scholarly journals Truth, Identity, Pluralism in Contemporary Society - Gandhi's Response

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Laimayum Bishwanath Sharma ◽  
Thokchom Shantilata Devi
Keyword(s):  
Religious Pluralism ◽  
Religious Diversity ◽  
Ultimate Reality ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
Human Race ◽  
Philosophical Discourse ◽  
The World ◽  
Divine Activity

This paper explores Gandhi’s attitude towards diversity of religions and examines as to how he attempted to bring inter-faith harmony. Religious diversity has been a topic of serious debate in the contemporary philosophical discourse on understanding religion. Religious pluralism is one of the approaches that deal with issues concerning the diversity of religions. It is believed that no single religion can make absolute claims about the nature of divine reality, its relation to man and the world. It stands in direct opposition to exclusivism, inclusivism and also to fundamentalism by denying that any one religion is the sole possession of the whole truth. Different religions seem to put forward different and incompatible interpretations about the nature of ultimate reality, about the modes of divine activity, the nature and destiny of the human race.

scholarly journals Secularity, Religion and the Possibilities for Religious Citizenship

2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyn Parker ◽  
Chang-Yau Hoon
Keyword(s):  
Citizenship Education ◽  
Religious Pluralism ◽  
Religious Diversity ◽  
First Century ◽  
Political Force ◽  
Secularization Theory ◽  
The World ◽  
Twenty First Century ◽  
Multicultural Citizenship ◽  
A Site

Abstract Scholarly predictions of the secularization of the world have proven premature. We see a heterogeneous world in which religion remains a significant and vital social and political force. This paper reflects critically upon secularization theory in order to see how scholars can productively respond to the, at least partly, religious condition of the world at the beginning of the twenty first century. We note that conventional multiculturalism theory and policy neglects religion, and argue the need for a reconceptualization of understanding of religion and secularity, particularly in a context of multicultural citizenship — such as in Australia and Indonesia. We consider the possibilities for religious pluralism in citizenship and for “religious citizenship”. Finally, we propose that religious citizenship education might be a site for fostering a tolerant and enquiring attitude towards religious diversity.

Secularism and Multiculturalism in India: Some Reflections

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rochana Bajpai
Keyword(s):  
Religious Pluralism ◽  
Religious Diversity ◽  
Cultural Identities ◽  
Hindu Nationalism ◽  
Religious Identities ◽  
Religious Minorities ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Political Debates ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of

What role does secularism have in the governance of religious diversity in an age marked by the assertion of religio-cultural identities across the world? India, with its long history of religious pluralism, a state ideology of secularism, and the ascendancy of Hindu nationalism, is a key site for examining the disposition of secularism towards religious identities and diversity. Secularism and multiculturalism are often seen as opposed in political debates involving religious minorities, notably the well-known French headscarf case. Several scholars have suggested that religious traditions offer better resources for toleration than modern secularism (for India, see, for example, Madan 1998: 316; Nandy 1998:336–7). Others, more sympathetic to secularism, have also suggested that it may be deficient in the normative resources required for the accommodation of religious practices, particularly in the case of minorities (Mahajan, this volume; Modood 2010).

scholarly journals Cruzando fronteiras: um diálogo teológico-literário sobre o pluralismo religioso na obra A Viagem de Théo, de Catherine Clément | Crossing borders: a theological-literary dialogue about religious pluralism in the book The Theo’s Journey, by Catherine Clément

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Rita Cassia Scocca Luckner
Keyword(s):  
Religious Pluralism ◽  
Religious Diversity ◽  
Interfaith Dialogue ◽  
Spiritual Journey ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Literary Language ◽  
Religious Institution ◽  
Serious Illness ◽  
Christian Religion ◽  
The World

Resumo A obra A Viagem de Théo: Romance das Religiões, de autoria da filósofa Catherine Clément, narra a jornada espiritual do personagem Théodore Fournay (Théo), um jovem francês que sofre de uma grave doença e que, convidado por sua tia Marthe, viaja para diversos continentes, visitando templos e centros sagrados, adquirindo conhecimento sobre outras culturas e sobre algumas das religiões praticadas no mundo, em busca de uma ajuda espiritual. A obra demonstra a diversidade religiosa existente no mundo e de como o ser humano tem se dado conta disso, principalmente devido ao efeito da globalização. Essa diversidade tem gerado estudos e chamado a atenção de teólogos, antropólogos, cientistas da religião e de estudiosos de outros campos do conhecimento. Buscou-se, neste artigo, uma análise da obra A Viagem de Théo, apontando os elementos que remetem às ideias de pluralismo religioso e suas implicações. A obra aborda o divino por meio da linguagem literária e, por retratar aspectos de diversas religiões, aponta que o diálogo inter-religioso ou interfé envolve respeito e abertura para falar e ouvir, a aprender com o outro, a conscientizar de que o diálogo envolve pessoas e não determinada religião ou instituição religiosa. Tais premissas despertam uma reflexão sobre a forma de ser cristão pelo viés da polidoxia, que reconhece a diversidade dentro da religião cristã como também a pluralidade de comunidades religiosas e espirituais do mundo.Abstract Theo’s Journey: Romance of religions, authored by the philosopher Catherine Clément, narrates the spiritual journey of the character Théodore Fournay (Théo), a young French who suffers from a serious illness and, at the invitation of his aunt Marthe, they travel to different continents, visiting temples and sacred centers, acquiring knowledge about other cultures and some religious practiced in the world, seeking spiritual help. The book demonstrates the religious diversity that exists in the world and how human beings have become aware of it, mainly due to the effect of globalization. This diversity has generated studies and has drawn attention of theologians, anthropologists, scientists of religion and the theoristis from other fields of knowledge. Through this article we seek an analysis of the work The Theo’s Journey , pointing out the elements that refer to the ideas of Religious Pluralism and its implications. The Journey of Theo, which beyond the description of some aspects of various religions, approached the divine through literary language, and points out that interreligious or interfaith dialogue should be faced with respect and openness to talk and listen, learn from each other, aware that dialogue involves people, religious or otherwise, and not a particular religion or religious institution. Such premises arouse a reflection on the way of being Christian through the bias of polidoxy, which recognizes the diversity within the Christian religion as well as the plurality of religious and spiritual communities in the world.

scholarly journals Does Pancasila Support Religious Pluralism in Indonesia in Postmodern Era

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Philip Suciadi Chia ◽  
Frederich Oscar Lontoh ◽  
Surja Permana ◽  
Juanda Juanda ◽  
Daniel Ari Wibowo
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Religious Pluralism ◽  
Religious Diversity ◽  
The State ◽  
Religious Culture ◽  
The World ◽  
Unity In Diversity

Since Indonesia is also one of the most diverse societies in the world such as there are over three hundred different ethnic groups in Indonesia, each with its own cultural identity, and more than two hundred and fifty distinct languages are spoken, then Pancasila is created as philosophic fundamentals of the state to supports the diversity in Indonesia. Pancasila (from a Sankrit word: panca: five and sila: principle) consists of five principles that are interrelated and inseparable to generate unity in diversity (bhinnekatunggalika). In this paper, I will argue that Pancasila promotesand facilitates religious diversity although religious culture in Indonesia does not promote religious pluralism.

scholarly journals African Traditional Religion in Contemporary Africa: The Case of Ghana

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Yaw Sarkodie Agyeman ◽  
Samuel Awuah-Nyamekye
Keyword(s):  
Religious Pluralism ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
Traditional Religion ◽  
General Survey ◽  
World Religions ◽  
Indigenous Religion ◽  
Adequate Theory ◽  
The World ◽  
African Traditional Religion

Globalisation does not permit any religion to be an island to itself. Indigenous  cultures  all  over  the  world  bear  the  brunt  of  a consequent  of  globalisation--religious  pluralism.  On  the  continent of  Africa,  the  five  major  world  religions,  notably  Christianity  and Islam, are slugging it out against each other and, most of the time, collectively  against  the  indigenous  religion  of  the  African.  Besides the challenges religious pluralism poses to the indigenous religion, Africa, like never before is being opened up for investment and the intrusion  of  the  mass  media  and  the  internet.  This  paper  is  a general  survey  examining  how  the  traditional  religion  of  the African is responding to these realities using Ghana as a case study. It  aims  at  an  understanding  of  the  current  manifestation/s  of  the religion.  The  paper  observes  that  syncretism  has  been  used  to analyse  the  current  expression  of  the  religion,  but  the  paper  takes the  position  that  syncretism  is  not  an  adequate  theory  to  explain current  developments  in  the  religion.  It  rather,  advocates thetheories  of  the  market  and  religious  field  as  additional  theories to  explain  current  developments  in  the  religious  space  in  Africa, and  for  that  matter,  Ghana.  The  paper  notes  that  though  there  is competition  in  the  market,  especially  from  impinging  religions especially  Christianity  and  Islam,  opportunities  have  been  opened to  the  indigenous  religion  making  it  to  assume  a  transnational posture. It concludes that the future of African Traditional Religion will  largely  depend  on  its  ability  to  respond  to  market  realities  in order to be continuously relevant to contemporary society. 

Performing States-Of-In-Between: Dogs, Parrots, and Other Humans in Recent Austrian Performances

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-310
Author(s):  
Sabine Wilke
Keyword(s):  
Fine Arts ◽  
Specific Form ◽  
Cultural Critique ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
Dramatic Effect ◽  
The Past ◽  
Violent Content ◽  
The World ◽  
The Sixties ◽  
Recent Developments

Every late spring since 1951, the Wiener Festwochen bring performers from around the world to Vienna for an opportunity to share recent developments in performance styles and present them to a Viennese public that seems to be increasingly open to experimentation. These festival weeks solidify a specific form of Viennese self-understanding and self-representation as a culture that is rooted in performance. This essay seeks to link two recent Austrian performances—one of them was part of the Wiener Festwochen in 2016, the other was staged in downtown Linz during the past few years—to this Austrian and specifically Viennese culture of performance by reading them as contemporary articulations of a tradition of radical performance art that can be traced back to the Viennese Actionism of the sixties and later feminist articulations in the seventies and eighties. They play on the dramatic effect of these actions, specifically their joy in cruelty, chaos, and orgiastic intoxication, by staging regressions and thus making visible what has been dammed up and repressed in contemporary society.1 Just as their historical models, these two performances merge the performing and the fine arts and they highlight provocative, controversial, and, at times, violent content. But they do it in an interspecies context that adds an entire layer of complexity to the project of societal and cultural critique.

Introduction

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianfranco Pacchioni
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Human Race ◽  
Hunter Gatherers ◽  
The Past ◽  
The World ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Radical Transformation

About 10,000 years ago, at the beginning of the agriculturalrevolution, on the whole earth lived between 5 and 8 million hunter-gatherers, all belonging to the Homo sapiens species. Five thousand years later, freed from the primary needs for survival, some belonging to that species enjoyed the privilege of devoting themselves to philosophical speculation and the search for transcendental truths. It was only in the past two hundred years, however, with the advent of the Industrial Revolution, that reaping nature’s secrets and answering fundamental questions posed by the Universe have become for many full-time activities, on the way to becoming a real profession. Today the number of scientists across the globe has reached and exceeded 10 million, that is, more than the whole human race 10,000 years ago. If growth continues at the current rate, in 2050 we will have 35 million people committed full-time to scientific research. With what consequences, it remains to be understood. For almost forty years I myself have been concerned with science in a continuing, direct, and passionate way. Today I perceive, along with many colleagues, especially of my generation, that things are evolving and have changed deeply, in ways unimaginable until a few years ago and, in some respects, not without danger. What has happened in the world of science in recent decades is more than likely a mirror of a similar and equally radical transformation taking place in modern society, particularly with the advent ...

Ground-of-Being Models of Ultimate Reality

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wesley J. Wildman
Keyword(s):  
Religious Diversity ◽  
Ultimate Reality ◽  
Scientific Study ◽  
Natural Solution

Ground-of-being models regard ultimate reality as holy or sacred (unlike subordinate-deity models) and reject the idea that ultimate reality is an aware, agential being (unlike agential-being models). Ground-of-being models are radically anti-anthropomorphic, resisting the Intentionality Attribution, Narrative Comprehensibility, and Rational Practicality dimensions of anthropomorphism simultaneously. They are strongly amenable to the scientific study of religion and to apophatic metaphysical frameworks, within which ultimate reality surpasses the complete cognitive grasp of any possible creature. They offer a compelling and natural solution to the problem of religious diversity. They are and have always been relatively less popular than agential-being and subordinate-deity ultimacy models but it is not impossible to imagine a civilizational transformation after which ground-of-being models would become the dominant religious outlook. Variations, strengths, and weaknesses of the ground-of-being class of ultimacy models are discussed.

The Remembered Anthropologist: Engaging with the Insights of M. N. Srinivas

2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 224-240
Author(s):  
Nita Mathur
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Nation Building ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
Social Anthropology ◽  
General Sense ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The World ◽  
Village Studies ◽  
Specific Sense

The plethora of M. N. Srinivas’s articles and books covering a wide range of subjects from village studies to nation building, from dominant caste in Rampura village to nature and character of caste in independent India, and from prospects of sociological research in Gujarat to practicing social anthropology in India have largely influenced the understanding of society and culture for well over five decades. Additionally, he meticulously wrote itineraries, memoirs and personal notes that provide a glimpse of his inner being, influences, ideologies, thought all of which have inspired a large number of and social anthropologists and sociologists across the world. It is then only befitting to explore the major concerns in the life and intellectual thought of one whose pioneering contributions have been the milestones in the fields of social anthropology and sociology in a specific sense and of social sciences in India in a general sense. This article centres around/brings to light the academic concerns that Srinivas grappled with the new avenues of thought and insights that developed consequently, and the extent of his rendition their relevance in framing/understanding contemporary society and culture in India.

Equal Opportunity in a Pluralistic Society

1987 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
James W. Nickel
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Religious Pluralism ◽  
Equal Opportunity ◽  
Religious Diversity ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pluralistic Society ◽  
Self Image ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The U.S

The United States has never been culturally or religiously homogeneous, but its diversity has greatly increased over the last century. Although the U.S. was first a multicultural nation through conquest and enslavement, its present diversity is due equally to immigration. In this paper I try to explain the difference it makes for one area of thought and policy – equal opportunity – if we incorporate cultural and religious pluralism into our national self-image. Formulating and implementing a policy of equal opportunity is more difficult in diverse, pluralistic countries than it is in homogeneous ones. My focus is cultural and religious diversity in the United States, but my conclusions will apply to many other countries – including ones whose pluralism is found more in religion than in culture.

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