Pluralism and Religion
There are three main beliefs about the relationship of one's religion to salvation/liberation. One of these options is that of the pluralist. The pluralist believes that one can obtain salvation/liberation through more than one religion. Furthermore, each of those religions offers at least a partially accurate description of the Absolute/God. Now the pluralist must understand religious belief in such a way as to allow for pluralism to be true. This obvious point means that pluralists are not able to believe just any thesis about religious belief.
Pluralists must believe that religious belief shares some form of common principle. This common principle must be consistent with a belief in pluralism. Therefore, this common principle cannot be doctrinal beliefs. Since many religious believers are in a social setting, this may be related to such a common principle. However, this social setting is also shared by other institutions, such as schools. But schools are not religious institutions by nature. So religious belief must be more than a social setting.
One of the differences between a school and a church is the different attitudes one has in both places. One is an institution of learning, but the other is a place of prayer. This different attitude is an indication that the end of each institution is also different. In a school the end is learning. In a church, the end is prayer?
There is no other set of beliefs or institution that places prayer with such importance as a religion does. So prayer is distinctive to religious belief. This does not mean that prayer is the common principle of religious belief. One way to determine if it is not is to look for a religion that lacks prayer. Now I cannot think of one that does. Perhaps there is one, but one has to remember that meditation also counts as prayer. So it is not likely that there is a religion that lacks prayer. Another way to determine if prayer is the central principle of religion is to look for a religion that places a higher emphasis on something other than prayer. This is not hard to find. In some religions, emphasis is placed on doing good works. This emphasis far exceeds any due to prayer.
So prayer is not the common principle of religious belief. However, there is one thing that good works and prayer have in common. Both of these strive to do what God desires. In prayer, one desires to know God and communicate with him. One learns to match one's own desires with his. In good works, one aims to carry out the desires of God. In an Eastern religion, one may meditate in order to achieve enlightenment. One does good works in order to help along this process. In both cases, someone who does this well is known as a holy person. Perhaps holy people are the common element in religious beliefs.
How does one know which people are holy? If one says that those who pray well and do good works, then there is another question to be asked. What sort of prayer is good? What works are good? Now various religions differ on the details of these points. In fact, religions that emphasize meditation understand it much differently than those who pray to a personal deity. Those who pray would not even count such meditation as prayer at all! So if holy men are the common principle of religions and they are understood through prayer and good works, then pluralism is false. This is because holy men would be recognized through a doctrinal system, and they would become holy only through a doctrinal system.
The pluralist does have a different way of understanding holy men. Instead of those who pray well and do good works as defined in a doctrinal system, holy men are those who have mystical experiences. Since every religion has holy men, this mean that religious belief has a common principle that is consistent with pluralism. But now two different questions arise. What is the relationship between prayer and good works in such a system of religious belief, and are there holy men who lack mystical experiences? But those questions are for later.
Pluralists must believe that religious belief shares some form of common principle. This common principle must be consistent with a belief in pluralism. Therefore, this common principle cannot be doctrinal beliefs. Since many religious believers are in a social setting, this may be related to such a common principle. However, this social setting is also shared by other institutions, such as schools. But schools are not religious institutions by nature. So religious belief must be more than a social setting.
One of the differences between a school and a church is the different attitudes one has in both places. One is an institution of learning, but the other is a place of prayer. This different attitude is an indication that the end of each institution is also different. In a school the end is learning. In a church, the end is prayer?
There is no other set of beliefs or institution that places prayer with such importance as a religion does. So prayer is distinctive to religious belief. This does not mean that prayer is the common principle of religious belief. One way to determine if it is not is to look for a religion that lacks prayer. Now I cannot think of one that does. Perhaps there is one, but one has to remember that meditation also counts as prayer. So it is not likely that there is a religion that lacks prayer. Another way to determine if prayer is the central principle of religion is to look for a religion that places a higher emphasis on something other than prayer. This is not hard to find. In some religions, emphasis is placed on doing good works. This emphasis far exceeds any due to prayer.
So prayer is not the common principle of religious belief. However, there is one thing that good works and prayer have in common. Both of these strive to do what God desires. In prayer, one desires to know God and communicate with him. One learns to match one's own desires with his. In good works, one aims to carry out the desires of God. In an Eastern religion, one may meditate in order to achieve enlightenment. One does good works in order to help along this process. In both cases, someone who does this well is known as a holy person. Perhaps holy people are the common element in religious beliefs.
How does one know which people are holy? If one says that those who pray well and do good works, then there is another question to be asked. What sort of prayer is good? What works are good? Now various religions differ on the details of these points. In fact, religions that emphasize meditation understand it much differently than those who pray to a personal deity. Those who pray would not even count such meditation as prayer at all! So if holy men are the common principle of religions and they are understood through prayer and good works, then pluralism is false. This is because holy men would be recognized through a doctrinal system, and they would become holy only through a doctrinal system.
The pluralist does have a different way of understanding holy men. Instead of those who pray well and do good works as defined in a doctrinal system, holy men are those who have mystical experiences. Since every religion has holy men, this mean that religious belief has a common principle that is consistent with pluralism. But now two different questions arise. What is the relationship between prayer and good works in such a system of religious belief, and are there holy men who lack mystical experiences? But those questions are for later.
posted by Matthew at 3:13 PM
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