Migration and Religious Pluralism Flashcards
1
Q
Exclusivism
What are the 3 quotes in support of exclusivism?
A
- ‘I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me’ John 14:6
- ‘whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life’
- ‘For everyone who calls upon the name of the lord will be saved’
2
Q
Exclusivism
What are the 2 exceptions to exclusivist views?
A
- Those who die in infancy, they are saved as a sign of God’s mercy.
- Those who have no knowledge of God.
3
Q
Exclusivism
What are the criticisms of exclusivism?
A
- God is free to do whatever he chooses, it is illogical to say he cannot act through other religions or none
- Limits God’s potential for forgiveness to one faith
- It binds God to one interpretation of scripture
4
Q
Inclusivism
What are the 3 quotes in support of inclusivism?
A
- ‘I now realised how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right’
- ‘In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yes he has not left himself without testimony’
- ‘There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil’
5
Q
Inclusivism
What does Karl Rahner say about inclusivism?
A
- Anonymous Christians
o People who are not Christian in practice, worship or belief are nevertheless able to experience grace and salvation.
6
Q
Inclusivism
What are the criticisms of inclusivism?
A
- John Hick criticises Rahner’s view as patronising to other faiths as it suggests that the faith they are following is mistaken or faulty.
- Fundamentalist Christians do not share his view, for them only those with explicit faith in Jesus can attain salvation.
7
Q
How Christian denominations view each other
How do Roman Catholics view other religions?
A
- It is essential to maintain continuity with the faith as taught by the apostles.
- This authority has come from the Apostolic Succession, in which authority is passed at ordination from one person to the next.
- Liberal Catholic thinkers opt for a closed inclusivist approach with respect for other denominations as well as other religions. They reflect aspects of the Christian faith, but they lack the continuity and authority of Catholicism.
- The Catholic approach is seen in an encyclical issue by Pope John II in 1995, in this document non-Catholic are referred to as ‘separated brethren’.
8
Q
How Christian denominations view each other
How do Protestant Evangelics view other Christians?
A
- Salvation can only come about by the grace of God
- Believers themselves hold authority (Priesthood of all believers) and scripture alone (sola scriptura)
- Protestant Evangelical Christians judge other Christians based on how they apply the principles form the New Testaments and whether or not Churches declare a commitment to Christ as their personal saviour.
- They reject the hierarchical authority structures in other denominations as unbiblical.
- They believe that those who have not made a commitment to Christ have excluded themselves from salvation.
9
Q
How Christian denominations view each other
How do the Church of England view other Christians?
A
- After separating from the Catholic Church in 1530, the CofE has held, at various times, a range of views and still today there are evangelicals, Anglo-Catholics, and Pentecostal communities within the CofE.
- CofE maintains a non-committal approach as it recognises other Churches and acknowledges they are different in matters of worship, ministry, structures for decision making and the way they work in the world.
- Their willingness to work with other Churches has led to several bilateral conversations and several agreements with other Churches.
- CofE described as inclusivist due to their unwillingness to exclude other Christians from the possibility of salvation.
10
Q
How Christian denominations view each other
How do Ecumenists view other Christians?
A
- Describes the initiatives to develop relationships between Christian Churches to promote Christian unity.
- The emphasis on the ecumenical movement is not to deny or explain away differences between Christian denominations, but to. Suggest that they have plenty in common and can therefore work together.
- An example of this is the work of the World Council of Churches.
11
Q
Pluralism - John Hick
Who was he?
A
- An English philosopher who was interested in religious pluralism.
12
Q
Pluralism - John Hick
What is universalism?
A
- The view that all humans will be saved by God, whatever their religion.
- A Christian Theology of Religion: The Rainbow of Faiths
o ‘Any credible religious faith must be able to make sense of it by relating to the universal sovereignty and fatherhood of God’.
13
Q
Pluralism - John Hick
What does Hick say about religious claims?
A
- Distinguishes between
o Claims related to historical facts, which in principle are capable of being resolved, i.e. was Jesus crucified outside Jerusalem by the Romans.
o Trans-historical questions, i.e. what happens when you die, for which there may be fundamentally different answers.
14
Q
Pluralism - John Hick
What is religion for?
A
- ‘The transformation of human existence from self-centredness to reality-centredness’.
- Therefore he sees it mainly about self-transformation rather than historical or other truth claims.
- He argues that the incompatibilities between religions are not of real religious significance.
15
Q
Pluralism - John Hick
What does Hick say about The Afterlife?
A
- Hick does not accept the idea of hell, he suggests that there are further opportunities beyond this life to do good and reach salvation as God is benevolent.
