Religious Diversity
Briefly - What is the Problem of Religious Diversity?
• The problem of religious diversity and contingency – whether or not the existence of many
different religions and religious commitments counts to undermine those commitments
being held.
• This is argued on the basis that these beliefs are grounded not in reason and argument but
in cultural, temporal and social contexts, that if changed would result in that belief not
being held.
My Essay Conclusion
• This essay will discuss whether the presence of religious diversity should create doubt concerning
holding religious beliefs, to conclude that, when these beliefs are held simply as a result of
being immersed in a religious culture, the reality of religious diversity should undermine
those beliefs.
Context
• It is estimated that there are over four-thousand religions in the world, making up of over
four billion people holding some kind of religious belief.
Reading Summaries
Xenophanes - If Oxen and Horses and Lions had hands
• Perhaps one of the first critics of religious beliefs on an account of diversity was ancient
Greek poet Xenophanes.
• Xenophanes stated that: ‘If oxen and horses and lions had hands…horses would draw the
shapes of gods to look like horses and oxen to look like oxen, and each would make the
gods’ bodies have the same shape as they themselves had’.
• Xenophanes highlights one of the critical aspects of the religious diversity debate, that
depending on the experience of the believer, the beliefs will change.
• But also, that each person makes God in their image.
, Religion depends greatly on Accidents of Birth - Hick (2005)
• If we consider some of the many reasons why someone may come to form a religious belief,
we must acknowledge socialisation and cultural context.
• It is reasonable to suggest that those who are born into religious families and cultures, are
more exposed to that certain religion, and are more likely to follow that religion, then if they
were not born into that family or culture.
• This was argued by Hick, who suggested that religious allegiance depends greatly on the
accident of birth: ‘someone born into a devout Muslim family in Pakistan is very likely to be
a Muslim, someone born into a devout Hindu family in India to be a Hindu, someone born
into a devout Christian family in Spain or Mexico to be a Catholic Christian; and so on’.
My example
• Two countries that exemplify this are Brazil and Pakistan. In Brazil there are over 100 million
people who identify as Catholic and in Pakistan there are over 200 million people that identify as
Muslim, both countries having over 90% of their population identifying with these religions.
• It would be unconvincing to suggest that being born into each of these countries would not
greatly influence the likeness of which religion one may ascribe to.
People are fallible so we should engage in respectful debate - Mill’s On Liberty (1859)
1. People are deeply fallible.
• Given the diversity of opinion across places and times on a vast array of religious and
moral questions, at the very least, we should accept that people in general are very
frequently wrong.
• To be fallible just means there are times where one fails, or is wrong.
2. If people are deeply fallible, then it would not be surprising if you yourself were wrong (and
your interlocutor were right).
3. If you are wrong and your interlocutor is right, you stand a better chance of coming around
to the right view as well if you engage disagreement respectfully.
4. You should engage disagreement respectfully.
Briefly - What is the Problem of Religious Diversity?
• The problem of religious diversity and contingency – whether or not the existence of many
different religions and religious commitments counts to undermine those commitments
being held.
• This is argued on the basis that these beliefs are grounded not in reason and argument but
in cultural, temporal and social contexts, that if changed would result in that belief not
being held.
My Essay Conclusion
• This essay will discuss whether the presence of religious diversity should create doubt concerning
holding religious beliefs, to conclude that, when these beliefs are held simply as a result of
being immersed in a religious culture, the reality of religious diversity should undermine
those beliefs.
Context
• It is estimated that there are over four-thousand religions in the world, making up of over
four billion people holding some kind of religious belief.
Reading Summaries
Xenophanes - If Oxen and Horses and Lions had hands
• Perhaps one of the first critics of religious beliefs on an account of diversity was ancient
Greek poet Xenophanes.
• Xenophanes stated that: ‘If oxen and horses and lions had hands…horses would draw the
shapes of gods to look like horses and oxen to look like oxen, and each would make the
gods’ bodies have the same shape as they themselves had’.
• Xenophanes highlights one of the critical aspects of the religious diversity debate, that
depending on the experience of the believer, the beliefs will change.
• But also, that each person makes God in their image.
, Religion depends greatly on Accidents of Birth - Hick (2005)
• If we consider some of the many reasons why someone may come to form a religious belief,
we must acknowledge socialisation and cultural context.
• It is reasonable to suggest that those who are born into religious families and cultures, are
more exposed to that certain religion, and are more likely to follow that religion, then if they
were not born into that family or culture.
• This was argued by Hick, who suggested that religious allegiance depends greatly on the
accident of birth: ‘someone born into a devout Muslim family in Pakistan is very likely to be
a Muslim, someone born into a devout Hindu family in India to be a Hindu, someone born
into a devout Christian family in Spain or Mexico to be a Catholic Christian; and so on’.
My example
• Two countries that exemplify this are Brazil and Pakistan. In Brazil there are over 100 million
people who identify as Catholic and in Pakistan there are over 200 million people that identify as
Muslim, both countries having over 90% of their population identifying with these religions.
• It would be unconvincing to suggest that being born into each of these countries would not
greatly influence the likeness of which religion one may ascribe to.
People are fallible so we should engage in respectful debate - Mill’s On Liberty (1859)
1. People are deeply fallible.
• Given the diversity of opinion across places and times on a vast array of religious and
moral questions, at the very least, we should accept that people in general are very
frequently wrong.
• To be fallible just means there are times where one fails, or is wrong.
2. If people are deeply fallible, then it would not be surprising if you yourself were wrong (and
your interlocutor were right).
3. If you are wrong and your interlocutor is right, you stand a better chance of coming around
to the right view as well if you engage disagreement respectfully.
4. You should engage disagreement respectfully.
