Problems of Religious Diversity

by Paul J. Griffiths

Overview

Exploring Religious Diversity analyzes the philosophical questions raised by the fact that many religions in the world often appear to contradict each other in doctrine and practice.

• Analyzes the philosophical questions raised by the fact that many religions in the world often appear to contradict each other in doctrine and practice.
• Evaluates the fundamental philosophical underpinnings of the debates between religious and non-religious approaches to religious diversity.
• Contains a glossary that defines the book's key technical terms and how they are related to one another.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781119098188
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	02/23/2015
Series:	Exploring the Philosophy of Religion
Sold by:	JOHN WILEY & SONS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	196
File size:	291 KB

About the Author

Paul J. Griffiths is Schmitt Chair of Catholic Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He has held academic posts at the University of Wisconsin, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Chicago. He is author of On Being Buddha: The Classical Doctrine of Buddhahood (1994) and Religious Reading: The Place of Reading in the Practice of Religion (1999).

Table of Contents

Series Editor's Preface ix

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xiii

Key Terms xiv

1 Religious Diversity 1

1.1 Religion: Some Historical Remarks 1

1.2 Religion: A Definition 7

1.3 Diversity in Religion 12

1.4 Philosophical Questions about Religious Diversity 16

1.5 Standpoints and Answers 19

2 Religious Diversity and Truth 21

2.1 Religious Claims: Doctrines and Teachings 21

2.2 Assent and Acceptance 26

2.3 Truth, Falsehood, Incompatibility 31

2.4 Parity with Respect to Truth: A Kantian View 37

2.5 Parity with Respect to Truth: A Wittgensteinean View 45

2.6 Parity with Respect to Truth: Nonreligious Views 50

2.7 Difference with Respect to Religious Truth: Exclusivism 53

2.8 Difference with Respect to Religious Truth: Inclusivism 60

2.9 A Catholic Christian Argument for Open lnclusivism 60

3 Religious Diversity and Epistemic Confidence 66

3.1 Epistemic Confidence 66

3.2 Awareness of Diversity 70

3.3 Religious Responses to the Question of Epistemic Confidence 75

3.4 Privatization 81

3.5 The Epistemic Significance of Religious Diversity: A Christian View in Conversation with William Alston 89

4 The Religious Alien 99

4.1 Toleration: Enduring the Religious Alien 101

4.2 Separation: Isolating the Religious Alien 111

4.3 Conversion: Domesticating the Religious Alien 119

4.4 Christian Evangelism 132

5 The Question of Salvation 138

5.1 Pluralism 142

5.2 Exclusivism 150

5.3 Inclusivism 159

5.4 Restrictivism and Universalism 161

A Brief Guide to Further Reading 170

Index 172

Editorial Reviews

"At a time when words like tolerance, diversity, pluralism, and truth are brandished as rhetorical weapons, Paul Griffiths provides a crisp and elegant analysis of the philosophical, moral, and political contexts in which these and other terms function. A bracing and helpful treatment of a perpetually vexed subject." Stanley Fish, University of Illinois at Chicago

"Problems of Religious Diversity is a rare work – an introduction that not only accurately orients beginners, but draws them into the midst of current dialogue. Its bracing clarity has challenges for the expert as well as the novice. It should become a favored port of entry for those who want to think philosophically about the relations among religions." S. Mark Heim, Andover Newton Theological School

"A profound, challenging, and edifying appraisal of what it means to keep faith with integrity in a religiously plural world, Problems of Religious Diversity is indispensable for those who seek philosophical grounding for the dialogue with world religions." Carol Zaleski, Smith College

"A must read for both introductory students and seasoned scholars alike!" Amos Young, Religious Studies Review, Vol 27, October 2001

"Griffiths skilfully balances a general introductory perspective accessible to serious students with profound analysis that will appeal to professionals." Bernardo J. Cantens, Theological Studies, Vol. 63, June 2002

"Problems of Religious Diversity is a very helpful introduction to the cluster of questions arising from religious diversity in the West. Both those just becoming acquainted with the issues and those already quite familiar with the debates will benefit from careful study of Paul Griffith's clear and stimulating treatment of the subject." Journal of the Evangelical Philosophic Society, February 2003

From the Publisher