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Fruitful relationships and constructive interaction between religions have become more important than ever. But what about the issues of truth and conflicting truth claims? Is it a betrayal of one's own faith to acknowledge the truth of other religions? The current work is the first English translation of "Gott ohne Grenzen", published in 2005. In this much acclaimed study, Perry Schmidt-Leukel defends religious pluralism showing under which presuppositions Christians can accept other religions as equally valid without denying their differences. He discusses in detail how the pluralist position opens up new perspectives in Christianity's dialogue with Jews, Muslim, Hindus and Buddhists. Schm...
Today, Buddhism is often presented as a religion without dogmas and commandments, without God, and without any need to believe, tolerating all and everything, as no religion at all, but as a way of life most suitable to the needs of post-modern Westerners. But is this an accurate image? In this book, Buddhism is introduced as a genuine religion, gentle and powerful, being as demanding as it is consoling. Buddhism is certainly not a theistic faith, but neither is it a form of atheism or materialism. Rather it is a challenge to both: a rich source of metaphysical, ethical, and spiritual insight that has shaped and nourished countless generations of followers all over Asia and that is now taking firm roots in the West. As with all titles in the "Understanding Faiths" series, Understanding Buddhism is directed at serious inquirers or students of comparative religion who are seeking a sympathetic, scholarly, and reliable introduction.
Author applies his "fractal" theory of religions to a comparative study of Buddhism and Christianity. In short, he believes that it is a false stereotype to contrast discrete entities like "Buddhism" and Christianity" without acknowledging the wide variety which is essentially reproduced in different religious traditions. This approach to the varieties of Buddhism overcomes many of the stereotypical distinctions between Buddhism and Christianity, for instance that Buddhism embraces an impersonal absolute, whereas Christianity affirms the primacy of one's relationship with a personal God.
As an expansion of his earlier Gifford Lecture, Schmidt-Leuke argues that interreligious theology as a discipline carries the promise of being the theology of the future even though severe barriers to religious pluralism exist within each major faith tradition. He shows nevertheless that possibilities for a pluralist understanding exist in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Chinese religions.
Is the world created by a divine creator? Or is it the constant product of karmic forces? The issue of creation was at the heart of the classic controversies between Buddhism and Hindu Theism. In modern times it can be found at the centre of many polemical debates between Buddhism and Christianity. Is this the principal barrier that separates Buddhism from Christianity and other theistic religions? The contributions to Part One explore the various aspects of traditional and contemporary Buddhist objections against the idea of a divine creator as well as Christian possibilities to meet the Buddhist critique. Part Two asks for the potential truth on both sides and suggests a surprising way that the barrier might be overcome. This opens a new round of philosophical and theological dialogue between these two major traditions with challenging insights for both. Contributors: José I. Cabezón, John P. Keenan, Armin Kreiner, Aasulv Lande, John D'Arcy May, Eva K. Neumaier, Perry Schmidt-Leukel, Ernst Steinkellner.
A number of people experience their own spiritual lives as being inspired by more than one religious tradition. This title looks at a number of issues involved: what it means theologically to move beyond tolerance towards a genuine appreciation of other religions, and how multi-religious identity can be assessed theologically.
Can religions be compared? For decades the discipline of religious studies was based on the assumption that they can. Postmodern and postcolonial reflections, however, raised significant doubts. In social and cultural studies the investigation of the particular often took precedence over a comparative perspective. Interreligious Comparisons in Religious Studies and Theology questions whether religious studies can survive if it ceases to be comparative religion. Can it do justice to a globalized world if it is limited on the specific and turns a blind eye on the general? While comparative approaches have come under strong pressure in religious studies, they have started flourishing in Theolog...
This collection of essays by major scholars analyze the religious diversity in Chinese religion, bringing together topics from traditional and contemporary contexts and Chinese religions' encounters with Western religion.
One of the most comprehensive volumes on Myanmar's identity politics to date, this book discusses the entanglement of ethnic and religious identities in Myanmar and the challenges presented by its extensive ethnic-religious diversity. Religious and ethnic conjunctions are treated from historical, political, religious and ethnic minority perspectives through both case studies and overview chapters. The book addresses the thorny issue of Buddhist supremacy, Burmese nationalism and ethnic-religious hierarchy, along with reflections on Buddhist, Christian and Muslim communities. Bringing together international scholars and Burmese scholars, this book combines the perspectives of academic observers with those of political activists and religious leaders from different faiths. Through the breadth of its disciplinary approach, its focus on identity issues and its inclusion of insider and outsider perspectives, this book provides new insights into the complex religious situation of Myanmar.