Religious Pluralism

The Parable of the Weeds Matthew 13:24-30 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.

Cultural Background What does this tell us about the nature of our local community? Do you think it is the same in every city? Every province? Why? What does it mean to be “Canadian”? Religious pluralism

Do You Agree? The Commission of Bilingualism and Biculturalism (1963) urged the Canadian government to promote “the preservation of human rights, the development of Canadian identity, the reinforcement of Canadian unity, the improvement of citizenship participation, and the encouragement of cultural diversification within a bilingual framework.” It encouraged the government to help members of all cultural groups overcome cultural barriers to full participation in Canadian society. In response, the federal government declared in 1971 that multiculturalism would become the official policy of the Canadian government. In 1988, the federal government passed the Multicultural Act.

Why Can’t We Be Friends? Religious beliefs in society are challenging because they make up who we are They touch the souls of people Religious beliefs, symbols and rituals are an important part of how people see and live their lives Each religion claims that its identity is divinely approved

4 Key Rules to Co-Exist Respect the faith and religion of others (confessions of faith touch the heart of one’s identity) Accept that there is no neutral stance (we need to recognize that all of us are biased by our beliefs in the way we view others. Need to recognize this bias) Respect the truth of other religions (Have to appreciate what they other holds true; Catholics and Muslims may disagree about the roles of Muhammad and Jesus, but they must start by recognizing how important Muhammad and Jesus are to each other’s religions) Accept the importance of religion (Are differences really a problem? Are they not part of the richness of human life? Diversity does not mean division of disunity. To be one does not mean to be the same)

Interreligious Dialogue The dialogue of everyday life (entering into conversation with others that is courteous, open and focused on becoming good neighbours)  The dialogue of action (discussing ways to work with other religions for the well-being of humanity) The dialogue of theological exchange (discussion in order to understand each other’s religious traditions, ways of life and spiritual values) The dialogue of religious experience (discussion concerning religious practice, beliefs and how one searches for God)

Homework Read the Catholic Church excerpts and answer the questions