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Religious Identity and Openness in a Pluralistic World

Religious Identity and Openness in a Pluralistic World INTERNATIONAL BUDDHIST-CHRISTIAN THEOLOGICAL ENCOUNTER Rita M. Gross University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire In our final sessions after twenty years of working together, we have been asked to reflect in some way on identity and openness in a pluralistic world. Specifically, the question is, "How do I understand my own identity as a religious Buddhist or Christian in light of the fact that I am open to the validity of the beliefs held by the other tradition?" Frankly, this puzzle seems like a no-brainer to me and always has. Religions are language systems, and no language is universal and absolute. End of problem. In one fell swoop, as we concede the relativity of all our language games, we also recognize that more than one language could be "valid," whatever that might mean. There is no reason to assume that all people speak my language and it would be illogical to claim that people who don't speak my language are deficient. The worth and utility of my language is in no way diminished because it is not the only language in the world. Language is a tool through which we communicate, and any language could be a useful tool, so long http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Buddhist-Christian Studies University of Hawai'I Press

Religious Identity and Openness in a Pluralistic World

Gross, Rita M.
Buddhist-Christian Studies , Volume 25 (1) – Oct 10, 2005
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University of Hawai'I Press
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Copyright © 2005 The University of Hawai'i Press.
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1527-9472
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Abstract

INTERNATIONAL BUDDHIST-CHRISTIAN THEOLOGICAL ENCOUNTER Rita M. Gross University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire In our final sessions after twenty years of working together, we have been asked to reflect in some way on identity and openness in a pluralistic world. Specifically, the question is, "How do I understand my own identity as a religious Buddhist or Christian in light of the fact that I am open to the validity of the beliefs held by the other tradition?" Frankly, this puzzle seems like a no-brainer to me and always has. Religions are language systems, and no language is universal and absolute. End of problem. In one fell swoop, as we concede the relativity of all our language games, we also recognize that more than one language could be "valid," whatever that might mean. There is no reason to assume that all people speak my language and it would be illogical to claim that people who don't speak my language are deficient. The worth and utility of my language is in no way diminished because it is not the only language in the world. Language is a tool through which we communicate, and any language could be a useful tool, so long

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Buddhist-Christian Studies – University of Hawai'I Press

Published: Oct 10, 2005

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