Responses to Religious Diversity Exclusivism Inclusivism Syncretism Pluralism

Exclusivism: only one religion is true; all others are false There is one truth; there is one way to that truth The exclusivist claim: “My religion is the only true religion” “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” Christianity: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)

Inclusivism: all religions contain partial truth but one contains it all There is truth. And then there is new, improved truth

Some examples of inclusivist religions: Islam: Judaism & Christianity are true, in so much as they agree with Islam. Islam embraces the truths and improves on the faults of the earlier religions. The Baha’i Faith: Truth is progressively revealed over time. The newest revelation includes all that came before but adds something that the others lack.

Sikhism An example of religious syncretism and pluralism

Syncretism: c ombining elements of different religions into one new system Different religions have different parts of the Truth Sikhism combines elements of Islam and Hinduism: Belief in one god who takes no form (like Islam) Rejection of caste and social distinctions (like Islam) Belief in Karma and reincarnation (like Hinduism) (however, Sikhs reject the notion that their religion is merely a syncretism of others)

Historical and Social context that leads to such syncretism: 16 th century northwest India: Both Islam and Hinduism are strong religious influences Already a movement (Sant tradition), drawing on a common, underlying spirituality, that bridges the gap First Sikh guru – Nanak – is part of this Sant tradition

Pluralism: recognizing that there can be different legitimate paths to one God Nanak taught: “the whole world is to be treated as one vast multi-cultural society. Mutual regard and respect among all people were the foundation of the true religion. There was no religion superior to this.” “A believer of a faith should not be considered a ’non-believer’ by the followers of the other faiths”

“Truth is one, Paths are many” Nanak taught: One god goes by different names in different religions and cultures: “accepted all the prevailing names of God, such as Allah, Ram, Gobind, Bhagwan, Rahim and Karim, as equally valid, and all of them were used in hymns for addressing God.”

The Blind Men and the Elephant watch video

Truth Beyond Labels Differences are due to human language and culture, underlying truth is one: Spirituality goes beyond superficial differences and labels: “there is no Muslim, there is no Hindu, all are equal human beings because they are the children of the same Father, God.” “God does not identify people by their sectarian religions such as Christians, Jews, Hindus or Muslims.”

What is your position? Are you an… Exclusivist? Inclusivist? Syncretist? Pluralist? What do you think of the other positions? (use your “deep thinking skills”)

Journaling Write about the most memorable or significant encounter you have had with someone of another faith. If you do not belong to a religious tradition, write about an encounter you have had with a person who is deeply religious: What was it about this encounter that made it so memorable or significant? What attitudes toward religion or religious differences were expressed in that encounter (by either yourself or the other party)? What did you learn, through this encounter, about the other person? About yourself?

Interfaith Dialogue The Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington (handouts & video) Diversity in the classroom: our own mini-dialogue: Review “how to be a good interfaith dialogue participant” Locate 2 – 4 other people in the room who are from different religions (or none) Briefly introduce yourselves (name and religion) and ask questions regarding each other’s religions until you have identified several things that two or more religions have in common.

Journaling Reflecting on the Dialogue What is something interesting or surprising you learned about another student’s religion? What is something you discovered two or more religions have in common? What are some differences you noticed between religions? How did you feel about the dialogue experience?

Resources: Inclusivism discussed in contrast to exclusivism and pluralism: ism ism Syncretism defined and discussed: sm sm Pluralism defined and discussed: Responses to Religious Diversity: