90 Philosophy and Progress Philosophy and Progress: Vols. XLIX-L, January-June, July-December, 2011 and Islam. It will also attempt to analyze religions in their ISSN 1607-2278 (Print), DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/pp.v50i1-2.11924 different roles and manifestations. In this sense, we hope, we can identify the different aspects of religion so as to find out the nature of their convergence and divergence.] Introduction RELIGIOUS PLURALISM : A Religious pluralism is defined as reconciliation of different CRITICAL REVIEW beliefs. It indicates also an attempt at the level of a community of multi-religious habitation to live in peace and harmony. However the commonly accepted notion of religious tolerance Eva Sadia Saad * of the minorities is not necessarily the spirit of religious pluralism. In fact, it is a kind of religious modernism and liberalism which not only prohibits religious persecution but Abstract also encourages the mitigation of the differences among [One of the most commonly used concepts in contemporary different religions through debates and dialogues. It may also Religious Studies is Religious Pluralism. As the term indicates be viewed as a form of social obligations of the majority it is closely related to religious tolerance and minority rights. In towards the minority. But, here again, the obligations do not recent times it has gained considerable importance because of belong to the majority alone; it also calls for equal or the increasing diversity of religions in various communities of proportional response from the minorities. The question then the world and also because of increasing restlessness in to day’s arises as to what mechanism can ensure such pluralism to world due to religious conflict. The long tradition of survive? Or to put it differently, how can the belief system of philosophical thinking to strive and achieve a world community one religion be accommodated with another? The answer to of mutual trust and harmony is another reason for sustained these questions leads us to further involvements in the sense investigation in this area. There are, however, various thoughts that various world religions have divergent beliefs which defy and ideas which point towards the common goal of religious substantial reconciliation. The question is all the more perplexing when the moral and political structure or a particular pluralism; but more often than not such efforts are jeopardized religion poses serious threat to another religion. The ultimate by a variety of different and contradictory theories and question then is whether a particular religion can be divorced hypotheses which makes consensus difficult if not impossible. from its political or moral belief system? Thus the whole gamut In this paper an attempt has been made to enumerate all the of social, political and religious issues is opened up for renewed different view points particularly those related to Christianity assessment. In other words it is an exploration of the possibility * Assistant Professor, Department of World Religions and Culture, of a new type of society which has its genesis in the historical University of Dhaka. E-mail: [email protected] development of western liberalism. Religious Pluralism 91 92 Philosophy and Progress Western liberalism and tolerance time he acknowledges himself bound to yield blind obedience to the Mufti of Constantinople, who himself is The concept of religious pluralism gained considerable entirely obedient to the Ottoman Emperor frames the feigned popularity in the face of entrenched intolerance of our oracle of that religion according to his pleasure. But this contemporary times. But we should bear in mind that pluralism Mahometan living amongst Christians would yet more is not an equivalent of tolerance. In fact, tolerance of different apparently renounce their government if he acknowledged opinions about religion lies at the very foundation of political the same person to be head of his Church who is the supreme liberalism. Historically in the West political development is magistrate in the state. closely connected with religious schism, conflicts and wars. In “The reason is because they are not prejudicial to other men’s the wake of the religious reform movement of 16th century rights, nor do they break the public peace of societies. Nay, Europe, reorientation and reorganization of different European even the sins of lying and perjury are nowhere punishable by states both economically and politically, took place in quick laws unless, in certain cases, in which the real turpitude of succession. Wars and conflicts totally changed the outlook of the thing and the offence against God are not considered, but the people of this region. Thirty Years War, Glorious only the injury done unto men’s neighbours and to the Revolution and French Revolution are important milestones. In commonwealth. And what if in another country, to a all these conflicts religion has been profoundly affected in the Mahometan or a Pagan prince, the Christian religion seem sense that there had been a steady but radical theological shift false and offensive to God; may not the Christians for the from religious bigotry to secular legislation. The religious same reason, and after the same manner, be extirpated acrimony among the different sects of Christianity since the there?” 1 days of Reformation led many social and political philosophers He of course pleaded for inclusion of Jews, Pagans and to find ways and means to dissipate the hostility. British th Muslims within the civil rights of the Commonwealth only as a political philosopher of the 17 century, John Locke, in a citizen, thus making a distinction between private and public prolonged exegesis made strong plea for co-existence and life. In effect it is an assertion that individuals enjoy a number tolerance of different faiths within Christianity. He of course, of rights in the state. Foremost among the individual rights in left ‘Jews’ and ‘Mahometan’ out of the orbit of his toleration protecting private realm is freedom of opinion especially network since politically those theological precepts are not in religious opinion which gradually turned into notion of freedom consonance with liberalism and freedom of thought of the of expression. Here we should bear in mind that the Locken Western World. It is worth quoting Locke from the original text concept of tolerance is the basis of western liberalism still where he reasoned most forcefully this exclusion of minorities: today. In actual practice of these liberal principles today causes “It is ridiculous for any one to profess himself to be a an incipient Judeo-Christian unity which is so pronounced that Mahometan only in his religion, but in everything else a it creates in a subtle manner perceptible hostility towards the faithful subject to a Christian magistrate, whilst at the same Muslims communities in the Middle East. 2 Religious Pluralism 93 94 Philosophy and Progress Individual liberties were protected not only by social or reality may be true though all expressed imperfect human traditional customs; it required constitutional government, analogies, but… none is the whole truth. May it not be that nation states, rule of law and representative democracy. different conceptions of God, as Jehweah, Allah, Krisna, Utilitarianism is possibly the political philosophy which Paramatma, Holy Trinity, and so on; and likewise the different provided the initial momentum to the nineteenth century conceptions of Hidden Structure of Reality, as the eternal liberalism. Contemporary liberalism range from libertarian emanation of Brahman, or as an immense cosmic process views according to which the role of state is to be minimized. culminating in Nirvana, are all Image of the Divine, and yet In the western world the process continued from the nineteenth none by itself fully and exhaustively correspond to the infinite century down to the present time which entails the essential nature of the ultimate reality?” 5 Religious Pluralism thus may features of liberal Protestantism. Liberal Protestantism has a be viewed as a recent innovation which seeks to provide a receptive attitude towards unorthodox interpretation of theological basis for tolerance in spite of diversities. Hick Christian scriptures and dogma which leads to a general believes human beings imagine the divine through their skepticism towards traditional explanation of theology. respective cultural and individual mediation which results in the different concept of divine in different societies. Christian theology and John Hick Revelations received by prophets and sages at different times Liberal Protestantism is sometimes identified with modernism. have been tested by long experiences of the followers and Most influential form of modernism is traceable in the religious ritualized through long traditions of worships. It is therefore reform movements focusing on the need for religions to very likely that a genuine encounter with the divine reality will accommodate with realities of modern world. Viewed as such take multifarious forms. we may assert that “Religious Pluralism” is also an attempt to Orthodox view of Christianity- John Dupuis provide a basis in Christian theology for tolerance of non- Christian religions. 3 John Hick the most celebrated proponent The acceptance of religious pluralism by Catholic Church is an of this thesis has come up with very specific suggestions for indication of increasing popularity of this concept. However implementation of Religious