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development - pluralism and society, NT - New Testament - Coggle Diagram
development - pluralism and society
the scriptural reasoning movement
began in USA as a forum for Jewish scholars to meet and discuss Jewish sacred texts
format of the forums
in the meetings, participants discuss passages from their holy text and how these passages have shaped their beliefs and practices. the participants discuss how the ideas in the text can be applied to contemporary society
believers from the Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths meet and discuss passages from sacred texts - passages address themes such as creation, modesty and morality
aim:better understanding
it is not expected that participants will reach an agreement on any issue or topics of conflict
but the scriptural reasoning movement hopes that all participants will reach a better understanding of different viewpoints
all participants recognise there will be core differences in the truth claims they hold
purpose of the meetings
goal is to present a space for religious believers to engage in debate and discussion that poses no threat to their own belief
it is an opportunity to develop openness and respect pf other faiths
scriptural reasoning has become part od the Cambridge inter-faith programme
not used for missionary work
although participants may express love for their scripture and commitment to faith, the focus is on creating a tolerant and respectful discussion
cannot be used for attempting to convert or missionary work
UK christians look to join forum
in the mid 1990s, Christians from the UK looked to join the forum so that they could increase their own understanding of beliefs and practices within Judaism
conversion
should al christians follow th emission to convert others?
diff christians have diff views on trying to connect non to the faith
converting atheists
if Christians are looking to convert atheists, they may base their discussions around arguments against te existence of God
howeevr, they should try and do the sin non-confrontational and sensitive ways
Christians need to ensure that they can response to these issues, such as the problem of evil and scinetific explanations of the origins of the universe
many christians are encouraged to convert non-believers
Mathew 28:19
JC instructs his followers to 'Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit' - the passage does not reference the faith or lack of faith of those who christians must convert
exclusivists & inclusivists views
inc - may argue that its more necessary to try and convert people of no faith at all
exl - may argue that mission to convert applies to all - both non-christians and those with no faith at all
should christians try to convert people of other religions?
christians have diff views on whether or not they should seek to convert non-christians
pluralist view
all religions offer ultimate truths about Go dead reality
an omnibenevolent God will ensure that salvation is given to all, regardless of their religious belief
may argue that converting others to Christianity is not necessary
NT example
JC instructs his followers to 'Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit'
inclusivist view
may argue that salvation is possible for a believer from a diff religious tradition. a muslim donating zakah is helping the needy and serving God. for Karl Rahner they might be considered an 'anonymous Christian' so converting them may not be necessary
'Sharing the Gospel of Salvation'
recommends that Christians are sensitive to the feelings of others but they should continue to share their faith with others and aim to bring them to Christ as it is a Christian duty
exclusivist view
may argue that converting others to Christianity is essential as Christianity offers the only means of salvation
social cohesion and scripture
does scriptural reasoning cause relativism of beliefs
religion is a flawed human construct. no religion offers absolute truths about reality
supporters - no conclusions
supporters of scriptural reasoning may argue that participants are not told what conclusions to reach about other religions . the goal is for participants to reach a greater understanding of their own faith after discussion with those of different beliefs
exclusivists may argue that scriptural reasoning undermines the uniqueness of the Christian message
Christians have an important duty to spread the message that salvation only possible through JC and that other religions are false
critics - are all religions equal?
however, some critics of scriptural reasoning may argue that †he movement encourages participants to recognise all contributions as equally valid points sol if all holy scriptures and interpretations off a valid perspective on reality, how does any religion offer the ultimate truth?
pluralist view
such as John Hick, sciptural reasoning enables religious believers to recognise that diff religious beliefs and practices are all relative. their differences are merely born out of diff cultures
has inter faith dialogue affected social cohesion?
social cohesion is very difficult to measure. crime statistics and social surveys can give indicators, but its hard to determine what causes social issues and what efforts lead to social cohesion
not aiming for cohesion
inter faith dialogue is not aiming for social cohesion but instead aims to help believers seek truth and develop their own sense of their religious identity
British Social Attitudes Survey 2018
shows that 52% of Britons identify as non-religious thus religion and interfaith dialogue have little power to achieve social cohesion
communal acts bring cohesion
i f dialogue involves believers worshipping, praying and working together leading to a flourishing society where diffs are acknowledged and embraced in an effort to build cohesive society
social divides > religious divides
inequalities in areas of life such as employment, education and income need to are resolved to see greater social cohesion
growth of inter-faith forums
as UK has become more multifaith society, inter faith forums have grown in popularity. these dialogues promote understanding and tolerance
not all believers agree
eg some religious believers may feel that inter faith dialogue undermines the uniqueness and truth of their own religion thus interfaith dialogue does not always lead to social cohesion
development of multi faith societies
UK's development in a multi faith society
impacts on UK public life
influenced many areas of public life
atheism and rejection of religious belief had become socially acceptable
children learn about different world religions in schools
2011 UK Census - religion
asked 'what is your religion?'
25.1% - no religion
4.8% - Muslim
59.3% - Christian
benefits of multi-faith societies
allows Christians to think about why their christian faith is valuable to them
provides Christians with opportunity to learn about others' faith and practices
developing multi faith societies
develop for many reasons: international migration, refugees who travel to seek a better QoL and better access to info about other beliefs
objections to multifaith society
some christian parents may not wish for their child to learn about other world religions
some Christians mights feel the existence of other faiths undermines uniwu message of salvation through JC
multi faith society: where there are significant proportions of people with diff religious beliefs
UK has changed more to be more multi faith
christian responses to inter faith dialogue
inter faith dialogue is the sharing and discussing of religion beliefs between members of diff religious traditions
sharing the Gospel of Salvation
the CofE document: 'Sharing the Gospel of Salvation' identifies four strands to inter-faith dialogue
'the dialogue of
mutual understanding
' is where religious believers hold formal discussions and debates
'the dialogue of
spiritual life
' is where religious believers of diff faiths come together for prayer and worship
'the dialogue of the
common good
' involves different religious believers working together in ways to benefit the wider community
'the dialogue of
daily life
' involves informal conversation which naturally occur when people talk about their religious beliefs
need for inter faith dialogue
in his book, David Ford argues that two events have led to growing need and attention on interfaith dialogue:
the rise in tensions between Islam and the Western World which emerged at the start of the 21st C
the events of the Holocaust forced Christians to think about their relationship with Judaism
aims of inter faith dialogue
is NOT about trying to convert people to a diff faith or to demonstrate the flaws in other religions
has always existed in some form but it has become more prominent as multifaith societies have emerged
to better understand people of diff beliefs to build better relationships and remove prejudices
The Catholic Church
Pope John Paul II issued an encyclical called Redemptoris Missio. an encyclical is an open letter sent to more than one recipient
Pope: for inter-faith dialogue
for the Pope, the Christian mission works alongside inter-faith dialogue. this is because a loving Gof wants his revelation shared with all people and all faiths
all Christians can engage in inter-faith dialogue. from religious officials to non-expert religious believers, inter faith dialogue can take many forms
in relation to the rise of multi-faith societies, the Pope wanted CC' to appreciate and learn from the beliefs of others with diff religions
Pope's message on salvation
he referenced Acts 4:12 to support this message: 'Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved'
stated that belief in. JC is th wonky route to salvation and that, empowered by the HS, Christians still have a duty to share this message
Redmpto Missio
Pope emphasised that missionary perk is still essential for Christians despite the fact we ae now living in a multi-faith world
translates as 'The Mission of the Redeemer
this encyclical focussed on the role of missionary work - aims to convert people
Uniqueness of Christianity
P J P II referenced Corinthians to support: ' Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel
P J P II stated that inter faith dialogue allows Christians to uncover ultimate truths and that other religions such as Hinduism and islam contain key truths which develop moral character
but he said Christianity is unique because it offers the only means of salvation and the Christians duty to bring others to the faith remains
the CofE and inter faith dialogue
in 2016, a CofE member, Paul Eddy, asked for guidance on whether or not Christians should be trying to convert people of other faiths
non-christian are NOT targets
any conversion is the work of God and not their own individual success
document clarifies that Christian mission does not involve seeing non-christians as 'targets'
duty of discipleship
Christians should be active in engaging with others in their community about inter-faith dialogue. whilst they should be sensitive to the views of others, all Christians are called to duty of discipleship
document reiterates core Christianity truth claims such as JC being the incarnation of God and Christianity offering salvation to all who accept it
'Sharing the Gospel of Salvation'
issued by CofE Synod
document begins by reminding Christians that British Christianity was born as a result of the Christian mission. as a result, christians should not feel afraid to continue spreading the message of the Christian faith
this question started a discussion and this document was produced as a result
NT - New Testament