The impossibility of the pluralistic hypothesis of John Hick as a ground for the Christian relationship with the non-Christians

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The impossibility of the pluralistic hypothesis of John Hick as a ground for the Christian relationship with the non-christians. II°

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JOHN HICK: ALLAH ADALAH MISTERI, LALU UNTUK APA BERDIALOG?

Allah adalah misteri. Dengan dasar ini, John Hick membawa kristianitas untuk merefleksikan ulang pemahaman akan dirinya sendiri, relasinya dengan agama lain, dan menunjukkan perlunya dialog dalam usaha menggapai Allah di dalam hidup.

God and Suffering

This chapter launches a new investigation of the question of God’s existence, examining it against the reality of human suffering and bringing to the fore contentious presuppositions concerning agency and value at the core of the debate. When we survey the world, we observe an enormous amount of pain, including virtually unspeakable kinds of maltreatment and agony, many instances of which seem patently unfair, unearned, and pointless. This chapter initiates the book’s argument that, in light of these observations, it is reasonable to conclude that God does not exist. The chapter critically examines and extends the work of William Rowe, John Hick, and Alvin Plantinga, taking up apparently pointless instances of suffering and the proposed justifying goods of character-building and free will.

PROBLEMATIKA PLURALISME AGAMA ANTARA TEOLOGI DAN FILSAFAT: MEMBACA KRITIK MARIANNE MOYAERT ATAS JOHN HICK

Religious pluralism as an effort to bridge harmony among adherents of religions initiates both theological and philosophical problems. For example, religious pluralism is not only seen as a further effort to build interreligious relationships but also it is built on Truth Relativism. The religious pluralism concept also encourages Marianne Moyaert to investigate religious pluralism more deeply, especially referring to the concept of 'Global Theology' which is conceptualized by John Hick. This paper analyzed a number of theologians' annoyance with Global Theology such as: Hick as a 'Problematic Theologian', demythologizing of Jesus, and most importantly, the blurred relationship between Theology and Philosophy. Following Marianne's Argument, it was believed that the relationship among religions should be built on clear boundaries between Theology and Philosophy, where the boundaries were destroyed by Global Theology. Instead of fading the boundaries between the two, the relationship among religions should be carried out based on a religious understanding based on commitment.

Pluralisme Sosial Keagamaan Menuju Karakter Bangsa Yang Shalih

AbstrakPenyoalan berdalih persoalan sosial masyarakat diarahkan kepada fatwa MUI tahun 2005 yang mengharamkan faham pluralisme. MUI dipandang salah menilai tambahan kata “isme” sebagai penyifatan ideologis terhadap kata dasar “plural”, mengingat kata pluralisme dalam berbagai literatur kebahasaan dan ensiklopedi memiliki arti lebih dari sekedar makna teologis, tetapi juga makna sosial. Akan tetapi, para pengkritik tidak kunjung memberikan solusi berupa kata pengganti bagi pluralisme versi MUI. Disamping, diantara merekapun terjebak untuk menyatakan mendukung doktrin persamaan kebenaran semua agama yang diharamkan MUI meskipun berusaha terlihat objektif di awal. Kata pengganti ini seharusnya ditetapkan jika memang istilah MUI dinilai sama sekali tidak benar. Mengingat fatwa ini berangkat dari faham pluralisme liberal yang nyaring digaungkan tokoh-tokoh modern seperti John Hick yang dengan tegas memandang sama kebenaran semua agama dan mendapat pertentangan keras dari kaum gereja, dan juga tentunya dari pandangan-pandangan para akademisi muslim Indonesia yang mengangkat permaslahan ini dengan dalil-dalil Al-Qur’an. Di lain sisi, MUI berupaya memperjuangkan harmoni masyarakat majemuk Indonesia melalui inklusivisme “pluralitas” yang dirumuskannya dengan harapan dapat mewujudkan kedamaian dan kerukunan bangsa yang multi agama. Tulisan ini mengupayakan beberapa sisi pandang pluralisme dalam literatur filsafat, agama dan kesejarahan, dan kemungkinan penerapan makna sosial politisnya dalam mewujudkan karakter masyarakat berbangsa yang bermoral dan shalih.Kata kunci: pluralisme teologis sosial agama keberagaman

A Buddhist reconfiguration of John Hick's pluralistic hypothesis: a Madhyamaka perspective

In presenting his theory of religious pluralism, John Hick discussed the Buddhist concept of śūnyatā, emptiness, which he regarded as functionally equivalent to his postulated noumenal Real. This article introduces Hick's pluralistic hypothesis and reviews the major criticisms of his theory. It then investigates Hick's understanding of śūnyatā, before arguing that a Madhyamaka interpretation of śūnyatā, within the context of the Buddhist theory of ‘two truths’, differs considerably from Hick's understanding. The article suggests that the Madhyamaka interpretation of śūnyatā can be used to reconfigure Hick's pluralistic hypothesis, thereby avoiding the major criticisms Hickian pluralism faces, for it provides a new way of thinking about the relation between ultimate reality and the reality that we experience.

Evil, Prayer and Transformation

Analytic theodicy commonly suggests an overarching reason why a benevolent, omniscient and omnipotent deity permits the quantity and intensity of suffering in our world. This is often couched in terms of freedom of belief or action, or some other variation of the claim that suffering is “worth the price.” I argue that not even the hope of post-mortem consolation could adequately compensate any individual for the inevitable loss of everything which makes, or might have made, life in this world worth living. By contrast, transformational theodicy argues that suffering is an unfortunate by-product of our evolving world. All living things are connected to other living things by means of networks, symbolised for John Hick by Indra’s Net. Divinity is both the force which brought about the beginning of the universe and sustains its continued existence and an objectively existing standard of goodness which is manifested in varying degrees throughout our world, metaphorically conceived in terms of non-binary personhood. It casts light on human endeavours and provides a source of power on which humankind may draw by means of prayer or meditation to influence the networks of living things in order to prevent or alleviate suffering and promote the flourishing of living beings.

SUMBANGAN PEMIKIRAN JOHN HICK BAGI PERJUMPAAN AGAMA-AGAMA

The thought developed by John Hick is one source of inspiration to develop religious patterns that humanize humans and have a peaceful face. The thoughts contained in this thought illustrate that all religions have the freedom to develop. This freedom base assuming all religions have their own way of salvation. The path of salvation is a manifestation of the expression and reaction of faith in God's revelation. The experience of conflict involving religious symbols is one of the fanatical attitudes of conventional interpretation of religious documents. John Hick gave a thought to make the facts that exist in each religion as a point to build dialogue. This refers to human values in every religion that must be upheld.Keywords: John Hick, Theocentric, Exclusive, Inclusive, Pluralist