Philosophers of the East and the West have long recognized that difficulties arise for one who affirms both the existence of an omnipotent and omnibenevolent God and the reality of evil. 148-149 Some scholars provide evidences that would attest the existence of Zoroastrianism, or broader Iranian religion, in China, as early as the 2nd and 1st century BCE. Some people have criticized Prothero’s approach for being too simple; a recent review in The Christian Century takes Prothero to task because he doesn’t delve into his philosophical assumptions. For instance, when sickness attacks our body and the doctor tells us that all hope is gone, this is when the practice of ridiculous faith takes center stage in our lives. Such guidance helps attendees gain new perspectives on their faith while equipping them with practical tools to incorporate into their daily lives. The Dalai Lama came to believe this was also true for Buddhist monks like himself: He could learn from non-Buddhist religious practices and disciplines while remaining true to his Buddhist commitments.

By the Dalai Lama. In his new book, Toward a True Kinship of Faiths: How the World’s Religions Can Come Together, the Dalai Lama begins by saying that when he was growing up, he thought his own Buddhist religion was the best religion in the world: “I thought that there simply could not be any other faith tradition that could rival the depth, sophistication, and inspirational power of Buddhism.” But as he met serious practitioners of other religious traditions, particularly after he fled Tibet and went into exile, he changed his opinion. In his book, the Dalai Lama describes how he has encountered practitioners of other religions, including Christians, Muslims, Jains, and Jews, and how he has participated in non-Buddhist religious rituals. Prothero is also careful to point out the differences that exist within each religious tradition: When speaking of Christianity, for example, we have to distinguish between Orthodox Christians, Roman Catholics, Protestants, Mormons, Pente­costals, and many other kinds of Christians.

Critically, this is not just a weakness among Christians, but among believers of all stripes. Muslims believe that Islam is a faith that has always existed and that it was gradually revealed to humanity by a number of prophets, but the final and complete revelation of the faith was made through the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century CE. Confucianism, the philosophy and religion based on the ethical and humanitarian teachings of Confucius, gained a foothold in Japan in the 7th century C.E. As Buddhism gained popularity, it occasionally clashed with Shinto, but it did not displace the pre-existing religion. With its abundant scripture and rigid ethical code, Buddhism used precise terms to articulate concepts that Shinto had left vague. In terms of saving Gaia, do you view carbon Calvinism as a net plus or a net minus? Confucianism was known to the Japanese from the sixth C.E. Although Shinto and the various sects of Buddhism have dominated the hodgepodge that is Japanese spiritual life, other belief systems – mostly of Chinese origin – have influenced the way in which the Japanese have viewed the world. He believes compassion is central to the ethical systems of all religious approaches, including theistic approaches like Christianity, non-theistic approaches like Buddhism, as well as non-religious secular ethical systems.

Not necessarily, since there are many thinkers whose work on logic and grammar, for example, is part of Islamic philosophy, even though there is no direct religious relevance in their work. The Rev. Robert Cummins, the general superintendent of the Universalist Church of America, dreamed of Universalism as “a world fellowship, not just a Christian sect.” The Universalist denomination even funded a grand experiment in universal religion: the Charles Street Meeting House in Boston. Despite his creativity, however, Patton did not succeed in his goal of creating “a religion for one world.” The very assumptions of A Religion for One World were shaped by the Protestant Christian heritage out of which Universalism came. With a deeper understanding of our differences, we can begin to understand how to coexist peacefully, and then figure out how to work with other religions to make the world a better place. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.