Raimon Panikkar, John Hick, and a Pluralist Theology of Religions

Although many Christian pluralist theologies of religion have been advocated in different forms to promote the real value of many religious traditions, critics most often target the classic pluralist proposal advanced by John Hick, one which explains the many religions as separate paths toward one transcendent goal. This paper traces the ways in which Raimon Panikkar’s pluralist theology departs from Hick’s by adopting a different response to Kantian epistemology. By relying on relational ontology and religious dialogue that exercises deconstruction of one’s own presuppositions, Panikkar’s pluralism better meets certain stated goals of pluralism like peace, cooperation, and increased mutual understanding among different religious communities. This paper in large part framed the Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue's panel discussion at the American Academy of Religion's annual meeting. For the full article by Madhuri M. Yadlapati in the 5th Issue of the Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue, click here.