Hick vs. Plantinga views on religion
The aspect of religion is considered to have generated great views passed on where religion is inclusive or exclusive among the different people in the world. Such elements are supposed to create great arguments, which are the basis in which renowned religious philosophers such as John Hick and Alvin Plantinga argue upon. According to Hick, religion is an aspect that contains a set of beliefs that co-exist in all religions and which are considered valid by the believers in the different denominations about the origin of the earth, the existence of people, and God. In this case, Hick believes that each religion has the same interpretation of the same reality and salvation (Hick, 635). On the other hand, Alvin Plantinga, who believes in exclusivity in religion, argues that the belief in God is universal and that the belief in God can be justified independently. In this case, Plantinga argues that it will be wrong to expect a person to treat all religions as a similar way to God if they genuinely believe in their creed (Plantinga, 643).
One of the critics that I would pose to Plantinga is the aspect of maintaining one’s faith to a creed event when he realizes that the creed is associated with faults. When one becomes exposed to other religions, he becomes aware of the different beliefs that they hold and the truths which are bound by the views maintained by those who uphold a particular doctrine. In this case, one is bound to make a decision based on what they find worth believing as all individuals are held together by the belief that the world originated from somewhere and that there is a supreme force (God) which initiated the origin of the various aspect which exist (Hick, 636). With such knowledge, one is expected to adjust to the religion which suits their belief about the truth for them to heal their curiosity of aspects such as enlightenment, death, and the afterlife. In this case, I believe that exclusivism is misleading (Hick, 639).
Based on the critic, plating might argue that the aspect of religion is based on the element of belief. In this case, one needs to follow the faith in which they believe in and reject the rest. In this case, some religions are considered manipulative as one is required to believe in doctrines they are not aware of (Plantinga, 644). In this case, one is about to believe in what they clearly understand and what they consider best for them. This does not mean that they do not know about other religions but because they choose to follow the doctrine which they believe are moral and ethical in as the case of naturalists (Plantinga, 648).
The continuous knowledge of the doctrines held by the different religions and the beliefs that they hold are directed towards the same objective. This is based on the aspect of ethics and morality. Also, the idea that there is life after death is another aspect that brings all the religions together. In this case, whether an individual chooses to believe in the specific doctrine and rejects the others or whether he wants to believe in the religion he/she thinks correct and binding, all humans are aimed at living a life that is morally and ethically. In this case, the aspect of exclusivity can be considered as a vague stand that divides people based on their religious beliefs but brings them closer in purpose. Therefore, all religions should unite and believe in the true doctrine, which has the values they all believe in.
Works cited
Hick, John. “Religious Pluralism and Ultimate Reality.” Philosophy of Religion: An Anthology 6 (2003).
Plantinga, Alvin. “A defense of religious exclusivism.” The Rationality of Belief and the Plurality of Faith (1995): 201-205.