Pluralism is an important issue for the global community due to the implications that it has for the world’s religions as well as for individual worshippers from all faiths. The idea of pluralism is essential since it provides a middle ground from which individual religions can find commonalities rather than differences between their faiths and others in the world. As a result, an analysis of religion, religious oppression, and pluralism is essential as a means of highlighting the various perspectives that pluralism introduces to the realm of religious thought.
Pluralism Defined
Pluralism refers to the belief that the religious worldviews that exist all have equal validity and thereby all represent acceptable paths to divinity and deities (Kolenc, 2017). This creates a scenario where each religion receives consideration as a means to know God, which lends credence to other religions and allows for religious acceptance rather than mere tolerance.
Religion
Religion is a term that defines the beliefs that people have regarding God as well as their relationships with the supernatural as a means of explaining the origins of humanity and the universe (Hurd, 2015). This often differs across regions and communities, which makes the issue of religious pluralism critical as a means of connecting the ideologies that various religions have, thereby increasing an intersectionality of world religions.
Religious Oppression
Religious oppression is one of the consequences of the exclusivist approach to religion, whereby a dominant religion can use its influence to curtail the freedom that individuals with differing beliefs have to practice their respective religions (Hurd, 2015). This ideology thrives since many religions have minimal tolerance for beliefs that contradict their own. However, religious oppression depends on the separation of political and religious fields (Kolenc, 2017), whereby populations with secularized political landscapes prove less oppressive of different religions.
Support of Pluralism Statement
Pluralism is an extremely vital idea for a globalized community since it reduces the opportunities available for religious intolerance and oppression (Van der Walt, 2016). Moreover, it also approaches the issue of religion as a collective human exercise rather than as an exclusive activity that is not open to input from other schools of thought. In this way, pluralism not only ensures harmony among religions but also improves their capacity to understand the lessons, beliefs, and practices that other religions have to offer.
Conclusion
Pluralism allows religions to each consider themselves as one of many paths to divinity and thereby provides a way to tackle the issue of religious oppression. However, true pluralism only exists in an environment in which political considerations perceive all religions equally. Considering the potential benefits of pluralism, it is essential to improve the reception of this idea across the world as a means of creating a truly tolerant global community.
References
Hurd, E. S. (2015). Beyond Religious Freedom: The New Global Politics of Religion. Princeton University Press.
Kolenc, A. B. (2017). Religion Lessons from Europe: Intolerant Secularism, Pluralistic Neutrality, and the US Supreme Court. Pace International Law Review, 30(1), 43. https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/pilr/vol30/iss1/2
Van der Walt, J. L. (2016). Religious Tolerance and Intolerance: 'Engravings' on the Soul. In die Skriflig, 50(1), 1-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/ids.v50i1.2016
