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Migration and Religious Pluralism - Coggle Diagram
Migration and Religious Pluralism
How migration has created multicultural societies which include Christianity, with particular reference to the diversity of faiths in Britain today; freedom of religion as a human right in European law and religious pluralism as a feature of modern secular states. The influence of this context on Christian thought.
How migration has created multicultural societies which include Christianity, with particular reference to the diversity of faiths in Britain today
Historical context of migration in Britain
Migration to the UK
Post WW2: Empire Windruch 1948; Commonwealth citizens
1950s and 1960s immigration UK's labour shortage attracted any migrants
Legislative changes: Immigration Act 1971
Impact on British Christianity: The growth of African and Caribbean Christian churches in Britain brought new expressions of Christianity, often differing significantly in style and practices; Eastern Christianity
Recent trends: Expansion of the EU in the 21st century led to increased migration from Eastern Europe
Effect on religious diversity
Pre-1950s religious landscape: The Uk was predominantly Christian, with only small Jewish communities and even smaller other communities
Post-WW2 changes: By the late 1950/60s, there was growth in the presence of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Muslim communities, although they only represented a small percentage of the population.
1950s - 1970s: African and Caribbean Christian denominations added to the Christian diversity
Laws protecting diversity
Race Relations Act 1965
European Convention on Human Rights: Article 9
Human Rights Acct 1998
International Convention on Civil and Political Rights
Diversity of belief in modern UK
The late 20th century saw a significant increase in religious pluralism
Christianity's interaction with other faiths
Impact of migration on Christian belief and practice
Inclusive theology: Acknowledge truth and value in other religions; universal salvation; rituals and practices
Worship and liturgy: Christian worship sometimes incorporates elements of other cultures, such as music, language, and liturgical prsctices
Social justice and community engagement
Reconsideration of mission and evangelism: Focusing more on interfaith dialogues and mutual understanding, rather than conversion.
Interfaith dialogues
Dabru Emet
A statement by jewish scholars and rabbis regarding Jewish-Christian relations
Highlighting commonalities and differences between Judaism and Christianity
Encourages mutual respect and learning
Promoting dialogue
'A Common Word'
An open letter from Muslim leaders and scholars to Christian leaders
Emphasises the common ground between Islam and Christianity, particularly the concepts of love of one God and love of the neighbour
Invited interfaith dialogue based on shared princciples
The Scriptural Reasoning Movement
The most fully-developed form of interfaith scripture study between Jews, Muslims, and Christians
Scholars, philosophers, and theologians from the three religions meet at regional, national, and international conferences to discuss the Tanak, Qur'an, and Bible.
The faithful are encouraged to work together on the basis of a more thorough engagement with their own scriptures rather than accepting those of others
Social and cultural impact of migration on Christianity
Worship styles and music: African/Caribbean vibrant music and dance styles
Language and liturgy
Festivals and celebrations: Christian festivals such as Christmas and easter are often celebrated with unique cultural traditions
Architecture and art
Freedom of religion as a human right in European law and religious pluralism as a feature of modern secular states.
Freedom of religion, religious rights, and secular states
Laws protecting diversity
Race Relations Act 1965
European Convention on Human Rights: Article 9
Human Rights Acct 1998
International Convention on Civil and Political Rights
Rights
French Revolution and US War of Independence fought on the belief all people were born with the right to life, to freedom, and the right to own property
John Locke
All people are born as equals, and thus we have the natural right to freedom
Moral rights vs legal rights
Moral rights
Based on ethical principles/ norms
Inherent to all humans
Eg. life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
Characteristics
Pre-legal
Can't be taken away
Can't be changed
Inviolable
Universal
Absolute
Natural rights/ human rights
Legal rights
Established and enforced by a legal system
Can be created or abolished by laws or legal decisions
Eg. civil rights, property rights, and procedural rights
Characteristics
Legal
Can be taken away
Can be changed
Violable
Only particular people have them
Not absolute
The US
Declaration of Independence: 'All men are created equal ... with certain unalienable rights'
First Amendment to the Constitution: ' no law respecting an establishment of religion'
Close enough to moral rights as it's very hard to change the constitution
Westboro Baptist Church
Controversial practices: opposition to homosexuality
Funeral protests: picketing funerals
Led to numerous legal battles over free speech; funeral picketing was protected under the First Amendment, citing freedom of speech
Hate group
Have been met with counter-protests and some states have passed laws to limit funeral protests in response to the WBC
Raise questions about the balance between free speech and respect for the grieving and vulnerable
Hobbes and Bentham
Hobbes
All law is written, empirically observable, and enforced by government
Without government there would be no law, and where there is no law there is no law there is no morality
In the state of nature, everyone has the right to do anything they see fit to preserve their own life
Bentham
Was highly critical of the concept of natural rights
Natural rights were baseless and nonsensical
'Nonsense upon stilts'
Natural right lacked any real foundation in law or nature
Utilitarianism
The concept of inviolable, inherent rights can be seen as an obstacle to maximising overall happiness
Rights should be granted and structured in a way that promotes the general welfare, rather than being based in abstract, a priori principles
The UK
Rights are seen to have the status of legal rights
Many people want to replace this law with a watered down version
Regarded as qualified rights instead of absolute rights
Examples of religious freedoms as qualified rights
Eweida
BA prevented her from wearing a crucifix to work
£1600 compensation
Freedom of conscience
Marie Stopes Clinic
Pro-life campaigners outside the clinic
Preventing protests within 100m of the clinic
Their freedom of expression did not trump other people's right to use these services free from abuse
McFarlene
Marriage councillor/ sex therapist refused to provide service to gay couples
Fired
The right to express a religious belief is a qualified right; it can;t be used to legitimise discriminatory pracctices
Qualified rights
Not absolute and can be lawfully restricted
Can be listed/infringed upon by the state, provided that the limitations meet a specific criteria
Legality: must have legal basis
Legitimate aim: must pursue a legitimate aim or objective
Necessity and proportionality
Non-discrimination
Examples
Freedom of assembly
Freedom of religion
Right to private and family life
The influence of this context on Christian thought.
Multicultural societies and Christianity
Social and cultural impact on Christianity
Interaction between different cultural groups leads to an exchange of ideas and practices
Christian institutions often play a role in promoting social cohesion and understanding
Inclusivity and tolerance
Interfaith engagement
Theological reflection and adaptation
Community roles and responsibilities
Cultural exchange and enrichment
Challenges and opportunities
Challenges
Cultural and religious tensions
Challenge of balancing the preservation of Christian identity while embracing multiculturalism
Interpretation differences
Opportunities
Enhanced understanding and empathy
Collaborative community projects
Growth and revitalization
Developments in Christian thought: Christian attitudes to other faiths:
Exclusivism with reference to John 14:6; Inclusivism with reference to the context of ‘anonymous Christians’, how Christian denominations view each other.
Pluralism with reference to John Hick; its implications for interfaith and interdenominational relations.
Christian responses to issues of freedom of religious expression in society.
Exclusivism with reference to John 14:6; Inclusivism with reference to the context of ‘anonymous Christians’, how Christian denominations view each other.
Exclusivism with reference to John 14:6
Only one true religion
All other religions false
Eg. Evangelical or conservative Christians in the US
Biblical basis for exclusivism
John 14:6
'No one comes to the Father except through Jesus'
Backs up exclusivim
HOWEVER
Could only Jesus is a mechanism by which salvation occurs, not that belief in him is required to be saved
Compatible with inclusivism
John 3:18
'Whoever does not believe stands condemned already'
Belief in Jesus is a requirement for salvation
Inclusivism with reference to the context of ‘anonymous Christians’
There is only one religion that is the one true religion
But it accepts that other religions may share aspects of this religion and their views should be respected for this
Rahner's 'Anonymous christians'
People who are not Christian but who will achieve salvation as Christians because they unconsciously live Christian lives even though they are not member of the Church and may never have heard of Jesus
What about anyone who lived before Jesus or had never heard of him?
Exclusivism had to be rejected
Argued other religions contained valid natural theology and God's grace, but mixed with error and depravity
They respond to the Christian God's revelation in the world and receive his Grace in their religion, though they have no awareness of this
Hick agrees that a loving God would not send those unaware of Christianity to hell
Universalism
Believes in a kind of soul-making purgatory
Keith Ward's inclusivism
Religion is not reducible to a set of truth claims
It doesn't make sense to be 'inclusive' about a set of truths
Truths are either true or false
Christains must be able to say that some religious perspectives/ claims are absolutely false
Eg. atheism or satanism
Hick's epistemic distance doesn't allow Christains to do this
It would be better to say that Christianity is open, flexible, and adaptable to the insights or developments that take place in other religions.
How Christian denominations view each other
Protestant Reformation split the western Church
Key differences between Churches include
Whether or not to have central leadership and authority
Practices such as baptism and communion and their importance
Biblical interpretation
Worship styles
Core doctrines
Ecumenism
The process of developing relationships between Christian Churches to promote unity
Organisations such as World Council of Churches
Growing tolerance
Pluralism with reference to John Hick; its implications for interfaith and interdenominational relations.
Hick's pluralism
An extension of his Soul-Making Theodicy
Evil exists and God is responsible for it, but God lets it happen for a purpose
Parent and child analogy
Suffering helps us undertake this spiritual development; when we respond positively to suffering we become more like a 'child' of God
This spiritual development must continue into the afterlife
Epistemic distance
Eschatological verification
We cannot know if non-Christian religions are correct or partially correct until the end of our days
No hell
Hick thought the differences between religions were merely cultural
The different manifestations of religious belief in the world are just different cultural responses to the same thing
No hell
Everyone reaches heaven in the end regardless of their religion
The differences between faiths are unimportant, what maters is this common role they all share
HOWEVER
All religions cannot be true due to their contradictory truth claims
SOLUTION
They can both be right in that they are pointing to the same divine reality which exists and is true
Hick's pluralism's implications for interfaith and interdenominational relations
Problems
Cannot account for religions which teach violence/cruelty
Challenged by those whose religious faith separates them from the norms of society
Matthew 25: They are condemned or saved based on this one life alone
Ram Gidoomal on evangelicals and religious pluralism
Gidoomal converted to Christianity because Christ's redeeming act removing his guilt where he felt he would never be free of it under Hindu belief in Karma
'Salvation is found through Him alone'
God is sovereign, not people. God determines who is to be saved. We don't know who needs saving and are often misguided in this.
Compelling other cultures to adopt Christianity will not work
Evangelical Christians must build bridges
Jesus responded positively to people of other faiths while challenging them to accept God
Christians should no see themselves as 'elite'
Christains must point out the errors of other faiths
Seek dialogue and mutual understanding
Christian responses to issues of freedom of religious expression in society.
Freedom of religious expression
1789 France: Declaration of the Rights of man and the citizen
1791 USA: US Bill of Rights
Constitution
Defines the legitimate use of power over a people
1st Amendment
Right to free expression
Right to free association
1807 Britain: Abolition of the Slave Trade Act
1948 international: Universal Declaration of Human Rights
1950 Europe: European Convention on Human Rights
Right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion
Right to free expression
1998 UK: Human Rights Act
Incorporated the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law