Schleiermacher's Response To St. Augustine

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St. Augustine argued in the fifth century that religious persecution was not only moral, but also a Christian duty. Over time, people somewhat learned to articulate misgivings about St. Augustine’s claim. Michel de Montaigne responded by noting no absolute evidence for one religion or another exists and that people cannot torture others without presenting evidence of a misdeed. If one could not prove his or her own religion, one could not hold following another religion as criminal. In a similar vein, Friedrich Schleiermacher wrote that religion consists of one’s relationship with the universe, and therefore cannot be right or wrong. Schleiermacher’s conclusion answers St. Augustine’s claim by undermining his motivation for persecution. If religion is neither right nor wrong, a person cannot face condemnation for practicing a non-Catholic religion. Though both writings refute religious intolerance, neither supports religious tolerance. Religious tolerance is the acceptance of other people’s religion, despite not sharing it; tolerance requires one to view one’s own religion as true, which neither Montaigne nor Schleiermacher’s argument allows for. Unlike either Montaigne or Schleiermacher, the Dalai Lama argues in favor of religious tolerance. He accomplishes …show more content…
Nearly all religions have codes of conduct that followers must adhere to. The existence of these moral laws indicates a vested interest in morality on the part of religions. Moreover, those moral laws are interreligious. For instance, the two largest world religions are Christianity and Islam. Both come from the Abrahamic tradition, and consequently warn of the dangers of greed. Similarly, in Hinduism, the world’s third largest religion, greed prevents moksha (salvation). As the major religions share morals, they all wish to promote the same moral

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