THE PITFALL OF PLURALISM

                Pluralism, diversity and tolerance have become the main virtues of our day. These three virtues trump everything else. When other values clash with the big three, they win every time. In America, we have prided ourselves in being a melting pot of cultures. We have opened our doors to the world, and this has dramatically changed who we are. We long ago ceased being a relatively homogenous society. Today, we are a collection of cultures living on parallel tracks, side by side. We have been taught that all these cultures are good and that we must accept everything about them. If we object, we are seen as bigoted, close-minded and divisive. The idealistic goal is that one day all of these diverse cultures will blend together to make a beautiful new tapestry. Unfortunately the reality is something quite different.

                To illustrate my point, think about cooking. Every good cook knows that certain foods and spices mix well together and others do not. For example, peaches and cream is delightful while citrus and cream is disaster. When certain foods are combined they enhance the flavors of each. When other foods are combined they fight one another, often resulting in something disgusting. I suppose a person could learn to eat disgusting food combinations, but it can’t be pleasant. It has become popular among some people to “juice” their food. They take different foods, combine them in a mixer and puree them. The result is often a non-descript brown substance that has lost all resemblance to the original ingredients. All the original ingredients have lost their distinctiveness.

                The downside of pluralism is that, like the foods in the blender, we lose our distinctiveness. Instead of enhancing the positive qualities of each culture, we obscure them. In addition, pluralism tends to disregard the fundamental, underlying differences between cultures. It is not just a matter of understanding; it is a matter of trying to bring together opposing value systems. These value systems are often incompatible with one another. No matter how much we try to blend them together, they will always produce conflict.

                Here is another example. When American companies began doing business in Japan, they had a difficult time getting anything done. The American business men would meet with the Japanese business men over dinner to conduct business. They would go through the whole meal and nothing would be accomplished. At the end of the meal both parties would depart frustrated. The reason for their frustration was a clash of values. Americans value getting things done. We don’t want to waste time so we multitask. It is common to do business over a meal. Kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. Japanese business men value relationships. Before they will do business they need to build the relationship with the other person. They would never think of doing business during a meal. It is unheard of. This kind of cultural clash is going on all the time in our pluralistic society.

                What does all of this have to do with faith? We have been told that, in the name of pluralism, diversity and tolerance, we must accept all faiths as of equal value. The problem is that to be true to any faith a person cannot accept other faiths as of equal value. People will give lip service to this. They will act as if they accept other belief systems, but their more fundamental values always sour the mix. When it comes to issues of faith, there is no good combination.

                The hardest thing about Christianity is that it is, by definition, an exclusive faith system. It begins with the first premise of the Ten Commandments. "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand [generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments.” Deuteronomy 5:7-10 (NIV) God has left no room for the syncretism that is being championed today.

                Later Jesus made an even bolder statement about the exclusive nature of Christianity. Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 (NIV) Jesus was very clear that there are not many roads to God, there is only one road. A person may argue with that statement, but if they want to be a follower of Jesus, they must accept it.

                When Jesus was being tempted by Satan to compromise his faith in God he responded in no uncertain terms. The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" Luke 4:5-8 (NIV)

                If a person is going to call themselves a Christian, then they must be exclusive in their faith. If a person is going to call themselves a Muslim, they must be exclusive in their faith. If a person is going to call themselves a Jew, they must be exclusive in their faith. The idea that we can accept all faiths as of equal value is illogical. If a person takes the time to carefully compare religions, they will discover that, unlike popular opinion, they are not all headed in the same direction. In fact, they are headed in very different directions.

                The Bible commands that we love all people, but love is very different from tolerance. Love can value the person without necessarily accepting the person’s value system. Love calls for us to seek the deeper values, such as the worth of every person, without giving in to a superficial and artificial blanket acceptance. Whether we like it or not, we all bring to the table deeply rooted values, which shape our interaction. These cannot be ignored without negative consequences.

                There is an old saying that goes like this. Oil and water do not mix. You can put them into the same container and shake them up, but within a very short period of time they will separate. In America we live in a cultural mixture that will never truly blend. We can continually try to shake the mixture up, but it will always separate.