Source: “The Fifth Dimension: An Exploration Of The Spiritual Realm”, By John Hick*,* Danforth Professor of the Philosophy of Religion, 2013.
10. The Pluralist Hypothesis & Its Mystic Roots.mp4
10. Beyond Concepts - The Pluralist Hypothesis and the Ineffable Real.m4a
This topic explores the concept of religious pluralism, proposing that the world's diverse religions are distinct human responses to the same ultimate transcendent reality. This reality, often called the "Real," is inherently beyond human comprehension and conceptualization, yet it is universally present as the ground of our being. The text highlights how religious founders, exceptionally open to this Transcendent, received revelations that shaped their traditions, and argues that the "Gods and Absolutes" worshipped within these religions are authentic manifestations of the Real, rather than the Real itself. It further delves into the historical and theological development of this idea, particularly through figures like Pseudo-Dionysius and Meister Eckhart, who grappled with the ineffability of God and the symbolic nature of religious language, distinguishing between an unknowable "Godhead" and the "God" revealed and worshipped by humanity.
Topic 1 Religious pluralism is a concept that posits that the world's major religions are diverse human responses to the same ultimate, transcendent reality. This reality, though beyond human conceptual systems, is universally present and forms the fundamental ground of all existence. It interacts with the religious aspect of human nature to generate both personal deities (gods) and non-personal ultimate principles (absolutes), which serve as points of focus for worship and meditation at the intersection of the divine and the human mind.
Topic 2 The ultimate transcendent reality is the foundational essence of all being, existing beyond the grasp of human conceptual frameworks. Despite its incomprehensibility, it is universally present. In conjunction with humanity's innate religious tendencies, this reality gives rise to the various personal and non-personal focal points of religious devotion and contemplation, such as gods and absolutes, which manifest at the juncture between this ultimate reality and the human intellect.
Topic 3 World religions are viewed as complex historical entities, each encompassing unique sacred scriptures, spiritual practices, forms of religious experience, belief systems, founding figures or key exemplars, collective memories, and cultural expressions evident in their ways of life, laws, customs, and art forms. These diverse traditions, taken together, are understood as distinct human responses that collectively bear witness to the singular, ultimate transcendent reality.
Topic 4 The belief systems within different religions are structured across various levels. These range from fundamental conceptions of the Ultimate to more specific theological speculations, such as differing views on the afterlife (e.g., eternal heaven or hell versus reincarnation), and extend to culturally specific elements like marriage customs and family structures. While the differences at each level are genuine, it is important to recognize that middle-level variations often represent legitimate human speculations open to critical discussion, and cultural differences reflect diverse ways of being human, which can also be mutually influenced and critiqued.
Topic 5 Great spiritual figures who founded or significantly contributed to world religions are understood as individuals who were extraordinarily receptive to the Transcendent. They experienced this ultimate reality with exceptional vividness, facilitated by their existing religious contexts. These profoundly powerful moments of consciousness of God or Transcendence are defined as revelation. Such primary revelations were so impactful that the lives and teachings of these founders effectively communicated the reality of the Divine or Transcendent to others, thereby initiating significant new movements within the ongoing flow of human religious experience. These revered founders, being products of their own eras, require that their central messages be adapted and applied to contemporary times, rather than attempting to conform to their historical cultures.
Topic 6 According to the pluralistic hypothesis, the specific "experienced God" (like Yahweh, Vishnu, Shiva, Holy Trinity, Allah) or "non-personal Absolute" (like Brahman, Tao, Dharmakaya) assumed by each religious community to be the ultimately Real is, in fact, not the Real in itself. Instead, these are considered authentic manifestations of the ultimate reality to humanity. The descriptions of ultimate reality found in the theologies and philosophies of different traditions speak literally or analogically about their own specific God or Absolute, and in doing so, they speak mythologically about the Real in itself.
Topic 7 Mythological religious truth is defined as instrumental truth. This means its value and veracity are determined by its practical capacity to evoke and foster appropriate human responses to the Ultimate reality. It's not about providing a literal, factual description of the Real in itself, but rather about its effectiveness in guiding and inspiring spiritual engagement.
Topic 8 The concept of religious pluralism has found varying degrees of acceptance across different geographical and historical contexts. In the Western world, it has historically been more prevalent within mystical thought-worlds rather than ecclesiastical-doctrinal frameworks. This is partly due to the historical cohesiveness of medieval Christendom, which was largely unconcerned with religious experiences beyond its borders until figures like Nicholas of Cusa. In contrast, the Indian subcontinent has always been a multi-faith region, fostering a more familiar and accepted status for pluralistic ideas. The most explicit teaching of pluralism as a religious truth emerged from Iran (Persia) in the nineteenth century with the prophet Baháʼu'lláh, who taught that ultimate divine reality is beyond human comprehension but is imaged and responded to differently by various faith founders, a message continued by the Baháʼí religion today.
Topic 9 Pseudo-Dionysius, a highly influential Christian writer likely a Syrian monk from around 500 CE, profoundly shaped Christian mysticism, even though his true identity was long concealed. He was erroneously believed to be Dionysius the Areopagite, a convert of St. Paul, which lent his writings immense, almost apostolic, authority. This allowed his strong Neoplatonic influences, which had no trace in Paul's actual letters, to be absorbed significantly into Christian thought, demonstrating a remarkable impact of an implausible literary deception.