The Challenges Posed For Religious Believers By Religious

Stephen Prothero’s “God Is Not One” is a survey of world religions, comprising vital information on a vast array of different sets of belief. As someone who has never studied religion before, nor belongs to a particular faith, the variability within these religions is staggering. One might be satisfied to define religion as “how a person goes about believing in God,” but soon finds that even that definition has its holes. Thankfully, “God Is Not One” does an amazing job of cluing its reader into the nuances that are sometimes forgotten about the religions it approaches.

In “An Interpretation of Religion” Hick argues how all religions are ambiguously and culturally designed to answer all of life’s questions. A renowned theologian, philosopher and religious pluralist, Hick firmly agrees world religions are diverse paths to meet the “Real” or “Truth”. David Nah’s Christian Theology and Religious Pluralism: A Critical Evaluation of John Hick criticizes Hick’s hypothesis & discusses how the Christian theology uniquely differs from world religions. The New Age generation has made religious pluralism a pivotal acknowledgement for society as it continues to omit the fundamental factors of the Christian doctrine, an evident study that already answers life’s toughest questions. The world’s most commonly followed religions & its path to truth consists:

Religious exclusivism is an idea that is the complete opposite of religious pluralism. Religious pluralist’s such as John Hick have ideas containing a set of beliefs asserting that multiple religions can not only all co-exist, but they can all also be true within their own beliefs that they hold about the cosmology of the Earth, God, and our existence. And the complete opposite of John Hick’s belief is the idea of Religious Exclusivism. Religious Exclusivism is an idea that is represented by Alvin Plantiga. And what the idea of Religious Exclusivism represents is that whatever religious belief you hold to be true, must be true exclusively, which then deems all other religions to

Religion is a universal term that is widely used for a human’s belief system. The views on how religions compare to one another can be defined differently. One view explains religions using a united belief system by their common goals. Another view explains that different religions are just a shared essence and have vast differences between their specific traditions and customs. This shared essence, but vastly different theory, is explained by Stephen Prothero, using the term “pretend pluralism”. There are many major and minor religions that have guided people in their morals and beliefs. Religions, such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. All five of these current, major religions have vast differences, but may have common goals in their morals, traditions, etc. Two of the most practiced religions, of these five, are Christianity and Islam. These two religions are constantly at battle with one another, but what many people don’t see is that there are just as many similarities between these two religions as there are differences. Through this paper we will discover the underlying similarities and differences between these two religions and, hopefully, conclude that supports either the common goal theory or the “pretend pluralism” theory.

One of the many decisions that has to made in life is what, if any, religion they will practice. Christianity, the belief in God, and Jesus as his son, or Judaism, to follow the direction of the Torah are some of the major religions that a person may choose. This decision may be one of the biggest decisions of a person’s life, and each religion has similarities and differences, and pro’s and cons. Two of the major religions, Judaism and Christianity, are alike in their inspiration of sacred texts, but are different in their identity of Jesus, and practice of worship.

Differences in culture, history, geography, and collective temperament all make for diverse starting points. . . . But beyond these differences, the same goal beckons” (Prothero 1). This is a great approach because it puts the differences in religions in perspective while still showing they all show a common goal. The second scholarly approach is the ‘4 Step Process’ which is also by Stephen Prothero. First, there must be a problem. Second, there must be a solution to this problem, which also serves as a religious goal. Third, there must be a technique for moving from this problem to this solution. Fourth, there must be an exemplar who chart this path from problem to solution. This is a great approach because it helps to point out the differences across and inside religious traditions. The third scholarly approach is the ‘Question of Ultimate Meaning’. William Portiers approach deals with the deep or great questions about the human condition that we can only answer ourselves. “Why are we here? What becomes of us in the end? What is our final purpose? What is a human being and how ought we to behave toward one another?” (Portier 17). This is a great approach because it makes you personally come up with answers to those questions and to answer those questions, you must look at many different religious traditions. The fourth scholarly approach also written by William Portier deals with ‘The Dialectical

Using proven facts and methodologies, the author supports her argument that various faiths can coexist outside of a singular perspective. Ward acknowledges every faith has defining guidelines followers must embrace, but maintains the

This paper will explain the religious pluralism, exclusivism, and inclusivism by using the two books: Shusaku Endo's "Deep River" and Stephen Prothero's "God Is Not One". There are arrays of religious beliefs in the world such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Each religion, by contrast, teach people

The intriguing analysis identifies the problems of materialism, religious diversity, and Christian denomination’s challenges in an attempt to preserve religious communities and their identities through education. Though the focus is on Christianity, the challenges are equally the same for other religions in America. Argues that the success of these religions isn't that they maintained their identity, but they embraced an American way of life through their religion. Hill’s argument is since the South did not experience patterns of foreign immigration similar to those in other regions, it was characterized list by religious pluralism then by religious hegemony, therefore the thesis of Herzberg’s is not applicable to the South. Employing observation

If one looks at the three major monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, many differences present themselves. However, if you look past the differences, you see three religions based on the idea that there is one God who is more powerful than anything. These three religions, branching off from their core beliefs, have both similar and contrasting teachings. Using some of these sacred writings from each religion, we will examine the agreements and disagreements between these faiths.

Monotheistic Religions (comparing and contrasting Christianity and Islam): By Esha Bhogal 9Z Three of the world's main monotheistic religions are Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Monotheism can be defined as the doctorine or belief that there is only one god. These popular religions are similar in the fact that they are monotheistic but they choose to express their religious beliefs in a variety of different ways. This essay will aim to compare and contrast Christianity and Islam, ultimately highlighting the importance of being open-minded when considering different religions and how whilst these religions are different, they both bring joy, peace and happiness to people around the world.

The two authors start by asking why religion tends to unite rather than divide Americans, who pride themselves on their religious diversity. In order to carry out their study, Putnam and Campbell made use of data from the “Faith Matters Survey”. In analyzing this data, the two researchers showed that “most Americans are intimately intertwined with people of other faiths”— Americans tend to have a wide exposure to religious diversity, though different religions have varying levels of contact with diversity within their social networks. While the authors assert that America is more religious than other developed countries, they found that most Americans are very hesitant to claim that their religion is the “one true religion”. Those who do claim to be a part of “the one true religion” (referred to as “true believers”) tend to be very conservative, more willing to accept teachings from their religious leaders, and are generally “less convinced” than the rest of America that religious diversity is beneficial to society. Interestingly, Putnam and Campbell observed that these true-believers live in less religiously diverse communities, giving credence to the mere-exposure hypothesis (Aunt Susan and my pal Al), the idea that exposure to diversity makes one more tolerant of it. They use this hypothesis to explain why most Americans believe that people of other faiths can go to heaven. In the end, Putnam and Campbell conclude that religious pluralism is responsible for widespread acceptance of other religions in

As Christians we are trying to re-invent our beliefs, faith and righteous living to fit in the modern world. We are trying to move with the tide, follow trends and changes. We are incorporating what is in the world into Christianity. Christians are trying to hold on to what God expects us to do and living righteously but it is getting harder as the world is changing.

By and large, religious differences have been the source of conflicts and misunderstandings among various faiths. Nonetheless, the teachings of Jesus Christ and the accounts of his deeds and philosophy, as provided in the synoptic gospels, can act as an effective remedy to enhancing dialogue among individuals of different religious beliefs and faiths (Straus 2007, p.234). In this connection, religious differences can be used to spark dialogue because different groups can use these differences to acquire more information and knowledge about various religions. This, therefore, can offer the best solution to addressing misconceptions pertaining to the differences accentuated by their religious faiths. Of importance is that the multiplicity of religious beliefs tends to deny Christians the opportunity to understand various religions. An instance to illustrate this is where Jesus, in accompany of his disciples, told them that “they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!”(Luke 8:10). Even so, the essence of engaging interreligious faiths is to address conflicts by understanding important doctrines and tenets in various religions. Consequently, this can assist all people from different faiths to share their experiences hence playing a role in preventing religious conflicts and

On this vast planet religions are becoming more prevalent and are being studied more frequently in recent times. Many individuals want to study and learn about the origins of some religions, on where they were developed and what was the cause of this glorification of a divine. The art of religion is processed by many ideologies, background, beliefs, myths, and rituals. The five major religions of the world include: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism are solely based on these ideologies, and ultimately leads to one goal, to follow the path of god, or to seek a euphoric state of salvation. In spite of all the differences among the world’s five major religions, they have very similar ethical constructs, which should encourage more mutual respect among them.