Pluralist Vs Exclusivism Essay

The issue between pluralist and exclusivists is one that stems from a misinterpretation of the two groups as separate. What I mean by this point is that pluralism and exclusivism are the effect of a similar cause, that being the infinite nature of divine reality. In nature, most religious doctrines appear exclusivist. In the more primitive era of religious doctrines, tribal gods were beings that united the tribe but also separated the residents of that tribe from their neighboring tribes. Even within our present religious conceptions Jesus is the way the truth and the life, while liberation into Nirvana can only be achieved through Buddhism. Despite the visible contradictions that form when comparing any two religions, whether it be tribal affiliation or doctrine toward permanent happiness, all religions serve humanity as guides toward being better individual human beings. Concerning where I stand on the matter, that is why pluralist and exclusivist attitudes can reside within the same person. One can believe that their religion is the supreme and right way to reach a divine reality, while also believing that their way is not the only way to reach that divine reality. The means each religion takes usually appear contradictory, but it’s the end that unites all religions. Hick and the Dalai Lama interestingly use their separate backgrounds and religious …show more content…
He reasons that the religious experiences that spurred the birth of major religions like Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam must all be pointing to the same source of divinity, but because that divinity is so infinite, it was perceived by different cultures in very seemingly different ways. Evidence of contradictions in each religion can be easily pointed to, such as when Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John