These are some of the important issues or factors that may contemplate and ponder the thoughts and beliefs of people of other faiths in response to Christianity.
1. Christian attitudes towards people of other faith
There are at least three kinds of Christian attitudes towards other religion espoused (supported) by various Christian groups. First and foremost is the attitude of exclusivism, second is inclusivism and last is pluralism.
Exclusivism: People, who are under this aspect, have so many exclusive claims - They considered that Christian religion is superior to all other religions. They have understood Christianity as the only truth and/or as the only way to salvation. They also have been taught that salvation is available only to Christians.
Because of this perception, from the very beginning, Christians attached great importance to spreading the news about Christianity through missionary and evangelistic efforts, believing that people were lost without it. According to them, all other religions are errors. They are man-made. No light is in them. People follow them (other religions) partly because they do not know Christ. They also assumed that ‘a refusal to convert into Christianity’ is/as a sign of sinfulness.
Some Biblical texts used to justify this kind of attitude include the following: “I’m the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn.l4:6). Thus, according to the exclusivist position, this means that people of other faiths cannot be redeemed unless they come to believe in Christ and convert to Christianity.
Inclusivism: The second attitude of Christians is inclusivism. This attitude holds that, Christianity is still the norm. Christ alone is the Savior. But also in other religions, people try to be good, virtuous and pious (devoutly religion). They do not know or believe in Christ. But because of their attitude they can be considered as “anonymous Christians”. These people will also be saved.
One of the Biblical texts used to justify this kind of attitude is found in the Book of Acts: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right” (Acts10:34ff.)
Pluralism: And the third kind of attitude is pluralism. In this case, Christianity is a true religion, but not the only one. It is a human answer to the ultimate reality of God. It offers a way to salvation. Jesus Christ made God real to us; but he is not the only incarnation of God.
Like Christianity, other religions are also human answers to God’s ultimate reality. Even though they use different symbols, rituals, etc., they all want to lead their believers to a better future, or in Christian terms, to salvation. We have to engage in dialogue with them, but not necessarily to convert them to Christianity.
A text from the Book of Micah is used as a Biblical basis: “All the nations may walk in the name of their gods; we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.” (Micah 4:5).
Therefore, the consequences left behind by/from the last 2 attitudes (inclusivism and pluralism) are, these attitudes welcomed and give freedom or make the people of other faith free, as well as opened up the gateway in a debate to response Christianity.
2. Conversion:
Even though many Christian theologians today (in India) agree that all religions facilitate salvific divine-human encounter. Most of the Christian missions in the past and present have been focusing on converting other people to Christianity as the only way to salvation. Because, according to them – in/through conversion, spiritually blind people is able to see the glory of Christ (2Cor4:6; Act26:17-18), and bringing people back from the path of sin and destruction (Jeremiah 31:18; Isaiah 57:18), turning the heart toward the true God away from wrong ideas about God and wrong affections for what is not God (2The3:5), and brings a radical break with one’s social and cultural past and identification with a new social community as well.
Therefore, many Christian organizations and different churches have been strived, endeavoured, struggled almost with all their might/capacities/strengths to convert many people, or as much as possible into Christianity. This initiatives/ approaches/ actions taken by Christians, as a result left/raise serious questions among people of other faiths. They no longer unable to remain silence or simply unable to keep watching, for hundreds of thousand, who are belonging to them, have been converted into Christianity. In order to defend their faith and belief, identity, practices and traditions, etc it is essentially necessary to raise their voices.
3. Religious fundamentalism
Religious fundamentalism is in fact a phenomenon found in all religions. There is Christian fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalism, Hindu fundamentalism and so on. Religious fundamentalism places high value and priority on doctrinal aspects of religion even at the expense of intelligibility and human transformation. It tends to create a culture in which what is accepted as right within one’s religious domain is viewed as nothing but the truth and as the only truth.
Every religion has a set of fundamentals which are necessary for its own survival and growth. Fundamentalists tend to argue that salvation is available only to those who ascribe to their teachings and practices. Some even behave as though those who do not belong to their religion do not deserve to be treated as human beings. This is also one of the factors that triggered many religious thinkers to raise their voices and views; it is a very disturbing phenomenon in all respects. It does not only create a divide between the private and the public, individual and community, doctrine and ethics, right and wrong but also religious intolerance, fanaticism or prejudice, etc.
4. (Religious)Imperialism through colonization
Usually the motive of imperialism includes;
1) Economic - motives included the desire to make money, to expand and control foreign trade, to create new markets for products, to acquire raw materials and cheap labor, to compete for investments and resources, and to export industrial technology and transportation methods.
2) Political- motives were based on a nation's desire to gain power, to compete with other (European) countries, to expand territory, to exercise military force, to gain prestige by winning colonies, and to boost national pride and security.
3.) Religious- motives included the desire to spread Christianity, to protect (European) missionaries in other lands, to spread their (European) values and moral beliefs, to educate peoples of other cultures.
4.) Exploratory- motives were based on the desire to explore unknown or uncharted territory, to conduct scientific research, to conduct medical searches for the causes and treatment of diseases, to go on an adventure, and to investigate unknown lands and cultures.
However, imperialism through colonization since its inception has had a strong ideological component. The conquistadors, who massacred the indigenous/native peoples, were usually accompanied by priests/missionaries who would provide divine justification for colonization. For them, it was not enough to defeat the indigenous peoples in the battlefield; but their cultures, their ways of life had to be denied. In most of the country colonizers denied and ridiculed the customs and traditions of the Native peoples, bringing them "civilization" by preaching the virtues of their "superior" culture (this is also how the victims viewed the ideology of imperialism/colonization).
Furthermore, imperialism justifies its wars, occupations and plunder (forcibly steal...) of oppressed countries, by demonizing (portray as wicket/threatening) the religious beliefs of the peoples, and by preaching the virtues of their "superior" culture and religion, to let them feel as ‘inferior’, etc. Therefore the consequence left so many questions/issues for the victims or people of other faiths which further persuade them to confront and challenge the claims or beliefs, practices and doctrine, etc of Christian religion.
Conclusion : Moreover, as Robertson pointed out some of the ‘reasons for the emergence of religious pluralism’ – collapse of colonial power which have witnessed revival of many nations in their national, cultural and religious life, Emergence of global village which opened up for all religions to have greater contact and mutual claims, knowledge of other faith-traditions, Rise of Islam, struggle of the oppressed, etc might have also contributed in one way or the other to persuade or motivate people of other faith in a discussion to response Christianity.
References:
- One Christ Many Religion – S.J. Samartha
- Approaching Religion in a Pluralistic Context – S.Robertson
- Christianity Through Non-Christian Eyes – Paul J. Griffiths
