You know the story. A king invites ten blindfolded men into his courtyard where an elephant stands. Each one feels a part of the animal’s bulk and describes what they have found.
One grasps the tail and thinks it’s a snake. Another strokes the hide and describes a wall. Still another touches a tusk and believes it is a spear. Poor elephant! The story is a parable originating from Buddhist traditions. It is used to provide an analogy for the world religions. Religious people describe God as Allah, or Brahman or Christ, but that just reflects their limited point of view. Like the misunderstood elephant in the parable, the God behind the world religions is misdescribed by his sincere devotees.
Pluralism
I’ve just got back from a debate on Premier Radio with John Hick, who is now an elderly theologian of international renown (you can listen to it, if you are interested, at http://www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable). Hick’s reputation has been built on promoting the radical claim that all the major world religions are responding to the same God. The parable of the blind men and the elephant is a good description of Hick’s claim. While Hick has provided a detailed, philosophical case for what is sometimes called ‘pluralism’, this basic idea is widely popular today. Isn’t it arrogant to claim that there is only one path to God? Surely we are most likely to believe in the religion of our parents or our society? Doesn’t that suggest it is narrow-minded to believe that there is an exclusive way of salvation?
