Today, different religions can coexist in the modern world, and this phenomenon can be defined as religious pluralism since a diverse array of religions is accepted (Phan & Ray, 2014). Apart from the fact that religious pluralism creates separation and tensions in society, the statement “pluralism is the greatest philosophical ideal of our time” is partly true, as this concept contributes to the development of diverse and tolerant community while dealing with religious oppression and discrimination. These ideas will be discussed in this essay, and in the end, conclusions will be drawn to summarize the main findings of the paper.
In the first place, pluralism tends to deal with religious oppression and discrimination, as these matters are still problems of the modern world. This concept implies that one religion cannot be considered as dominant, and the rights of people with different backgrounds have to be respected (Phan & Ray, 2014). These initiatives contribute to the development of a tolerant society and help avoid misunderstandings.
Apart from the advantages described above, it could be said that pluralism also separates society, as different religious groups have dissimilar traditions and opinions. At the same time, some religions have a tendency to have rather dangerous beliefs that can be misunderstood and lead to wars (Perkins, 2016). Nonetheless, these matters are the only drawbacks of pluralism, as even without it, different religions will continue to exist while creating even more tensions between different nations and countries.
Overall, this essay shows that religious pluralism has very valuable advantages, as only respecting diversity will assist in increasing the overall levels of tolerance in society and avoiding religious oppression and discrimination. Nevertheless, one cannot underestimate the drawbacks of pluralism, as it can contribute to the rising popularity of dangerous religions and separation, and the government has to address these problems constantly. Apart from that, the consequences of pluralism are majorly positive.
References
Perkins, R. (2016). Without denomination: A critique of church doctrines. New York, NY: Page Publishing Inc.
Phan, P., & Ray, J. (2014). Understanding religious pluralism: Perspectives from religious studies and theology. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers.