Religious Pluralism

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Religious diversity is a social fact. As the world has become more interconnected, most people are much more aware that no one can live in isolation from others who follow different religious beliefs and practices. Although the word has always been pluralistic, we experience this pluralism today in a new way to the extent that we can no longer avoid the question of how to deal with it. This course is designed to address that question, namely, how religious pluralism has been dealt with in the scholarly discussion of what is known as the theology of religions. Religious pluralism is not meant the sheer fact that there are many living faiths in a society or country, but a positive response to that diversity. What do the Bible and the Qur'an say about religious others? How should the believers think about and interact with them? This course will also examine critical issues such as salvation and truth claims. In addition to identifying the commonalities of religions and the irreducible distinctiveness of each tradition, we will discuss the question of diversity within a particular religious tradition. No prior background in Islam or Arabic is required for this course.