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THE
PLURALIST MODEL OF RELIGION
JOURNAL OF
ECUMENICAL STUDIES “DIFFERENT RELIGIONS ARE VALID WAYS OF LIFE” “The great world religions...are authentic paths to the supreme good,” claim forty of the world’s outstanding religious scholars from sixteen countries and eight religions, including Hinduism, Judaism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism. This claim stands in dramatic difference to the position of many Christian, Muslim, and other religious leaders and theologians, such as that issued by the Evangelical Church of Germany (EKD) just this August. The forty scholars issued their “Key Principles” in a pre-conference “Working Paper” prior to an international conference in Birmingham, England, September 6-9, 2003. The conference, entitled “The Pluralist Model: A Multi-religious Exploration,” is held under the Department of Theology of Birmingham University, UK, and co-sponsored by the Journal of Ecumenical Studies, edited by Prof. Leonard Swidler of the Religion Department, Temple University, Philadelphia, USA, one of the conference organizers. “The ‘Pluralist Model’ claims that there are many paths leading to a ‘holy’ life, which means a ‘whole life,’“ Swidler pointed out. One of the other organizers, Prof. John Hick of Birmingham, England, noted that “The world’s religions share many basic values, for example, love, compassion, justice, honesty, treating others as one wishes to be treated oneself.” Prof. Paul Knitter of Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, another organizer, pointed out that, however, “there are forms of religion, including some based in the great world religions, which are misused for purposes contrary to those very values.” “Because each person must follow her or his conscience, the possibility of conversion is consequently part of the human right to religious freedom,” insisted Prof. Perry Schmidt-Leukel of the University of Glasgow, the fourth organizer. “‘We alone posses the full absolute truth!’ is what large numbers of religious people still claim, commented Leonard Swidler. “And such an assertion tends to repel rather than attract many people today,” he added. From a pluralist point of view, “it does not make sense in the contemporary world to try through missionary activities to convert the world to one’s own tradition,” stated Knitter. Rather, “interreligious dialogue should be the normal way for religions, and ideologies, to relate to each other,” added Prof. Ingrid Shafer of the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, a participant. To which Rev. Alan Race from Leicester, England, another participant, added, “within this dialogue a paramount need is for the religions to heal any historic antagonisms between them.” The papers from the conference will be published in book form. |
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