25

• hick viewed the purpose of human life as one of soul making or spiritual growth
• that raised the question of those who died without having fulfilled their purpose and in some cases, having wreaked misery on the earth
• hick believed that after death there would be future lives, in this or other worlds, to enable the spiritual growth that would result in eternity with god
• he rejected the teaching relating to everlasting suffering in Jesus’ parable of the sheep and goat

Question 26

why do some disagree with hicks views

Answer 26

• some differences between religious groups are so different and incompatible
• christians would disagree with the idea of future states of existence after death as they only believe in one
• most religions reject the view that religion is about selt transformation rather than the quest for truth

Question 27

how do hicks ideas encourage interfaith and interdenominational relations

Answer 27

• his views about the cultural links between individuals and their religion encourage people to think about the oneness of human religions

Question 28

the argument for and against the right to religious expression: Nada Eweida wearing a lapel cross on british airways uniforms

Answer 28

• this expression of faith causes no harm
• displays of religious affiliation is innapropriate in the workplace

Question 29

what was the legal decision made for Nada Eweida

Answer 29

• for
• not restricting anyone elses rights

Question 30

the argument for and against the right to religious expression: Shirley Chaplin wearing a cross at work as a nurse

Answer 30

• this expression of faith would cause no harm
• prohibited by her NHS trust, so in breach of the rules

Question 31

the argument for and against the right to religious expression: Mr and Mrs Bull refusing a room to a gay couple

Answer 31

• the owners only let rooms to married couples; upholding christian teaching on sexual practice. This was not a decision based on sexuality
• an act of discrimination on sexual grounds

Question 32

the argument for and against the right to religious expression: Margaret Jones, a registrar said she could not conduct same sex marriages

Answer 32

• expression of her christian beliefs about marriage did not affect any couples. She was willing to register the marriage, simply leaving it to the other person on duty
• conducting a ceremony did not prevent the essential feature of her faith: her right to worship as she wished

Question 33

what was the legal decision made for Shirley Chaplin

Answer 33

• against
• wearing any necklace is a health risk in hospital

Question 34

what was the legal decision made for Mr and Mrs Bull

Answer 34

• against
• their actions were seen as a breach of the 2007 Sexual Orientation regulations

Question 35

what was the legal decision made for Margaret Jones

Answer 35

• for
• council had not investigated ways of accomodating her concerns (she had been dismissed for gross misconduct)