Today we, six members of GSC, met at the residence of Mr. Sabu Punnoose at 5:00 pm.  The topic of discussion was Pluralism and Unity.  In order to understand this concept, we read a paragraph from the speech made by HG Paulos Mar Gregorios at the Chicago Parliament of Religions.

"What I would like to see is a "concourse," a flowing together, a running together, of all religions: active, dynamic, without losing their identity, but in relation to each other, understanding each other, with mutual respect, and moving toward certain specific goals. In each religion there are two levels. One level is exclusivistic and expansionist. That is to say, each religion says, we have the truth and if you want to have the truth, join us. That is the exclusivist, expansionist, lower type of religion. All religions have that lower type. But in religions there is also a higher type, a type which is universal in its orientation, which is all-embracing in its love, which is non-discriminating between members of its own community and those outside. That good, humanistic, open tendency in all religions will have to be brought to the top. It is there. It only needs to be emphasized further. Only that way will we promote Peace on Earth."

First, we made an attempt to understand what pluralism is. It is the good, open tendency in all religions, which is non-discriminating between members of its own community and those outside. It is universal and all-embracing. This is the high type religion in contrast to the low type, which is exclusivistic, expansionist, claiming to be the sole custodian of truth.

            This understanding of pluralism led us to several questions.

1. Is conversion from religion to religion desirable?   And our answer was "No".

People need to grow from low type religion to high type religion. It is unnecessary and undesirable for someone to move from one low type religion to another low type religion. 

2. Did Jesus Christ believe in pluralism?  And our answer was "Yes"

It seems he did. He said, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel about on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves". This statement makes it clear that Jesus was against the conversion activities done by the Pharisees. Jesus didn't ask any non-Jew to become a Jew. However, he asked the Jews to get converted from the low type religion to the high type religion. He asked Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a prominent member of the Sanhedrin, to be born again.  Jesus was upset about the Pharisees because they were holding on to the low type religion, calling themselves righteous.

3. Did St. Paul believe in pluralism?  If the answer is "Yes" then why did he get converted from Jewish religion to Christian religion?

We have reasons to believe that Paul was a pluralist, too.  At the infancy of Christianity, a lot of non-Jews, attracted by the teachings of Jesus Christ, associated themselves with the followers of Jesus. Then Peter and some other leaders argued that the non-Jews should get converted to Jewish religion by accepting the painful ceremony of circumcision in order to be the followers of Jesus. However, Paul single-handedly opposed it, and claimed that "In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus".  Paul also asked people to get converted from low type religion to high type religion. He said, "He is not a Jew who is outwardly, but he is a Jew who is inwardly".

      Paul himself did not get converted from Jewish religion to Christian religion.  In fact, a religion called Christian religion did not exist then.  The Jewish community split into two based on the identity of Jesus Christ. One wing believed that Jesus was the Christ, foretold by the prophets, and they were eagerly waiting for. The other wing refused to have such a belief about Jesus. The Jewish wing which claimed that Jesus was Christ later on developed as a separate religion different from Jewish religion.  Christian religion is not a new religion that Jesus founded as widely believed. It is really a branch (continuation) of the Jewish religion with an additional belief about Jesus. 

4. Does pluralism imply that religion doesn't matter in human life?

No. Religion matters in human life. Religion may be compared to language. A language is essential for us to communicate. Religion offers us a set of beliefs and a world-view to answer our basic questions of existence, without which no sane human being can exist.  Just as language varies from culture to culture or from place to place, religion also varies from culture to culture. Pluralism implies that just as all human languages have a right to exist in the world, all religions have a right to exist.

      The multiplicity in religion exists only in the low type. The multiplicity disappears in the high type, and people who belong to high type feel perfectly one among each other, no matter what religious tradition they belong to. That is why HG Paulos Mar Gregorios could feel one with Dalai Lama or with Baba Vir Singh though they all came from very diverse religious traditions.

5. Is WCC pluralist?

By the effort of the great leaders like Mar Gregorios, WCC is very much pluralist today.

                                                       Report prepared by John Kunnathu