On Why Pluralism is Dead

Although we encounter various people (some of us encounter a lot of people) I find that we are always in disagreement like a never ending battle. With religion I'm more inclined to believe that we will never agree. When I say "we" I mean the human family. Since religion is embedded in our particular cultures it makes up who we are. although many traditions share rich values that are universally applicable the ultimate principles which shape the religion (in this case monotheism) may not. Before i saw myself as an apologist Muslim trying to re-establish a link between Islam and the Judaic Christian faiths. It occured to me today (and perhaps days ago like an enlightenment) that it is a failure to do such things.

Without even adding the people in the equation the religious truths presented in Islam does not allow religious pluralism much less cultural pluralism. Our teachings involve not doing what others do, in this case the Polytheist. Everything the polytheist did we did not do. Everything they worshipped God strictly forbade. Foods they atewe did not eat and so on and so forth. Similarly with the Abrahamic faiths. It occured to me that while re-reading the Qur'an over and over it does not severe the ties Islam has with its coreligionist, and although the link is there the important principles where it matters most does not establish a pluralistic philosophy. Ultimately the Christian and the Jew is wrong. Ultimately no matter how many times a Christian or Jew gets it right, ultimately they are wrong. As an apologist beforehand I was always the one to say, it does not matter because only God will decide. I still continue to believe this.

Religiously speaking our religions will not allow pluralism...ultimately. If our religions allowed it then that would inherently make our faith false and contradictory. Although we Muslims may say we worship the same God as Christians and Jews, ultimately this would be inherently false. The idea of God as eternal and immaterial is not universally accepted within the Abrahamic faiths. Jews believed God "rested" of course not in the physical sense but "ceased to act" at a specific time whereas Muslims believes that God's actions are continuous. Similarly with Christians in the philosophy of eternal and immaterial. Because our philosophy rules out the logical possibility that God goes from an immaterial to a material state. Since Christians believe in the duality of Christ as both Wholly Man and God we cannot assert that "ultimately our Gods are the same" because ultimately the concepts are different. Of course I'm speaking mainly to the Christians who subscribe to the divinity of Jesus.

The reason I said plurality is dead is because our principles is what makes it cease to exist. When God says "The religion of Allah is Islam" dissolves almost all  avenues for any plural dialogue despite the particulars we share. Because, the ultimate principles are what counts in matters of religious belief. In matters of Judgement and such these are hypotheticals that are best left not analyzed. Although I share some beliefs with my coreligionist I know in the back of my mind they are sincerely and ultimately wrong. The same goes for my Christian friends. If you think about it if Christians, Jews, Buddhist, Sikhs and everyone was right in matters of faith then there would be no need for exclusivity, meaning Islam would cease to be Islam rather a convergence of all beliefs.