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Introducing Theology of Religions P.18 Lambkin, Magdalen (2014) Learning from religious others: the problems and prospects of interreligious hermeneutics. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/5732/ Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] Learning from Religious Others the problems and prospects of interreligious hermeneutics Magdalen Lambkin MA (University of Glasgow) Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Theology and Religious Studies College of Arts University of Glasgow February 2014 2 Abstract Learning from Religious Others: the problems and prospects of interreligious hermeneutics. Key terms: theology of religions, interreligious hermeneutics. In our interconnected, multi-religious world, how should religious people engage with religious others? What and how can theologians learn from religious others, from their traditions and their scriptures? Amongst those who engage in theological reasoning about these issues, two distinct approaches have been identified. The established discipline of theology of religions considers it necessary to examine the sources of one’s own tradition to come to some broad assessment about the value of religious diversity – usually identified through some version of the classic typology of inclusivism, exclusivism and pluralism (Alan Race). Others have criticised theology of religions, seeing it as prescriptive, biased towards pluralism, distorting of religious difference, and as making definitive judgments as to the presence of truth and possibility of salvation through other religions (e.g. Francis Clooney, George Lindbeck and Michael Barnes). These critics, working within the emerging field of interreligious hermeneutics, prefer direct engagement with other traditions in their particularities, learning from the religious other, yet often without reflecting on internal sources or arguing theologically for the possibility of finding truth in other religions. This thesis seeks to make a contribution to this discourse about method in the theological engagement to the religious other. It argues that the work of theology of religions is necessary to support theological learning from the religious other, particularly given that the scriptures of major religions (notably the New Testament, Qur’an and Pali Canon) are generally perceived to discourage this kind of activity. It also responds to criticisms, and works to make theology of religions more attuned to the insights of interreligious hermeneutics, so that it can be seen as capable of attending to the complexity and uncertainty that is inevitable in any realistic attempt to relate religious traditions to one another. Chapters 1 and 2 survey the development of theology of religions and of the alternative approaches found in the emerging field of interreligious hermeneutics. These are examined 3 and as a result an adapted typology is presented which may be related fruitfully to interreligious hermeneutics. Chapters 3 and 4 explore interreligious hermeneutics further through two of its most prominent practices, scriptural reasoning and comparative theology, as carried out by some of its most notable practitioners. The extent to which these practices can be regarded as theologically ‘truth-seeking’ is analysed, and the usefulness of the adapted typology in reviewing the findings of these practices is assessed. Chapter 5 offers a detailed example of the kind of approach to the religious other present in a particular religious scripture, by focusing on the Buddha’s approach to the Brahmins as recorded in the Pali canon. This is done in order to demonstrate that the ‘plain sense’ of scriptures often does not support the approach to religious others advocated by scholars of interreligious hermeneutics. Finally, Chapter 6 outlines ‘soft pluralism’ as a particular approach within theology of religions which can support interreligious hermeneutics of the deepest, most adventurous ‘truth-seeking’ kind, without succumbing to the problems associated with pluralism in its classic (hard) form. This position can be supported by the work of a growing number of scholars (including Catherine Cornille, Rose Drew and Marianne Moyaert) who, far from seeking to eschew or downplay deep differences between traditions, believe that it is precisely at these points of tension or impasse, where traditions are offering insights that cannot be simply reconciled to one another, that we stand to learn the most from the religious other. 4 Contents Learning from Religious Others: the problems and prospects of interreligious hermeneutics Introduction p.11 I. Background: What’s the Problem? p. 11 II. Overview of aims and methodology p. 13 III. Presuppositions p. 15 IV. A glossary of key terms p. 16 Chapter 1: Introducing Theology of Religions p.18 Introduction p. 18 1.1 The Challenge of Religious Diversity p. 20 1.1.1 The Christian focus on the problem of salvation – for individual non- Christians p. 21 1.1.2 The problem of salvation reconsidered: A positive role for non-Christian religions? p. 24 1.1.3 The Neo-Orthodox response (exclusivism) p. 26 1.2 The New Global Context of the late 20th Century p. 27 1.2.1 The emergence of the theology of religions (inclusivism) p. 28 1.2.2 Reconsidering relations with the Jews: Vatican II p. 29 1.2.3 A new option in the theology of religions: Pluralism p. 32 1.2.4 The threefold typology: exclusivism, inclusivism, pluralism p. 35 1.2.5 Theology of religions: from Christian sub-discipline to interreligious discourse p. 38 1.3 Criticisms of the typology: the rise of “Particularism” p. 42 1.3.1 Gavin D’Costa p. 42 1.3.2 George Lindbeck p. 44 5 1.3.3 Joseph DiNoia p. 46 1.3.4 Mark Heim p. 48 1.4 The typology reinterpreted p. 49 1.4.1 Perry Schmidt-Leukel p. 50 1.4.2 Paul Hedges p. 53 1.4.3 Paul Knitter p. 54 1.4.4 Gavin D’Costa p. 55 1.5 Theology of religions at an impasse? p. 56 Conclusion p. 57 Chapter 2: Introducing Interreligious Hermeneutics p.59 Introduction p. 59 2.1 The turn to the “other” p. 59 2.1.1 The turn to hermeneutics in interreligious study and dialogue p. 60 2.1.2 From the problem of salvation to the problem of meaning: the call for “hermeneutical openness p. 62 2.2 Interreligious hermeneutics: the current state of the field p. 63 2.3 Scriptural reasoning p. 67 2.4 Comparative theology p. 69 2.4.1 As an alternative to theology of religions p. 72 James Fredericks p. 73 Francis Clooney p. 75 2.4.2 Two approaches to truth in comparative theology p. 76 2.4.3 Relating theology of religions and comparative theology p. 78 Kristen Kiblinger p. 78 Catherine Cornille p. 80 Cornille’s “open inclusivism” p. 84 2.5 A typology capable of clearly profiting the current discourse p. 86 (1) Logical structure p.89 (2) Referring to the status of religious traditions rather than individuals p.89 (3) Tradition-neutral p. 90 (4) Giving priority to the question of truth over the question of salvation p.91 6 (5) Giving a distinct place to the position of “agnosticism” p. 93 (6) Multivalent and open to further sub-divisions and modalized forms p.93 Do other religious traditions mediate salvation? p.95 Conclusion and summary of terms p. 96 Theology of religions p. 96 Interreligious hermeneutics p. 97 Chapter 3: Scriptural Reasoning p. 99 Introduction p. 100 3.1 Scriptural reasoning and hermeneutical openness p. 105 3.2 Is scriptural reasoning a form of theology? p. 108 3.3 Scriptural reasoning as truth-seeking and open to surprise p. 112 3.4 Resolving the tension? The philosophical framework provided by Peter Ochs “Vagueness”: Och’s Critique of Modern Reasoning and Binarisms p. 121 “Thirdness”: Truth as Contextual, Non-Universal and Pragmatic p. 122 3.4.1 Problems with Ochs’ Position p. 123 Universal Claims Are Essential to Religious Traditions p. 123 Problems with the Lindbeckian Cultural-Linguistic Model p. 124 Ochs’ Essentialising of Scripture p. 126 Leaving the Answers to the Eschaton? p. 128 3.5 Evaluating the other? A double agnosticism p. 129 Conclusion p. 132 Chapter 4: Comparative Theology p.134 Introduction p. 134 4.1 Francis Clooney p. 135 4.1.1 Comparative theology as theology/ theology as comparative p. 137 Theology as interreligious p. 138 Theology as confessional p. 139 4.1.2 Beyond hermeneutical openness: seeking a deep empathetic 7 understanding of the other p. 141 4.1.3 Searching for truth: negotiating openness and commitment p. 144 4.1.4 Comparative theology as open to surprise: bypassing theology of religions p. 149 Clooney’s “including theology” p. 151 The empirical component in judging religions p. 154 Clooney’s presuppositions p. 160 4.2 John Makransky p. 163 4.2.1 Comparative theology as contributing to Buddhist theology p. 163 4.2.2 Moving beyond hermeneutical openness: supported by an inclusivist theology of religions p. 165 4.2.3 Theology of religions: the necessary foundation for comparative theology p.168 4.2.4 Recognising truth: evaluating other traditions p. 170 Conclusion p. 174 Chapter 5: Hermeneutics of the Other in Scriptures p. 177 Introduction p. 177 5.1 Hermeneutical “closedness” in Scriptures p. 179 5.1.1 Hermeneutical ‘closedness’ in the New Testament p. 179 5.1.2 Hermeneutical ‘closedness’ in the Qur’ān p.
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