religious pluralism and society (8) Flashcards
(33 cards)
1multi faith country
the UK. whilst many of our institutions remain christian society is multi faith.
christians and multi faith
may suggest christianity is being ‘watered down’ place as the special religion but others think christianity has more global appeal
reasons uk has become multi faith
relatavism (people are more accepting of other faiths), migration, globalisation
christians should seek to convert people of other faiths
- if christians preset their views calmly there is nothing wrong with them sharing their beliefs
- many people are seeking meaning and christians should offer their truth
- exlusivist christians would say it is their duty to try
christians should not seek to convert people of other faiths
- believing your worldview is different than others may have disastorous consequences
- predestination, there is no point trying to save people
- pluralists would argue that all religions are valid and different approaches to the divine
redemptoris missio 55-57
‘no believer in christ can avoid this supreme duty” to proclaim christ to all people’ pope jonh paul II
redemptoris missio teachings
- other religions contain ‘errors’
- god calls all people to find him through Christ & others non- christuabs can be saved through baptism
- inter-faith dialogue exists to understand other traditions and avoid intolerance
- ordinary people i interfaith diaologue important, encourages people to ebar witness to christ
church of england: sharing the gospel of salavtion
published in 2010 and 2019. CofE approach to evangalism.
sharing the gospel of salavtion views
- important to stress uniqueness of christ to people of other faiths but recognise truth in other faiths
- new population means new methods of evangalism are needed
- encounters in bible show how we should evangalise
sharing the gospel of salavtion views (others)
- christians should work with others for common good, we should use common vocab to explore faith
- sharing the gospel is a proclamation of good news, not trying to sell the religion to others
- needs to be a range of approaches to evangalism
christianity has been succesful in responding to the challenges of secularism
- christians who take a pluralist approach make religion equal
- sharing the gospel shows how beneficial dialogue can be
- local successes include faith groups
- builds trust and communication
christianity has NOT been succesful in responding to the challenges of secularism
- many christians are exclusivists that put barriers against other religions
- redemptoris mission calling other religions ‘insufficent’
- war and conflict continues to exist
- there is no central approach to inter faith so not wide spread
coherent societal features
harmony, respect, common goals, protection of the individual
inter-faith societies can also be secular, a group of people feeling safe to express their ideas as an individual
comparing set texts
sharing the gospel- says evangalism must take place within the appropriate context
redemptoris- exploration of common goals that members might want to work against, also underscores unique role of the church
redemptoris dialogue
daily life- meeting people in life
common good- working to benefit community
mutual understanding- more formal
spiritual life- encountering others in prayer
‘bottom up’- Redemptoris
starting with the needs of indivuals may stop inter faith dialogue being directed by leaders
inter faith dialogue has strengthened social cohesion
- pluralistic apporach, a shared understanding of divine
- strengthened local communties, like food banks and charities
- work from charities like ‘A Rocha’ use interfaith dialogue to promote shared drives
inter faith dialogue has NOT strengthened social cohesion
- a society that is mainly secular has few opportunities to properly communicate
- even if christians want to participate, large numbers of other religious groups must as well
- too much divinity within christianity to fully agree on one message
scripitual reasoning movement
small groups of religious people from different faiths meet. a common theme is chosen and each religion brings a relating text. it firces common respect and deepens understanding of faith.
point of the scripirual reasoning movement
helps understand key beliefs of faith and helps understand why they disagree. it also leads to a strong relationship between participants.
methods of scriptual reasoning
- read at a level appropriate for participants. original language available but shouldnt be used to prove a point.
- then read though lens of life. particpants are encouarged to be truthful about their reading and avoid generalising.
david ford
book: the future of christian theology
says good thing about scriptual reading is that it is long term and has shared goals
origins of scriptual reasoning
comes from the way Jews read scripture and their discussions. made discussion the focus point rather than truth.
challenge to reasoning
christians may criticise that it makes other religions equally valuable and relatavises belief- saying there is no one truth, which christians disagree with
