Conversation Guide #18: Theological Reflections – by Bernhard Reitsma and Erika van Nes

The main question in the enquiry presented in the volume Religious Exclusivism and Social Inclusion: A Religious Approach is how religious exclusivism relates to social inclusion. In the final chapter we highlight some of the theological challenges that arise from this research.

1. What about inclusion?

In the discussion  within society today, inclusion seems to be the norm. People are suspicious of exclusivism; but is that justified? Is it possible for inclusion to exist without some kind of exclusion at all? We can see this tension between exclusion and inclusion in the area of sociology (Is it possible for groups to exist without some kind of exclusion of others outside the group?), in the area of beliefs (When something is believed to be true, does it necessarily exclude the opposite view?), and in the social realm (All kinds of arrangements within societies exclude people who do not want to live in conformity with that arrangement).

A special form of exclusion is how we deal with the reality of evil. Differences in worldview also result in different views on what is good and bad and what should be excluded from society. The exclusion of evil should be right, but the question is who decides what is evil and what is not?

This enquiry into the possibility of being religiously exclusive yet socially inclusive has made clear that social and religious exclusion and inclusion are linked or even completely interdependent. Religious exclusivism can lead to social exclusion, but the opposite can be true too: a certain kind of sociology and psychology can lead to a problematic theology. There is both exclusivism and inclusivism at the religious and the social level. All of this shows that this research needs a wider perspective.

2. The nature of holy texts

A second issue that surfaces from our discussion is the question of the nature of Holy Scripture and its interpretation. The question of exclusive and excluding texts, especially when they are violent, brings up the question of what to do with these texts. What kind of hermeneutics do we use? How do we read inspired texts and how do we bridge the gap between the original context and the present? And what to say about the question of how what is named as the New Testament relates to the Hebrew Scriptures (in the Christian tradition) or how primary and secondary sources of revelation relate to each other (in the Judaic and Islamic tradition)?

3. The nature of God

Following from the discussion concerning our view of Holy Scripture, is the question of how we understand the nature of God. How does God’s exclusiveness relate to his inclusivity? In the Bible God seems to be very exclusive in his ordering of the stoning of idolaters and apostates, yet at the same time very inclusive in his love for the whole world. If there is no God but God (Jewish and Islamic traditions) and there is no Lord but Jesus Christ (1 Cor 8:6), what then does that mean for those who do not believe in this God? Are they excluded from God’s community? Or is God unconditional in his love? And how to relate this to the concept of ‘eternal judgement’, the final judgement and exclusion of evil and restoration of justice and peace at the end of time? How does the just side of God relate to his creatorship and his love for his creatures?

4. The nature of religious communities

Exclusive texts, like those on the validity of the death penalty on apostasy, raise questions concerning the identity of the religious community. These texts presume more or less clear boundaries around the communities. When these boundaries are crossed, there are consequences. But can we define religious communities by clear boundaries and therefore point out who is in and who is not? Or should we consider boundaries to be more or less fluid, depending on cultural, sociological or religious factors? What about so-called secret believers?

It is helpful to distinguish between bounded and centred set communities. Bounded set communities define a community by clear and strict boundaries. This can be a specific definition of faith, ethical rules and principles or other issues, meant to clearly distinguish between believers and unbelievers. Centred set communities are defined by the direction or movement of the people involved: all who are oriented towards the centre (e.g., Jesus Christ in the Christian tradition) are part of the community.

5. To execute or not

During the research, the question arose whether the religious communities ever strictly applied the principles of exclusive texts like Deuteronomy 17:2–7. In general, it seems that communities have been lenient, at least as far as it concerns the official religious or worldly authorities. However, in different contexts the situation for apostates is quite delicate and apostates experience difficult conditions of social exclusion and loneliness. Here again the question arises if this is mainly a social phenomenon or also a religious one.

6. Living together in a multireligious world

In thinking of living together in a multireligious world, a lot of questions come to the fore. What does the tension between exclusion and inclusion, religiously and socially, mean for the way of living together in a global world? And how do we give account of our history, and the pain and distrust that it has brought? Should we address the issues of apostasy, exclusion and inclusion together in interreligious engagement? Are we justified to critically reflect on the religious sources of the other, and is it possible to address difficult questions within our own faith communities? Is religion somehow offering us ways to cope with differences, while at the same time  contributing to them? A lot of questions, that make us conclude that we need to work more on the question of how to live together as people from different religions or beliefs.

Questions

1. How do you see the balance between exclusion and inclusion? Is there a best situation, and what would it look like?
2. Thinking about the nature of holy texts, what kind of authority would you ascribe to the holy texts of your faith tradition?
3. What do you believe about the nature of God? How do you see God’s exclusivity versus God’s inclusivity?
4. When you think of the religious community you belong to, would you define it as a bounded or centred set community? What examples do you see of this? And what are your ideas about it?
5. Living together in a multireligious world can be a challenge. Religion contributes to the differences in society; do you think religion also offers us ways to cope with differences in a constructive way?

About

This summary belongs to a more extensive article of Bernhard Reitsma and Erika van  Nes, which can be found here: Religious Exclusivism, Social Inclusion: Theological Reflections.
Last year, we published the book Religious Exclusivism and Social Inclusion? A Religious Response, which is available Open Access (for free). People asked for an additional discussion guide to bring the outcomes of this research to a wider audience. We agreed to that, and are happy to present a discussion guide which offers you summaries of all contributions, accompanied by questions for discussion. We hope this stimulates people, in all different contexts, to discuss these matters thoroughly and make them actual and relevant for their own situations. Every week we publish another summary of a chapter of the book, and questions for discussion.  If you want to use the whole conversation guide at once, it can be downloaded here: Conversation guide.