| Awaken Bharata |
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| Books By David Frawley |
| HINDU POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS CRITIQUES | |
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question arises, therefore, "How does a pluralistic tradition
deal with one that is not?" It can try to incorporate the
exclusivist system as an alternative path in its broader pluralistic
worldview. But this depends upon exclusive religions giving up their
claims to the sole truth and admitting the value of pluralism. If
votaries of the exclusive beliefs fail to do this it means little.
For Hindus to accept Christianity and Islam as true without making Muslims and Christians question their own exclusive beliefs and accept Hinduism as a true religion, means little and can be self-defeating. We might also ask, "Can an exclusivist religion become pluralistic?" It may not be impossible but it certainly requires an effort and is unlikely to occur if its exclusivism is not questioned thoroughly. A pluralistic tradition cannot passively accept exclusivist traditions as merely another possible path. It must challenge the exclusive mentality and expose its biases. Otherwise exclusivist ideologies are allowed to propagate themselves without question. Pluralism cannot simply tolerate exclusivism but must set forth a pluralistic view as the alternative to the limitations of exclusive ideologies. This requires a powerful critique of exclusivist systems from the pluralist view, particularly to counter the inevitable missionary efforts that exclusivist beliefs inevitably project. |
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