Topic 3.6 Religion in contemporary Ireland

The Emergence of Pluralism

Please note that the following article is background information only on this topic. It in no way constitutes a sample or exemplary answer on this topic.

Student work:

Pluralism refers to the existence of many different cultural and religious traditions co-existing in one society. Although one political system governs many diverse peoples and traditions pluralism seeks to maintain the distinctive identities of each individual tradition. Horace M. Kallen uses the analogy of the orchestra to describe the harmonious relationship between very different traditions in a healthy pluralist society. Each ethnic group maintains its distinctive character and traditions and contributes to the richness of the overall society (orchestra). Within a pluralist society all groups are treated equally. American life has had to learn to assimilate much cultural difference among a variety of ethnic groups since the 1920s. Protestantism is less identifiable with Americanism. Therefore, we can speak of pluralism with particular reference to religion and the co-existence of different religious groupings within a society. J.R. Walsh defines religious pluralism as ‘the coexistence of Protestantism, Catholicism, Judaism and other religions on a basis of coequality and mutual toleration’ (p112). Pluralism seeks harmony among different denominations and religions while fully respecting the need for religious groupings to maintain the substance of their respective faiths and beliefs. The numbers of people who are affiliated to a particular faith tradition and the influence that a particular tradition holds does not prevent all religious traditions from being treated equally and with respect if the society is truly pluralist. For pluralism to be effective it is important that individual religious traditions both honour and cultivate their own beliefs and values while at the same time honouring the need and right of all other religious traditions to do likewise. It is not unusual for some values, insights and practices of one religious group to become acceptable to another religious group. An example of this can be seen when members of the Roman Catholic tradition practice meditation, which is commonly associated with Buddhism (although Christian meditation, once the prerogative of the Irish monastic tradition, is now more widely practiced by lay people).

The renowned Irish theologian Mgr. Dermot A. Lane writes that ‘pluralism is not about a levelling out of distinctiveness but rather a celebration of difference in such a way that all participants in the conversation can benefit from the encounter with the otherness of each other’ (Lane, p136). He argues that pluralism in public life must be valued and respected. Likewise in religious terms pluralism is to be fostered in a spirit of ‘mutual esteem, reverence, and harmony’ (Lane, p137).

Increasingly in a pluralist society more and more people understand their beliefs as a matter of individual personal choice. Linked to this is the decreasing power of religion in modern society to have an integrative influence as its ability to promote social solidarity has lessened. Since World War II and the establishment of the United Nations there exists a new global consciousness. This global consciousness has grown partly as a result of decolonisation, affordable international travel, satellite T.V. and the internet with its vast possibilities for global communication. This has brought Christianity into increasing contact with other religions and provided opportunities for increased dialogue, openness and mutual respect between members of different world religions. In 1965 Vatican II stated that ‘all peoples comprise a single community and have a single origin, since God made the whole race of men that dwell over the entire face of the earth’ (Nostra Aetate (In Our Times), 1965). The declaration highlights ‘the spiritual and moral goods’ to be found in non-Christian religions such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Vatican II acknowledged much of what it considered praiseworthy in other major world religions: Islam for its monotheistic faith, Buddhism for its treatment of the inadequacy of the material world and Hinduism for its practice of meditation and asceticism – values that are not foreign to the Christian tradition. Vatican II also promoted both ecumenism and interfaith dialogue, recognising in particular the importance of dialogue with the Jewish faith since the origins of Christianity and Catholicism are found in Judaism (indeed Jesus was part of that Jewish faith tradition).

In 1979 the World Council of Churches called for dialogue between all peoples committed to their own faiths and ideologies. This move was in part shaped by the inclusivist understanding of salvation put forward by Karl Rahner, the famous Jesuit theologian. Rahner spoke of the ‘anonymous’ Christ. Orthodox Christians of the ‘cosmic’ Christ and Anglicans of the ‘normative’ Christ. All such approaches honour the possibility of salvation for other people of different faith traditions. The Catholic Church, for example, rejects ‘any discrimination against men or harassment of them because of their race, colour, condition of life or religion’ (Nostra Aetate, 1965).

Contemporary Ireland has thus experienced a growing degree of tolerance of religious diversity. Religious affiliation to major world religions has increased in Ireland in recent years. For example the immigration of overseas workers and their families as well as increasing numbers of university students from abroad have created a significant grown in the growth of Islam in contemporary Ireland. The Muslim population in Ireland has increased by 70% between 2002 and 2006, from 19,147 to 32, 539 (www.cso.ie). This has meant that people have had to adapt to living in a pluralist society where laws, attitudes and values are tolerant and respectful of a wide range of religious traditions.

References:

Religion: The Irish Experience, J.R. Walsh (2003) Veritas.

‘The Expanding Horizons of Catholic Education’, Dermot A. Lane in ‘The Future of Religion in Irish Education’, eds. P. Hogan and K. Williams (1997) pp128-137.

Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, n92.

Declaration of the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions: Nostra Aetate (In Our times), 1965.

www.cso.ie

http://www.cso.ie/statistics/popnclassbyreligionandnationality2006.htm

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