Relating to a Postmodern Mind - Part 1

It is easy to get lost walking through our pluralist, poststructuralist, decentred world. As you listen intently to enveloping intertextual multivocalities, having been forced to trade in your once trusty christocentric metta-narritve for a dictionary that you needed, only to understand that our new post enlightenment deconstructionist reality may not be absolutely true.

Or if you didn't understand that...

Post Modernism can be confusing for Xns. I have seen many an explanation of Xy that starts with a an appeal to disregard post modernism. Which is very hard, if not impossible for someone who has grown up within the last 35 years particularly. I on the other hand struggle to see the world through modern or classical eyes. I understand that a friend might be excited that being Xn is really important to me and say "it's great that your a Xn and that works for you but this is what works for me", rather than "Hey tell me about what you believe because it sounds like Xy might work for me too."

So, if this post modern thing baffles you and the idea that someone's faith is just experience relative to their experience and that they believe that there is a absolute truth that you can persuade them of then read.

Ok, let start with the question "How do Xns relate to people of other faiths?"

There are 5 ways Xns (or any faith) can compare themselves to another faith. So 5 ways a Xn can view someone of another faith or 5 ways some of another faith can view a Xn. All the examples will be from the Xn perspective, so flip roles to see how it works the other way around. To make things easier (hopefully) I will explain what these alternatives mean using the Mountain of Faith at which the flag of salvation or perhaps ultimate reality sits at the top of (for the sake of simplicity I'll just say "the flag" in the following descriptions). I will also have two pilgrims one of Christian Faith (stick man with a C above his head) and one of Other faith (stick man with an O above his head).

1. Exclusivist

The exclusivist position is where one believes that Xy is the only way to "the flag" and that any other faith or belief system has no merits what so ever. This is your typical fundamentalist Xn position.

For our picture, the Xn is on the mountain heading to "the flag" and the person of other faith is not on the mountain.

2. Pluralist
The pluralist position is the relativisation of all religious beliefs including your own. What you believe is not important as all will achieve salvation, so whether you are Xn or another faith it makes no difference, and therefore being of one faith one day and another faith another day or mixing bits of different faiths is fine..

For our picture the Xn is on the mountain traveling up a path to "the flag" and the person of another faith is on the same mountain and traveling up the same path.


3. Inclusivist
The Inclusivist position recognises that there is value to be found in other religions but these are just partial understandings of the truth that can only be found in there own religion. This is a typical more compassionate Evangelical stance, and the Catholic Vatican 2 stance (I think - don't quote me on that).

For our picture the Xn is on the mountain. The person of other faith is behaving very similarly also climbing a mountain. So, they have lots in common, their behaviour looks similar but, it is a different mountain and unfortunately there is no flag at the top of this mountain.


4. Inclusivist and Pluralist
The Inclusivist Pluralist is similar to the Pluralist in that they believe that both people are climbing up the same mountain, but acknowledges the difference between faiths and that can be very different and you can't just jump from one to the other or pick bits of both but you need to choose just one.

For our picture the Xn and the Other are both climbing the same mountain only on different sides on different paths. Both reach "the flag" but via distinct different paths.


5. Exclusivist and Pluralist
The Exclusivist and Pluralist respects the incommensurability of Xy and other beliefs but chooses just to concentrate on their own life and own belief. They are happy for people to believe what ever they like but have no concern as to what consequence that belief might have. This is often thought of as Post Modern approach "this works for me and I'm not really concerned with what works for you".

For our picture the Xn is climbing on the mountain to salvation, the other might also be somewhere else on another mountain climbing to a "flag" but he is not worried that the other person even exists.



So the question to ask yourself at the end of "Relating to a Postmodern Mind part 1" is this... are you a...

1) Exclusivist
2) Pluralist
3) Inclusivist
4) Inclusivist and Pluralist
5) Exclusivist and Pluralist
or
6) None of the above

and, what faith view that others hold do you find it easiest to relate to?

Next time... Post Modernism and how to live without an Aeroplane