Universalism

This article is about Universalism in religion and theology. For other uses of the word, see Universalism (disambiguation).

Universalism, in its primary sense, refers to religious, theological, and philosophical concepts with universal application or applicability. Religion in this context is defined as a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. Universalism is a term used to identify particular doctrines considering all people in their formation. Universalism in the religious context claims that religion or religious man (sic) is a universal quality. This can be contrasted with nonuniversalist religions.

In its secondary sense, a community that calls itself Universalist may emphasize the universal principles of most religions and accept other religions in an inclusive manner, believing in a universal reconciliation between humanity and the divine. For example, some forms of Abrahamic religions happened to claim the universal value of their doctrine and moral principles, and feel inclusive.

A belief in one common truth is also another important tenet. The living truth is seen as more far-reaching than national, cultural, or religious boundaries.

Christianity

Main article: Christian Universalism

See also: Universal Reconciliation and Trinitarian Universalism

In Christianity, Universalism can refer to the beliefs that all humans either may or will be saved through Jesus Christ and eventually come to harmony in God's kingdom. This salvation is expressed as offered both to the Jew, and also to the Gentile (Romans 1:16, Romans 9:24–25, Revelation 7:9). It is opposed to the doctrines of reprobation and double-predestination in Calvinism.

The Greek term apokatastasis came to be related by some to the beliefs of Christian Universalism, but in early Patristic usage is distinct. Additionally the term Catholic is derived from the Greek word katholikos, which means universal. The Catholic Church is universal in the sense that it embraces individuals "from every race, nation, language, and people", but does not teach universal salvation.

Universalist writers such as George T. Knight have claimed that Universalism was a widely held view among theologians in Early Christianity However, some examples, such as Origen and Clement of Alexandria, used by Knight and other Universalist writers are contested by writers such as Crouzel, Root, Norris, and Itter.

Christian Universalist ideas are first undisputedly documented in 17th-century England and 18th-century Europe and America. Gerrard Winstanley (1648), Richard Coppin (1652), Jane Leade (1697), and then George de Benneville in America, taught that God would grant all human beings salvation. Those in America teaching this became known as the Universalists.

Some prevalent verses within the Christian Universalist Argument are:

1. 1 Corinthians 15:22
   • "For as in Adam ALL die, so in Christ ALL will be made alive." (NIV; Emphasis Added)
   • "For as in Adam ALL die, so also in Christ shall ALL be made alive" (ESV; Emphasis Added)
2. Romans 5:18-19 (The "one trespass" and the "one man's disobedience" refer to Adam's sin, while the "act of righteousness" and the "one man's obedience" refer to Jesus' voluntary death on the cross).
   • "Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous." (NIV; Emphasis Added)
   • "Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous." (ESV; Emphasis added)
3. 2 Peter 3:9 (Goes to the character of God, in that He want's everyone to be saved. If He can do anything He wants and He wants everyone to be saved, why wouldn’t He save them?)
   • "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (NIV; Emphasis Added)
   • "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." (ESV; Emphasis Added)
4. 1 Timothy 2:3-6 (Verses 3 & 4 go to the Character of God. Verses 5 & 6 explicitly state that Jesus paid the ransom for "All men")
   • "This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for ALL men--the testimony given in its proper time." (NIV; Emphasis Added)
   • "This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for ALL, which is the testimony given at the proper time." (ESV; Emphasis Added)
5. 1 John 2:2
   • "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." (NIV)
   • "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." (ESV)
6. 1 Timothy 4:10 (This means that He is the savior of those who believe, but He is ALSO the savior of those who do NOT believe. How can He be the savior of those who do NOT believe, unless he saves them?)
   • "(and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe." (NIV; Emphasis Added)
   • "For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe." (ESV; Emphasis Added)
7. Romans 11:32 (Mercy on all, not mercy on some)
   • "For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all." (NIV)
   • "For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all." (ESV)
8. 1 John 4:14 ("The world". Not "Part of the world")
   • "And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world." (NIV)
   • "And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world." (ESV)

Another key point within the Christian Universalist Argument is the understanding that mistranslations exist within many modern English translations. One of the biggest of such translation errors being that of the Greek word αιών (Lit. aion). This Greek word is the origin from which the modern English word "eon" is derived (synonymous with age). However, this word is often translated "eternal" as in the case of eternal punishment/torment and eternal life. In his tetralogy called "Word Studies in the New Testament", the 19th century theologian Marvin R. Vincent wrote:

'Aion, transliterated aeon, is a period of longer or shorter duration, having a beginning and an end, and complete in itself. Aristotle (peri ouravou, i. 9,15) says: "The period which includes the whole time of one's life is called the aeon of each one." Hence it often means the life of a man, as in Homer, where one's life (aion) is said to leave him or to consume away (Iliad v. 685; Odyssey v. 160). It is not, however, limited to human life; it signifies any period in the course of events, as the period or age before Christ; the period of the millenium; the mythological period before the beginnings of history... The adjective aionios in like manner carries the idea of time. Neither the noun nor the adjective, in themselves, carry the sense of endless or everlasting. They may acquire that sense by their connotation, as, on the other hand, aidios, which means everlasting, has its meaning limited to a given point of time in Jude 6. Aionios means enduring through or pertaining to a period of time. Both the noun and the adjective are applied to limited periods... Words which are habitually applied to things temporal or material cannot carry in themselves the sense of endlessness. Even when applied to God, we are not forced to render aionios everlasting. Of course the life of God is endless; but the question is whether, in describing God as aionios, it was intended to describe the duration of his being, or whether some different and larger idea was not contemplated.

Hinduism

Hinduism embraces universalism by conceiving the whole world as a single family that deifies the one truth, and therefore it accepts all forms of beliefs and dismisses labels of distinct religions which would imply a division of identity.

Hindu Universalism denotes the ideology that all religions are true and therefore worthy of toleration and respect. Veneration for all other religions was articulated by Gandhi:

"After long study and experience, I have come to the conclusion that [1] all religions are true; [2] all religions have some error in them; [3] all religions are almost as dear to me as my own Hinduism, in as much as all human beings should be as dear to one as one's own close relatives. My own veneration for other faiths is the same as that for my own faith; therefore no thought of conversion is possible." (M. K. Gandhi, All Men Are Brothers: Life and Thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi as told in his own words, Paris, UNESCO 1958, p 60.)

Sikhism

In Sikhism, all the religions of the world are compared to rivers flowing into a single ocean. Although the Sikh Gurus did not agree with the practices of fasting, idolatry and pilgrimage during their times, they stressed that all religions should be tolerated and considered on equal footing. The Sikh Scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, contains the writings of not just the Sikh Guru themselves, but the writings of several Hindu and Muslim saints, known as the Bhagats. Although Sikhism does not teach that men are created in God's image, it states that the essence of the One is to be found throughout all of its creation. As was said by Yogi Bhajan, the man who is credited with having brought Sikhism to the West:

"If you can't see God in all, you can't see God at all". (Sri Singh Sahib, Yogi Bhajan)

The First Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak said himself:

"There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim".

By this, Guru Nanak meant that there is no distinction between religion in God's eyes, whether polytheist, monotheist, pantheist, or even atheist, all that one needs to gain salvation is purity of heart, tolerance of all beings, compassion and kindness. Unlike many of the major world religions, Sikhism does not have missionaries, instead it believes men have the freedom to find their own path to salvation.

Judaism

Main article: Jewish views of religious pluralism

See also: Noahidism

Judaism teaches that God chose the Jewish people to be in a unique covenant with God, and one of their beliefs is that Jewish people were charged by the Torah with a specific mission — to be a light unto the nations, and to exemplify the covenant with God as described in the Torah to other nations. Not explicitly a Universalist theology, this view, however, does not preclude a belief that God also has a relationship with other peoples—rather, Judaism holds that God had entered into a covenant with all humanity as Noachides, and that Jews and non-Jews alike have a relationship with God, as well as being universal in the sense that it is open to all mankind.

The Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute (JSLI) believes in a more inclusive version of Jewish Universalism, believing that "God equally chose all nations to be lights unto the world, and we have much to learn and share with each other. We can only accomplish "Tikkun Olam" by our unconditional acceptance of each other's peaceful doctrines."

Islam

Further information: Ummah, Divisions of the world in Islam, People of the Book, Dhimmi, Jizya, Dawah, and Jihad

Islam recognizes to a certain extent the validity of the Abrahamic religions, the Qur'an identifying Jews, Christians, and "Sabi'un" or "baptists" (usually taken as a reference to the Mandeans) as "people of the book" (ahl al-kitab). Later Islamic theologians expanded this definition to include Zoroastrians, and later even Hindus, as the early Islamic empire brought many people professing these religions under its dominion, but the Qur'an explicitly identifies only Jews, Christians, and Sabians as People of the Book.

The Ash'ari school of Sunni aqidah (theology) holds that those who had never heard of the message of Islam, by virtue of isolation, can still be saved by the grace of Allah, similar to Karl Rahner's concept of the Anonymous Christian.

Zoroastrianism and Manicheanism

Main articles: Zoroastrianism and Manicheanism

Some forms of Zoroastrian and Manichean belief were universalistic in application to all races, but not universalist in the sense of universal salvation.

Bahá'í Faith

In Bahá'í belief, a single God has sent all the historic founders of the world religions in a process of progressive revelation. The major world religions are seen as divine in origin and are continuous in their purpose. In this view, there is unity among the founders of world religions, but each revelation brings a more advanced set of teachings in human history. Within this universal view, the unity of humanity is one of the central teachings of the Bahá'í Faith. The Bahá'í teachings state that since all humans have been created in the image of God, God does not make any distinction between people regardless of race, colour or religion. Thus, because all humans have been created equal, they all require equal opportunities and treatment. Thus the Bahá'í view promotes the unity of humanity, and that people's vision should be world-embracing and that people should love the whole world rather than just their nation. The teaching, however, does not equal unity with uniformity, but instead the Bahá'í writings advocate for the principle of unity in diversity where the variety in the human race is valued.

Yi Guan Dao

Main article: I-Kuan Tao

Yi Guan Dao (loosely translated as "Universal Taoism", "the pervasive truth", or "the consistent path") incorporates elements from Confucianism, Taoism, and Chinese Buddhism, and recognizes the validity of non-Chinese religious traditions such as Christianity and Islam as well. For this reason it is often classified as a syncretistic sect, along with other similar religions in the Way of Former Heaven (Xian Tian Dao) family.

New Thought

Main article: New Thought

Unity, Religious Science, Divine Science are denominations within the New Thought movement. Each teaches that there is a common thread of truth at the heart of all religions. New Thought is an ever-evolving belief system which will incorporate Truth where ever it is found, hence the name New Thought. All is God, But God transcends all.

Non-religious Universalism

Universalism is not only a set of values, but a world view. To which any can prescribe if they observe and believe in the universality of the human experience, and that of all sentient life - and work to uphold the principles, ethics, and actions which safeguard these fundamental things.

Indeed many Universalists may be attracted to the logic of universally applicable principles, rather than any belief or dogma. Human unity, solidarity, and the perceived need for a sustainable and socially conscious global order are among the tendencies of non-religious Universalist thought.

See also

• Ananda Marga
• Christianity:
  • Christian Universalism
  • Liberal Catholic Church
  • Primitive Baptist Universalist
  • Religious Society of Friends
  • Schwarzenau Brethren
  • Swedenborgianism (The New Church)
  • Trinitarian Universalism
  • Universalist Church of America
  • Universal reconciliation
• Comparative religion
• Ecumenism
• George MacDonald
• Mahatma Gandhi Foundation
• Post-theism
• New Thought
• Omnism
• Perennial philosophy
• Religious pluralism
• Subud
• Unitarian Universalism
• Universal Sufism

References

• Catholic Encyclopedia article on Universalists as a Protestant denomination
• Catholic Encyclopedia article on Apocatastasis/apokatastatis
• E Casara, ed., Universalism in America (1984)

Further reading

• Ankerl, Guy (2000). Global communication without universal civilization. INU societal research. Vol. Vol.1: Coexisting contemporary civilizations : Arabo-Muslim, Bharati, Chinese, and Western. Geneva: INU Press. ISBN 2-88155-004-5. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
• Palmquist, Stephen, "Christianity as the Universal Religion", Chapter Eight in Stephen Palmquist, Kant's Critical Religion (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2000).