Religious theological pluralism

The religion theological pluralism (also pluralistic theology of religion) is a model of religious theology , that is a form of theological evaluation of other religions , aiming at equivalence.

Classification and demarcation

While exclusivism only considers its own religion to be true and inclusivism partially recognizes other religions, but regards its own religion as in some way priority, superior or more central, pluralism sees at least some religions as potentially equivalent ways in principle. However, this does not mean that all religions or religious doctrines, practices etc. are ultimately the same, nor that all religions are theologically equivalent. For example, the possibility is kept open that a given religion actually opens a way for a certain person, but another given religion does not. Likewise, some religions or cults can also prove to be destructive. Religious pluralism is therefore not to be equated with relativism . The conceptions of religious theological pluralism are criticized from different points of view and for different reasons.

criticism

From the perspective of a new theology of interreligious relationships , pluralistic theologies of religion appear to be too cognitively oriented. They underestimate the media, spaces and times that are important in interreligious relationships, portray religious people in an essentially individualistic way and underestimate the fact that relationships do not function monolinearly, but rather occur in a plurality of relationship levels and social networks.

While the question of end-time salvation is central to many proponents of a pluralistic theology of religion, others object that this emphasis on the idea of salvation ignores or shortens the question of the objective truth of religions, for example by Armin Kreiner and Max Seckler .

Representative

Well-known Christian theologians who represent a pluralism of religion theology are John Hick , Perry Schmidt-Leukel , Eugen Drewermann , Aloysius Pieris and Paul F. Knitter .

The John Hicks model introduces the concept of the "Eternal One" as a content component of all religions. Different religious views and practices are based on the respective human view of the transcendental divine reality. Thus Hick attributes a certain amount of truth to every religion, but also to particular traditions and historically shaped constructions.

The Baha'i'um takes a fundamentally pluralistic position on religious and metaphysical teachings.

literature

Edmund Arens : God's understanding. A communicative theology of religion. Herder, Freiburg 2007.
Christian Augustin et al. (Ed.): Religious pluralism and tolerance in Europe. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden 2006, ISBN 3-531-14811-7 .
Reinhold Bernhardt : End of the dialogue? The encounter of religions and their theological reflection (= contributions to a theology of religions. Volume 2), Zurich 2006.
Reinhold Bernhardt: The absolute claim of Christianity. From the Enlightenment to the pluralistic theology of religion. Gütersloh publishing house G. Mohn, Gütersloh 1990.
Reinhold Bernhardt: Literature report "Theology of Religions". Two parts. In: Theologische Rundschau 72/2, 2007, pp. 1–35 and 127–149.
Reinhold Bernhardt: Inter-Religio Das Christianentum in relation to other religions (Contributions to a Theology of Religions 16), Zurich 2019.
Werner Gephart , Hans Waldenfels (ed.): Religion and identity. On the horizon of pluralism. Frankfurt am Main, Suhrkamp 1999, ISBN 3-518-29011-8 .
Gerhard Gäde : Many religions - one word of God. Objection to John Hicks pluralistic theology of religion. Gütersloh publishing house, Gütersloh 1998.
Kurt Hübner : Christianity in the competition of world religions . Tübingen 2003.
Hans Kessler : The universal Christ and the religions . In: Theologische Viertelschrift 181, 2001, pp. 212–237.
John Hick : God has many names. In: Ders .: God and his many names. Otto Lembeck, Frankfurt aM2002, pp. 44-65.
John Hick et al: Four Views on Salvation in a Pluralistic World. Zondervan Pub. House, Grand Rapids 1996, ISBN 0-310-21276-6 (adversarial treatment of exclusive, inclusive and pluralistic view).
Paul F. Knitter : Horizons of Liberation. On the way to a pluralistic theology of religions. Bonifatius Verlag, Paderborn 1997.
Perry Schmidt-Leukel : God without limits. A Christian and pluralistic theology of religions. Gütersloher Verlagshaus, Gütersloh 2005, ISBN 3-579-05219-5 .
Raymund Schwager (Ed.): Christ Alone? The dispute about the pluralistic theology of religion (= Qaestiones disputatae. Volume 160). Herder, Freiburg 1996.
Bertram Stubenrauch: The theology and the religions. In: Klaus Müller (ed.): Fundamental theology. Lines of Flight and Current Challenges. Regensburg 1998, pp. 349-367.
Klaus von Stosch : Comparative theology as a guide in the world of religions. Paderborn 2012.
Henning Wrogemann : Theology of interreligious relationships. Religious theological ways of thinking, cultural studies inquiries and a new methodological approach. Gütersloh 2015, ISBN 978-3-579-08143-4 .
Aloysisus Pieris : Fire and Water: Basic Issues in Asian Buddhism and Christianity. Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY 1996, ISBN 978-1-57075-055-7 .

Web links

Saskia Wendel : Beyond absoluteness and arbitrariness or: On the possibility of taking a Christian standpoint in pluralism. In:, August 8, 2002. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
Gerhard Ludwig Müller : Against the intolerance of the relativists. To the outrage over the declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith "Dominus Jesus" . In: Die Tagespost , September 9, 2000, p. 3. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
Ulrich Winkler: Perry Schmidt-Leukels Christian pluralistic religious theology . In: SaThZ 10, 2006, pp. 290-318. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
Current literature on pluralistic theology of religion on theologie-systemlösungen.de . Retrieved October 26, 2011.

Individual evidence

^ Henning Wrogemann: Theology of interreligious relationships. Religious theological ways of thinking, cultural studies inquiries and a new methodological approach. Gütersloh 2015, ISBN 978-3-579-08143-4 .
↑ “Your teachings revolve around the guiding principle and principle that religious truth is not absolute but relative, divine revelation progressive and not final. It confesses unequivocally, without the slightest reservation, that all recognized religions are divine in origin, identical in their goals, complementary in their tasks, continuous in their goal setting and indispensable in their value for humanity ”(Shoghi Effendi: Die Weltordnung Bahá ' u'lláhs . Hofheim 1977, 4: 5. ). For a scholarly publication, see Fazel: Religious Pluralism and the Baha'i Faith, Interreligious Insight, 1: 3, pages 42-49, 2003-07 or Warburg, Margit: Citizens of the World. A History and Sociology of the Baha'is from a Globalization Perspective . Leiden 2006, p. 54 .
↑ theophil-online.de ( Memento from February 12, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )

[1] Henning Wrogemann: Theology of interreligious relationships. Religious theological ways of thinking, cultural studies inquiries and a new methodological approach. Gütersloh 2015, ISBN 978-3-579-08143-4 .

[2] “Your teachings revolve around the guiding principle and principle that religious truth is not absolute but relative, divine revelation progressive and not final. It confesses unequivocally, without the slightest reservation, that all recognized religions are divine in origin, identical in their goals, complementary in their tasks, continuous in their goal setting and indispensable in their value for humanity ”(Shoghi Effendi: Die Weltordnung Bahá ' u'lláhs . Hofheim 1977, 4: 5. ). For a scholarly publication, see Fazel: Religious Pluralism and the Baha'i Faith, Interreligious Insight, 1: 3, pages 42-49, 2003-07 or Warburg, Margit: Citizens of the World. A History and Sociology of the Baha'is from a Globalization Perspective . Leiden 2006, p. 54 .

[3] theophil-online.de ( Memento from February 12, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )