Kierkegaard and the Paradox of Religious Diversity

Kierkegaard and the Paradox of Religious Diversity
Author: George B. Connell
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2016
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0802868045

S ren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) famously critiqued Christendom -- especially the religious monoculture of his native Denmark. But what would he make of the dizzying diversity of religious life today? In this book George Connell uses Kierkegaard's thought to explore pressing questions that contemporary religious diversity poses. Connell unpacks an underlying tension in Kierkegaard, revealing both universalistic and particularistic tendencies in his thought. Kierkegaard's paradoxical vision of religious diversity, says Connell, allows for both respectful coexistence with people of different faiths and authentic commitment to one's own faith. Though Kierkegaard lived and wrote in a context very different from ours, this nuanced study shows that his searching reflections on religious faith remain highly relevant in our world today.

The Oxford Handbook of Religious Diversity

The Oxford Handbook of Religious Diversity
Author: Chad V. Meister
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 469
Release: 2011
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0195340132

This substantial volume of thirty-three original chapters covers the full range of issues in religious diversity. An indispensable guide for scholars and students, its essays make novel contributions and are crafted by recognized experts who represent a wide variety of religious and philosophical perspectives and backgrounds.

America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity

America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity
Author: Robert Wuthnow
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 412
Release: 2011-07-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1400837243

Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and adherents of other non-Western religions have become a significant presence in the United States in recent years. Yet many Americans continue to regard the United States as a Christian society. How are we adapting to the new diversity? Do we casually announce that we "respect" the faiths of non-Christians without understanding much about those faiths? Are we willing to do the hard work required to achieve genuine religious pluralism? Award-winning author Robert Wuthnow tackles these and other difficult questions surrounding religious diversity and does so with his characteristic rigor and style. America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity looks not only at how we have adapted to diversity in the past, but at the ways rank-and-file Americans, clergy, and other community leaders are responding today. Drawing from a new national survey and hundreds of in-depth qualitative interviews, this book is the first systematic effort to assess how well the nation is meeting the current challenges of religious and cultural diversity. The results, Wuthnow argues, are both encouraging and sobering--encouraging because most Americans do recognize the right of diverse groups to worship freely, but sobering because few Americans have bothered to learn much about religions other than their own or to engage in constructive interreligious dialogue. Wuthnow contends that responses to religious diversity are fundamentally deeper than polite discussions about civil liberties and tolerance would suggest. Rather, he writes, religious diversity strikes us at the very core of our personal and national theologies. Only by understanding this important dimension of our culture will we be able to move toward a more reflective approach to religious pluralism.

Routledge Handbook on the Governance of Religious Diversity

Routledge Handbook on the Governance of Religious Diversity
Author: Anna Triandafyllidou
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 405
Release: 2020-12-30
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1000260410

This book critically reviews state-religion models and the ways in which different countries manage religious diversity, illuminating different responses to the challenges encountered in accommodating both majorities and minorities. The country cases encompass eight world regions and 23 countries, offering a wealth of research material suitable to support comparative research. Each case is analysed in depth looking at historical trends, current practices, policies, legal norms and institutions. By looking into state-religion relations and governance of religious diversity in regions beyond Europe, we gain insights into predominantly Muslim countries (Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia), countries with pronounced historical religious diversity (India and Lebanon) and into a predominantly migrant pluralist nation (Australia). These insights can provide a basis for re-thinking European models and learning from experiences of governing religious diversity in other socio-economic and geopolitical contexts. Key analytical and comparative reflections inform the introduction and concluding chapters. This volume offers a research and study companion to better understand the connection between state-religion relations and the governance of religious diversity in order to inform both policy and research efforts in accommodating religious diversity. Given its accessible language and further readings provided in each chapter, the volume is ideally suited for undergraduate and graduate students. It will also be a valuable resource for researchers working in the wider field of ethnic, migration, religion and citizenship studies.

Living with Religious Diversity

Living with Religious Diversity
Author: Sonia Sikka
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 232
Release: 2015-08-11
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1317370988

Looking beyond exclusively state-oriented solutions to the management of religious diversity, this book explores ways of fostering respectful, non-violent and welcoming social relations among religious communities. It examines the question of how to balance religious diversity, individual rights and freedoms with a common national identity and moral consensus. The essays discuss the interface between state and civil society in ‘secular’ countries and look at case studies from the the West and India. They study themes such as religious education, religious diversity, pluralism, inter-religious relations and exchanges, dalits and religion, and issues arising from the lived experience of religious diversity in various countries. The volume asserts that if religious violence crosses borders, so do ideas about how to live together peacefully, theological reflection on pluralism, and lived practices of friendship across the boundaries of religious identity-groupings. Bringing together interdisciplinary scholarship from across the world, the book will interest scholars and students of philosophy, religious studies, political science, sociology and history.

Religious Experience and the Knowledge of God

Religious Experience and the Knowledge of God
Author: Harold A. Netland
Publisher: Baker Academic
Total Pages: 421
Release: 2022-02-08
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1493434896

For many Christians, personal experiences of God provide an important ground or justification for accepting the truth of the gospel. But we are sometimes mistaken about our experiences, and followers of other religions also provide impressive testimonies to support their religious beliefs. This book explores from a philosophical and theological perspective the viability of divine encounters as support for belief in God, arguing that some religious experiences can be accepted as genuine experiences of God and can provide evidence for Christian beliefs.

Young People’s Attitudes to Religious Diversity

Young People’s Attitudes to Religious Diversity
Author: Elisabeth Arweck
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2016-07-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1134790392

Investigating the hitherto unexplored topic of how young people understand and relate to religious diversity in the social context in which they are growing up, this book makes a significant contribution to the existing body of literature on religious diversity and multiculturalism. It closes a gap in knowledge about young people’s attitudes to religious diversity, and reports data gathered across the whole of the UK as well as comparative chapters on Canada, USA and continental Europe. Reporting findings from both qualitative and quantitative research which reveal, for example, the importance of the particular social and geographical context within which young people are embedded, the volume addresses young people’s attitudes towards the range of 'world religions’ as well as non-religious stances and offers an interdisciplinary approach through the different analytical perspectives of the contributors.

Educating About Religious Diversity and Interfaith Engagement

Educating About Religious Diversity and Interfaith Engagement
Author: Kathleen M. Goodman
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 307
Release: 2023-07-03
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1000980545

This book arises out of a recognition that student affairs professionals have little preparation or guidance in dealing with matters of spirituality, religion, secularity, and interfaith work at a time of greater diversity in students’ beliefs and, from a broad recognition that there is a need to engage with this aspect of student life. For those who don’t know how to begin and may be nervous about tackling a topic that has the potential to lead to heated disagreements, this book provides the resources and practical guidance to undertake this work.With the aim of providing student affairs practitioners and faculty with the tools they need to increase their comfort level and enable their ability to engage in discussions about belief both in and out of the classroom, the contributors provide foundational knowledge, concrete teaching ideas, sample activities, and case studies that can be used in a variety of settings. This book serves multiple audiences in student affairs by providing teaching ideas for practitioners who want to include a session or two about interfaith in their programs as well as ideas for student affairs faculty who may be teaching one session on this topic or a whole course. The book is divided into four sections. The first offers context, provides the findings of research, and asks readers to reflect on the framework they use to embark on this work, whether a social justice framework that aims to highlight issues of power and privilege or an interfaith cooperation framework that aims to create religious pluralism. Part Two provides concrete ideas for creating courses, activities, events, and programs focused on spirituality, religion, secularity, and interfaith engagement, as well as ideas for incorporating these topics into courses typically offered in student affairs preparation programs. Part Three presents case studies to engage students, practitioners, and faculty in thinking about campus situations related to religious diversity. Part Four provides some basic information about a variety of religions and worldviews held by college students.

Thinking About Religious Pluralilsm

Thinking About Religious Pluralilsm
Author: Alan Race
Publisher: Fortress Press
Total Pages: 113
Release: 2015-12-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 150640099X

We live an era of globalization, and the world’s religious traditions are deeply impacted. Throughout the world, an increased awareness about and access to the world’s religions, whether through modern media, human encounter, or education, raises new questions. How should we think about different traditions? What do they mean? How should Christians respond? This book is about how to interpret the fact of many religions, concentrating on what we call the ‘”world religions’,” for this has been the focus of most of the theological debate over the past fifty years or so. It aims to equip Christian thinkers with a positive, affirming understanding of religious diversity, and to help Christians articulate the meaning of this diversity in the real world. The result for the reader is comfort, curiosity, and engagement in future meetings with members of other traditions, along with lowered anxiety and deepened understanding of the marvelous diversity of human religious