Sociological Analysis of Pluralism: Religion, Oppression, Ideals

This essay delves into the concept of pluralism, particularly focusing on religious pluralism and its implications within society. It defines pluralism as a response to diverse religions, beliefs, and value systems, highlighting its role as a philosophical ideal that embraces various traditions and faiths. The essay emphasizes that pluralism involves active engagement with diversity, understanding differences, and fostering dialogue, rather than mere tolerance or relativism. Examples such as the American political system, Indonesia's multicultural society, and historical instances of religious coexistence are cited to illustrate different facets of pluralism. The essay concludes by affirming the significance of pluralism in promoting unity amidst diverse social settings, religions, and races, thus supporting the notion that it represents a crucial framework for understanding and navigating diversity in the modern world.

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Sociology
2/17/2019

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The essay brings about the discussion on the concept of pluralism, which is
concentrated on the aspects of the religion, or religious pluralism. The term ‘pluralism’ refers
to the response to the various or diverse religion, beliefs or value system. Thus, the essay will
define and explain all the relevant aspects related to pluralism in context to religion within
society.
Pluralism is the greatest philosophical ideal of our time, provides the outline stating,
celebrated as the idea fulfilling the needs or the social requirements. It accepts all the
religions, beliefs, practices, social values and the traditions, which exist in the contemporary
society over years. The idea of pluralism has found relevant towards the creation of
geographical centres of the agreement or commonality amongst different faith traditions.
These faith traditions include the Abrahamic religions of west, the Asian regions of the west,
as well as some other religions called ‘indigenous’ (Berger, 2017).
There are certain aspects or ways in which the concept of pluralism has been
illustrates, as first, it has accomplished that it does not merely mean diversity rather it is the
energetic engagement with the diversity. Secondly, pluralism does not mean only tolerance,
but it refers to the active initiative to obtain the understanding the lines of difference in
context to different religions. It has been analysed that tolerance is public virtue, and
considered a small part of the religious difference and proximity (Pollack, 2016).
Third, in context to the idea of religious pluralism it has been analysed that pluralism
does not mean relativism, but it refers to the encounter of agreements. It means that, the
pluralism provides and supports our deepest differences, and therefore it establishes one’s
relation with different religions irrespective of any differences.
Further, the last point in context to the topic, states that pluralism based upon the
aspect of dialogue. It means that pluralism indicates dialogue, and encounter, give and take,
criticism and the aspects of self-criticism. Here, dialogue consist of both listening and
speaking, and serves the purpose through develops common understanding as well as accepts
real differences (Stewart, Edgell & Delehanty, 2018)
To state some of the common examples of pluralism or pluralist democracy, it has
found that American political system is the notable example. Indonesia is another example of
the pluralism where people from different socio-cultural background (religion, caste, culture,
language, and ethnicity) live together. In addition, in United States, there are some areas,

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referred as Little Italy or Chinatown, include people from different countries fostering the
idea of pluralism. Moreover, couples who belong to different cultures or region believe in
celebrating the aspects of both of their religions. An example of ancient Rome states that
people worship different gods and but they focus on their own religious practices. Each of
these refers to various kinds of pluralism that exist, allows sharing of different entities and
understand their power of religion (Robbins, 2017).
To conclude the above discussion it has been analysed that the idea of pluralism or
religious pluralism is significant in understanding the aspect of diversity in religions. Thus,
the essay supports the statement, mentioning that pluralism is the state, which brings unity in
the people irrespective of the aspects of diverse social settings, religion, or race around the
world.

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References
Berger, P. L. (2017). Pluralism, protestantization, and the voluntary principle. In The New
Sociology of Knowledge (pp. 33-46). United Kingdom: Routledge.
Pollack, D. (2016). Religious Pluralism: Undermining or Reinforcing Religiosity?
Society, 53(2), 131-136.
Robbins, T. (2017). In gods we trust: New patterns of religious pluralism in America. United
Kingdom: Routledge.
Stewart, E., Edgell, P. & Delehanty, J. (2018). The Politics of Religious Prejudice and
Tolerance for Cultural Others. The Sociological Quarterly, 59(1), 17-39.