Chapter 13 Religion in the Twenty-first Century
Learning Objectives
13.1 Define globalization.
13.3 Identify some of the factors that have led to a hardening of religious boundaries.
13.6 Discuss the key social issues religions are dealing with today.
13.8 Explain the importance of the study of religions for the future of humanity.
Chapter Overview
Globalization
Secularism
Religious pluralism
Hardening of religious boundaries
Religion after September 11
Religion in politics
Interfaith movement
Responses to other faiths
Interfaith initiatives
Key Concepts
Introduction
In the twenty-first century, religion has returned to the foreground in human
history: political conflicts and global challenges involve religions and are
13.1 Globalization
Unlike earlier centuries, in which regions were relatively isolated from one
another, historical and technological advances have brought different parts of the
world in closer contact.
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13.2 Secularism
Until the Iranian revolution of 1979 brought Islam to the fore as a potent social
force, many intellectuals believed that the whole world would eventually
secularize and religion would become irrelevant.
Professor Charles Taylor describes four forms of We
13.3 Religious pluralism
No one religion dominates the globe presently. Even the largest of the world
religions, Christianity, has thousands of forms.
Religions have moved out of the places of their origins into new locales.
In virtually any major city, multiple religions are represented. For example, in
Hardening of religious boundaries
Though an uncontestable fact, religious pluralism is not welcomed
everywhere. A hardening of religious boundaries in some areas is
observable. This can be expressed by denying the validity of other religions.
Governments may fund some religions but not others and ban others
Legal jurisdiction has become a prominent religious issue and involves
a minority faith.
A tragic phenomenon in some previously communist countries has been the
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Religion after September 11
The September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States caused polarization
along religious and ethnic lines. In the United States, hate crimes were
committed against Muslims and people thought to be Muslims.
Many fundamentalist groups divide the world into two camps of good and evil.
Such oppositional standpoints make violence almost inevitable. If another group
13.4 Religion in politics
The link between religion and politics will continue to be important; in many
countries, political parties are linked to particular faiths and legitimate their
agendas as defense of religion.
desirable.
At the extreme from secularism, in which no religion is privileged by the
government, is seen in Saudi Arabia, where everyone is subject to the imposition
In Indonesia, there is a middle ground with the Pancasila system, which favors
tolerance for five religions but not all religions.
In many countries, religious groups have become associated with political parties
or political interest groups.
o In 2014, militants fighting to take over Iraq and Syria established an Islamic
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13.5 Interfaith movement
Interfaith dialogue is a contemporary movement gaining momentum. Even
though religious boundaries harden in some areas, in others the boundaries are
opening up and welcoming different forms of the religious response.
Interfaith dialogue is global in nature and expresses the willingness of believers
Responses to other faiths
With contrasting views, there are several different ways in which people of
different religions may relate to each other.
Exclusivism is the view that one religion, and one religion only, is true and valid.
Consequently, other sacred paths that diverge from the tenets and practices of the
one true faith are judged as false and erroneous.
Inclusivism is yet another response to other faiths. In this approach, other
religions are not seen as false or as threats.
o An inclusivist relationship may attempt to create a single world religion.
o A variation would be a religion that asserts that it is broad and rich and deep
enough to encompass all other faiths, such as when Islam claims that it is the
culmination of all monotheistic traditions.
A third response to other faiths is pluralism.
o This means that individuals affirm their own deep faith commitments but
believe that doing so does not necessitate taking a polemical stance toward
Interfaith initiatives
Ecumenical conferences initially involved related religions that attempted to
agree to disagree, such as Judaism and Christianity.
Interfaith organizations now try to bring together representatives of as many
faiths as possible.
In 1993, many interfaith meetings celebrated the one-hundred-year
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difficult questions:
o Which religions should be represented (and which forms of a religion given
that most have many branches and offshoots)?
In addition to such global efforts, local community interfaith projects are
common.
The Internet, furthermore, conveys the efforts of many organizations to provide
accurate information about a variety of religions to help overcome ignorance and
intolerance.
Nongovernmental organizations are developing curricula for teaching children
Local and national inter-religious groups and projects are active in Britain with its
13.6 Religion and social issues
Among the pressing social issues emerging across the planet and involving
religions are stewardship of the environment, population development, racism,
violence, education, health care (and the HIV/AIDS pandemic), poverty, injustice,
governmental oppression, and weapons of mass destruction.
One implication of this section is that despite the immense religious pluralism of
today, the religions of the planet are unified in their interest in, and advocacy of,
social morality extending to others and their precious environment.
13.7 Religion and materialism
Universal religious principles, such as prohibitions on harming others, lying,
the expansion of capitalism.
The rampant materialism of the twentieth century has spawned various
simplicity movements, fueled by bestseller books advocating a return to
spirituality instead of a single-minded pursuit of wealth and career
13.8 Religion and the future of humanity
The new century is still rooted in materialistic greed, crime, ethnic hatred,
amorality, violence, and family crisis, along with demonizing, power-
mongering, and moneymaking in religions themselves.
There is a global increase in interest in religion, and some religious leaders
see the present as a period of darkness before the dawn.
Key Terms
exclusivism
interfaith dialogue
pluralism
Review Questions
1. Define globalization. What factors are influencing the globalization of culture, and
how do these factors affect religion?
2. What are the four meanings of secularism described in this chapter, and how does each
affect contemporary religiosity?
3. Describe the major themes of the interfaith movement.
Discussion Questions
1. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of religions
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2. Compare examples of exclusivism, inclusivism, pluralism, and universalism. What do
you consider to be the advantages and disadvantages of each position?
Class Activities/Assignments
1. Review current or past political campaigns and political agendas in the United States.
Discuss how separation of church and state is embraced or how a particular person (or
party) may blur the line.
2. Have students bring in current articles about events in the Middle East that have been
considered terrorist acts. Discuss responses that might work, especially applying
interfaith dialogue. Discuss the ideology and what might have led to the act of a
particular group. Is any one event or thing to blame, or was it the action (or non-action)
of another country or group?
Recommended Films
Fremont, U.S.A, Pluralism Project, 2008. This is a documentary that offers a glimpse of
religious diversity at a local level.
Dr. Diana Eck: Pluralism in America, Hartley Film Foundation, 2005. This features Dr.
Additional Class Discussion/Essay Questions
1. Does religion enhance or hinder the human condition, on balance? Obviously one
could respond that historically religion has done both; however, here the question is
asking the reader to take a stand on balance, does religion enhance the human condition
more than it hinders it, or vice versa? Support your position.
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4. Ask students to discuss the current trend to u