Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Inclusive or Exclusive?
Many religions such as Christianity are exlusive. The definition of exclusive is not allowing everybody to practice a religion. On the other hand, some religions such as Hinduism are inclusive. Inclusive is the opposite of exclusive meaning inlcuding and welcoming anyone to practice a certain religion. Buddhism is an example of an inclusive religion. Buddhists allow people to join the religion even though they might also have an alternate religion they are practicing at the same time. Because anyone can be a buddhist, this makes Buddhism an inclusive religion.
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Exclusivity in regard to religion is about a truth claim... Not whether or not you allow someone else to practice your religion.
ReplyDeleteIf I believe A, and A by it's very nature renders B false, then I (unfortunately, but necessarily) exclude anyone who believes B from being in possession of the truth. The person who believes B is certainly welcome to join my A believing religion, but that would be kind of non-sensical since A and B contradict each other. At some point the person would have to choose between A and B.
If I say the earth is round then I am making an exclusive claim. If the earth is round then it can't also be a square or a triangle. If I say the earth is a shape then I am making an inclusive claim. You can say the earth is whatever shape you like