We live in a time and society of religious pluralism. Should Christians view this as a good or bad thing? And how should we live in light of this reality? In order to answer those questions, we have to first understand the definition of “religious pluralism” and then examine it with a critical eye.
Two Types of Pluralism to Recognize – Descriptive and Prescriptive
When speaking of religious pluralism, one could either be speaking about it in a descriptive sense (describing how things are) or a prescriptive sense (describing how things ought to be). The descriptive sense is that there is a presence and coexistence of many different religions in our society. In a way, this is a reality that cannot be denied; we look around and see a variety of religions and are more likely to encounter people with differing beliefs in this day and age of globalization. This reality flows and flourishes in a country in which there is a separation of church and state and a freedom of religion, as each person is allowed to make their own decisions about their beliefs and practices.
The definition of the perspective sense is the claim that all religions are equal and/or the same; it goes beyond the idea that we should be given freedom in the realm of religious belief to make a judgment about the reality of religion and the relationship between religions. This judgment is that rather than one (or some) being true and others being false, all religions are true. This view stands behind statements such as, “All religions have part of the truth, but none has the whole truth,” or “All religions basically teach the same thing,” or “God accepts the worship of all religions.” There is a widespread belief that because all knowledge and speech come from a certain perspective, we cannot come to a conclusion of absolute or ultimate truth. I also believe that the “post-Christian” sense of Western society plays a role in the popularization of this belief. We can look back to some of the bad things people have done in the name of religion (especially the Christian faith) and think that people who believed they were right and others were wrong leads to the mistreatment of those who disagree about what is true. The recently released “The State of Theology” study by Lifeway Research and Ligonier Ministries shows that the majority (56%) of evangelical Christians (identified by their beliefs not by their chosen labels) have come to believe this idea that God accepts the worship of all religions, pointing to a growing acceptance of prescriptive pluralism among Christians. But should we believe this?
Philosophical Problems with Prescriptive Pluralism
I am by no means the first person (nor will I be the last!) to point out some philosophical problems found within the prescriptive sense of religious pluralism. I still find the thoughts of Tim Keller (especially those found in his book The Reason for God) some of the clearest on the topic and place myself in debt to many of his insights. I’ll highlight a few of the most critical problems.
First and foremost, on closer examination, it seems that those who make this claim about all religions being equal don’t really mean it. They would not maintain that all religions truly are equal and teach the same thing; they may think this is true of the major world religions, but there are all sorts of religions out there and would find many to be problematic (think of cults!). A firm adoption of this belief would actually mean you could never say a religion is wrong or dangerous! Secondly, this standpoint distorts the teachings of various religions. Religions might address the same basic issues (the nature of reality, the reason for problems in the world, the way forward, and the ultimate hope), but they give very different and contradictory answers to these questions. One can only say they all teach the same thing if one has a superficial understanding of them – one that likely would not be maintained by a devout believer of the particular religion. At the risk of mixing in another controversial issue, it is almost akin to say that because both Republicans and Democrats are focused on politics, they essentially say the same thing! Finally, and perhaps most critically, this demonstrates a particular view that is placed over all other religions. What I mean by this statement is that this opinion that all religions are the same, but just different paths to find the ultimate truth, requires one to maintain there is some truth (and to know what that truth is) in order to make that judgment. A common analogy in these conversations is to compare religions to people examining an elephant with blindfolds on; they will reach vastly different conclusions as they grasp different parts of the elephant (for example, the trunk, the tail, or the legs). But this presupposes that there is an elephant and someone knows it is an elephant (and that only you, not the others, are correct in judgment). Thus, this claim actually undercuts itself in noting that there is a truth and that someone indeed knows it.
Christian Objections to Prescriptive Pluralism
The perspective found within prescriptive pluralism is hostile to and opposes Christianity. It is the same sort of perspective found in the ancient world in which Christianity first was revealed, as there was belief in the first century that the same gods were called by different names and there were various cultural manifestations of the same beliefs. Into that mix, Christians declared there is one true God who is unlike the other gods, that this true God had come in bodily form in a unique person who then brings the way into relationship with Him (John 14:6; Acts 4:12) and will bring restoration to the world. There is an exclusive nature found within the Christian faith; this is not alone as other religions would also point to their beliefs being true and others being wrong (while others will adopt something of a form of pluralism, showing that pluralism is at its root a different religious claim that does oppose others). Since prescriptive pluralism does not work philosophically, one must then look at the various religions and come to a conclusion about what best makes sense of reality.
Christians’ Response to Prescriptive Pluralism
While Christians should be opposed to religious pluralism in the prescriptive sense, they should not be surprised by it nor be afraid of it, especially since it was the context in which the early church flourished. Rather, our response should be to demonstrate how Christianity is different and why its different claims correspond to reality and our deepest needs. That is, we need to show why prescriptive pluralism does not work and why the explanations given in the Christian faith give the best answers to the realities that we all face (for example, suffering). The reality of descriptive religious pluralism – that there is more awareness of alternative answers to these questions – means that we need to do this, but is also a reminder that we do so while offering love and respect for those who disagree with us and who may reject the claims of the Christian faith. Doing so is actually a way of living out the Christian faith and helping to show how it corresponds to truths and the deepest longings of our hearts. May we be described as people who understand and hold firmly to different beliefs that lead to a different – and better – way of living.
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