religious pluralism and society Flashcards
(11 cards)
contemporary multi faith societies
the UK was a historically christian country with many institutions being christian, now it is multi faith. this had led to tensions which come from a dplace of ignorance and a desire to hold onto traditions.people who embrace diversity within society value the importance of the global community getting to know each other. different faith groups have much in common and can teach each other about ways to work in the community.
those who are suspicious of diversityare suspicious as there is a feeling that there are too many internal issues within a country or society to have the capacity to take on more people.
what are reasons for the development to have happened
migration, tolerance, relativism-society is willing to accept that different beliefs have equal value,globalisation- if the world is indeed becomng smaller due to technology, multi faith societies will find it much easier to devleop
what is redemptios missio
this focuses on evangelism, it believes God calls all people to himself through the work of christ, other religions contain gaps and errors, other religions can be saved but people require the church, inter faith dialogue exists to find in other poeple and in other traditions aspects of the truth. dialogue can take form in academic discussions, cooperation to ensure relgiious values are protected.
what is the church of englands inter faith dialogue
sharing the gospel of salvation
evangelism isnt a new thing and christians always preach the word of God,its important to proclaim the uniqueness of christ amongst those of a different faith but also recognise their is truth in their journey,the relatively recent shifts in population mean a fresh approach is needed for envangelism. christians should work with others for the common good which recognises we all live in the same world. passages in the bible show how people in the bible engage with those of other faiths(book of ruth). sharing the gospel is a proclamation of good news, not trying to sell or to market the faith and this proclamation is a combination of word and deed and sharing personal experiences.
what are features of a coherent society
harmony- interfaih dialogue promotes this by breaking down barriers and overcoming forms of tolerance
protection of the individual-if people should be able to hold beliefs without fear of reprocussions, interfaith dialogue can ensure that no one majority group becomes too overwhelming for theminorities. they can do so with an education that comes with IFD
Respect for others- inter faith dialogue occurs through shared experiences and so living alongside other respect can grow
common goals and a public good- IFD leads to shared and joint work. e.g. charitable projects.
if successful IFD takes place and everyone feels to be themselves, this extends society as a whole. a successful society is a place where a group of individuals are able to be themselves and interact safely with others they dont have to agree but still engage sucessfully and fruitfully with each other
what is scriptual reasoning
this began to try provide a new way of approaching IFD. small groups of religious people gather, a common theme is chosen and then each religion brings a text relating to this theme. the texts are read carefully and a discussion follows.
deepening understanding of other faiths as well as their scripture helps us understand not only key beliefs but the motivation for the beliefs. this is so we can understand why we disagree rather than desperately trying to find some form of agreement. being able to understand and exploredifferences, strong relationships from between pps leading to practical work within communitieis
what are the methods of it
texts are examined on 2 levels, firstly its read at a levelappropriate for the pps. the original langauage is available alongside the local language. the text is examined as a text that is lived out in life. pps are encouraged to be honest about their reading of texts and not to feel they need to be an expert in their faith. theyre also encouraged to avoid generalisations about their beliefs held in a tradition.
each group is made up of representatives from each religion being explored. its suggested theres more than one from each religion so no one feels the burden of represenitng their faith on their own. theres a facilitator in the group who maintains the focus on text on the subject matter and on open dialogue. the facilitators job is also to maintain the sense of collegiality and hospitality.
what are the aims
david ford states a key advantage in reading texts together is that what is promoted is long term conversation and collegiality which gives it an advantage over other IFD movements which are short term or one off. collegiality is the idea that the group together learn to have shared goals and shared experiences.
should christians have a mission to those of no faith
the redemptios missio says the christian message should be intergrated into the new culture created by modern communications so the media doesnt eradicate it.
christians are keen to bring back those who have stopped practising a faith. they will work to find out why they have moved away from the church being mindful of sensitive issues such as the sexual abuse scandal, and would try work with each individual as much as they could.
what are christians teaching about evangelism
the bible is very clear that those who are lost should be brought back to God, the last word of Jesus’ diciples in matthews gospel are an instruction to proclaim the good news to all.
in 2013, pope francis wrote of the joy of the gospell that simply must be proclaimed to all in the joy of the gospel. he wrote those who dont know jesus christ have not always rejected him. all of them have a right to receive the gospel, christians have the duty to proclaim the gospel without excluding anyone.
what are the five marks of mission
to proclaim the good news of the kingdom
to teach baptise and nurture new believers
to respond to human need by loving service
to transform unjust structures of society, challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconcilliation
to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth
