Transcript Inter-Religions Attitudesx

RELIGIOUS STUDIES
BCIT LIBS 7023
CHARACTERISTICS OF
SOME MAJOR
RELIGIONS TOWARD
RIVAL RELIGIONS
DR. STEPHEN A. OGDEN
CAUTIONS
 Dealings between religions are fraught, and must be
treated advisedly.
 The matter must be approached at introduction (as here)
from the highest degree of generality.
 Three facts:
Every form of coherent system—sporting, political, intellectual,
scientific—has intense factionalism: the true believers take the
minutiae with extreme seriousness.
1.

2.
3.
Cf . Darwinism
Religious interactions are con-fused with ethic, nationalist, and
political oppositions and histories.
There are exceptions, and ranges of people and practice, within any
one religion
BUDDHISM
ACCCOMODATION
EXAMPLE
 Buddhism tends to
In Japan, Buddhist and
Shinto priesthoods and
rituals are evenly woven
into the culture and
civilisation.
live side-by-side
with both animist
and systematic
religions
 Consistent with its
pantheistic theology
HINDUISM
ABSORPTION
EXAMPLE
 Hinduism attempts to
Hinduism in India has
been generally accepting of
Christianity & Islam:
episodes of conflicts tend
to be instigated by the
latter two.
absorb rival
religions—their Gods
and their practices—
theologically and
culturally.
 Acknowledge &
respect the divine in
other religions
 Consistent with its
polytheistic theology
Exceptional case of
Sikhism, which is a breakaway from Hinduism.
CHRISTIANITY
CO-OPTATION
EXAMPLE
 Christianity attempts
 Days of the week and
to ‘baptise’ rival
religions by
incorporating them
as components of the
total system.
 Follows the method
of the Roman Empire
to conquered peoples
months of the year in
Christendom have the
names of co-opted gods
 Major Christian festivals
are festivals of co-opted
religions
 Christian culture retains
and applies supplanted
gods, heroes, and art.
ISLAM AND ATHEISM
ANNIHILATION
EXAMPLE
 Islam consistently applies
 For Islam, a
its basic dogma—God is
one—and thus takes a
binary approach to other
religions
 Atheism is likewise
consistent with its titular
dogma—there is no God—
and is dedicated to the
cultural and
intellectual elimination
of rival religions,
controversy….
 For Atheism, see
Richard Dawkins, The
God Delusion; and
Christopher Hitchens,
God is Not Great: How
Religion Poisons
Everything.