Cultural Values and Religion

Tarence Wade Frednch

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"At one time every nation, every civilization and every religion of earth had its own history, its particular origin and its own f...

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"At one time every nation, every civilization and every religion of earth had its own history, its particular origin and its own future... Today nations, civilizations and religions unavoidably enter a 'single, common world'." (Moltmann cited in Hick & Hebblethwaite 1980 p. 191). In the past, and still to a degree today, the religion in which a person believes and to which he adheres depends upon where he was born. "That is to say, if someone is born to Muslim parents in Egypt or Pakistan, that person is very likely to be a Muslim; if to Buddhist parents in Sri Lanka or Burma, that person is very likely to be a Buddhist; if to Hindu parents in India, that person is very likely to be Hindu; if to Christian parents in Europe or the Americas, that person is likely to be a Christian" (Hick cited in Hick & Hebblethwaite 1980 p. 172). However each country is now beginning to be exposed to many different religions and religious traditions. This is especially seen within the developed countries such as the United Kingdom. No one religious group is in absolute majority. It could be said that everyone is a member of a minority, yet because of life in this 'single, common world' it is impossible for religions to exist in isolation. With the existence of many different faiths comes the problem of conflicting truth-claims - does it matter that they are all claiming to be the 'true' faith? The Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw once said, "There is only one religion, though there are a hundred versions of it". In our pluralistic society an increasing number of people find such an interpretation of religion appealing. Is it possible that Buddhism, Christianity, Sikhism, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism represent differing, yet valid, paths to the same 'destination'? If this is the case, there is no need to argue as to which religion is the 'true' religion. Such disputes would be pointless. But is this a justified opinion? Traditions from religions such as Islam and Buddhism differ significantly from one another. [...]