Lexicon / Glossary

-the practice of excluding or not admitting other things. One faith being intolerant of other faiths, meaning the belief that other faiths are false because they reject the true faith of the original One Faith.

• Exclusivity is found in most religions: Islam holds it is the original religion with the true prophet Muhammad and sacred text, the Quran; Buddhism holds the belief that a person is to repeat the cycle of suffering through endless reincarnations until a person can reach true enlightenment by the teachings of Buddha.
• “Christian Faith is merely one of many equally legitimate human response to the same divine reality.” (Strange)

Inclusivity:

-the idea of being tolerant of other faiths, that a follower's faith is entirely true, while other peoples of different religions, may be partially true or allowed.

• Found in most religions, most easily seen in the source text of Christianity; Judaism mentions righteous gentiles (people who are not Jewish); Islam's Qur'an quotes many times allowance of all change to all under their religion.
• The idea of exclusivity effects those who are religious and non-religious. The religious believe the non-religious have a chance to be saved, although, the non-religious do not have to, and this is okay.
• "All Truth is God's Truth"

Pluralism:

-a condition where two or more principles coexist. The practice of holding more than one office or church benefice at a time. All religions are equal in truth, but there is not one form of a higher power.

• The word Pluralism has created a large debate in politics and sermons. Pluralism has become a phenomenon within political culture.
• The people most effected are probably the subjects of discussion. The people who wish to coexist but can't.
• Being first coined by Alan Race below, the concept has long since existed. Religious Tolerance has existed for as long as even Persia.
• "The phenomenon of religious diversity occurs not only between particular religious traditions but also within them." (Norton)

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All of these ideas have long since existed, however the terms Exclusivity, Pluralism, and Inclusivity in relation to religion is a fairly modern concept. Theologians have only recently been trying to fully conceptualize the three different classes of socially separating the "unique" sects of practicing religion - mainly in terms related to Christian faith.

The creation of the terms in regards to religion is titled to author Alan Race, a reputable scholar well known for his religious analysis and discussion. His book Christians and Religious Pluralism: patterns in the Christian theology of religions is cited as the first published (1983) scholarly instance of attempting to analyze and define the separation of religions in terms of exlusivism, pluralism, and inclusivism.

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Civil Religion:

-Civil religion is the implicit religious values of a NATION, as expressed through public rituals, symbols, and ceremonies on sacred days and at sacred places.

• However, in relation to America, it is a 'quasi-religious' non-specific faith within politics that allows a politician to be religious while remaining nondenominational - or at least allowing the politician the ability to appeal to the vague and 'encompassing' "official" Religion™ of America.
• All United States Citizens are effected by civil religion, however there is a large argument (and evidence) that ethnic minorities are the main group effected by civil religion. They are effected so easily by having a general 'one size fit's all' religion; it is easy to erase what has been deemed undesirable or simply overlooked to fit the aesthetic of American values. America wants to hold on to the legacy of being the "New Start / If You Can Make it Here You Can Make it Anywhere / American Dream" nostalgia without actually allowing voices to anyone who doesn't fit the abled bodied, cisgender, and white criteria. With a civil religion, politicians are able to make general statement's to the "general" public (white american's) and appeal to their sense of religious morality without out-rightly othering people of color or different cultures.
• As this website intends to show, the effect of Civil Religion is far reaching. Civil religion may erase other cultures, while providing the appearance of including them. Civil religion also provides politicians a Generic Religion to boaster support for their campaigns and propositions.
• Robert Bellah first coined the term in his 1967 article, "Civil Religion in America". Bellah argues nondenominational religion, and many other scholars follow suit providing their own voice on the issue.
• "...he outlines the simple dogmas of the civil religion: the existence of God, the life to come, the reward of virtue and the punishment of vice, and the exclusion of religious intolerance." (Bellah)

Hermeneutic:

-The interpretation of scriptural texts; such interpretation as a subject of study or analysis, esp. with regard to theory or methodology. Also: a particular system of interpretation for scriptural texts. The interpretation of interpretation.

• May have aided in the process of questioning thought. Of seconding people's first gut reaction to something.
• Used to understand interpretation and for why we understand something the way we understand it. Used more often in scientific fields.
• (1678) First appeared under Richard Burthogge and his "Organum vetus & novum" aka the discourse of reason in truth in natural logic.
• "The hermeneutic approach holds that the most basic fact of social life is the meaning of an action." (Little)

Procedural Secularism:

-a public policy which does not give preference to one religious body over another, where the state sees itself as the overseer of a variety of religious communities and where necessary, assists them to keep the peace together.

• Provided a criticism and understanding of governments intention with religion in relation to citizen's interest.
• The debate surrounds both procedural secularism and programmatic secularism. Once again, we see the term first coined create an issue of debate within politics with the understanding of for and against.
• According to my research, Rowan William's first used the term in his lectures. There is not a time nor specific lecture mentioned in my research.
• "The debates surrounding it any separation between procedural and programmatic secularism is blurred." (Koning)

Programmatic Secularism:

-a kind of secularism where public manifestations of religious allegiance are inhibited or even banned so that everyone shares a public loyalty to the state.

• Provided a criticism and understanding of governments intention with religion in relation to citizen's interest.
• The debate surrounds both programmatic secularism and procedural secularism. Once again, we see the term first coined create an issue of debate within politics with the understanding of for and against.
• According to my research, Rowan William's first used the term in his lectures. There is not a time nor specific lecture mentioned in my research.
• "The debates surrounding it any separation between procedural and programmatic secularism is blurred." (Koning)

Relativism: