Examples Of Closed Conclusivism

As the world grows more connected, religions confront a challenge in trying to secure their fundamental beliefs against the opposition of other faiths. Two of these religions, Christianity and Hinduism, respond with an inclusivist view that acknowledges that pieces of the truth can be found in other faiths, but maintains that the whole truth only exists within the confines of their own. However, the faiths differ in that Christian inclusivism is more closed, only recognizing the truth in other faiths when it aligns with their own thinking, while Hindu inclusivism is more open, welcoming and incorporating into their own religion new material from other faiths. However, religious thinkers Bede Griffiths and Mahatma Gandhi deviate from the mainstream
First and foremost, the Church reaffirms that the central belief of the Christian faith is that Christ embodies the ultimate truth and is the only way by which humans can reach Salvation. The exclusivity of Christ as a path to Salvation is explicitly stated in The Bible in the passage in which Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth and the life: no one comes to the Father but by me” (John 14:6). Moreover, Nostra Aetate includes this passage in its prescription of how to “find the fullness of religious life” and states that the Church must continue to proclaim Christ as the only Savior (Nostra Aetate 2). In another Biblical passage, Jesus affirms humans’ reliance on him to reach Salvation when he says to the Jews who believed in him, “if you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). Therefore, a person does not have to follow every rule or ritual mentioned in scripture or by the Church, or even call him or herself a Christian to reach Salvation; however, a person must believe in and follow the word of
For example, Pope Paul VI asserts that the “Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy” in other religions (Nostra Aetate 2). The words “true and holy” are the Pope’s way of referring to those ideas also found in Christianity. Furthermore, the Pope asks Christians to “recognize, promote, and preserve” the “good things” found in other faiths (Nostra Aetate 2). According to Pope Paul VI, the Christian Church views every religion as reflecting “a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men,” but other religions do not hold the whole Truth because it is only found through Christ (Nostra Aetate 2). Like the Pope, The Bible calls Christians to promote Christian virtues when found in other faiths by saying, “brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). As a result of the necessity of Christ for Salvation but the recognition of good in other faiths, Christianity is a closed inclusivist