Responding to the religious reasons of others: Resonance and non-reductive religious pluralism

Abstract

Call a belief 'non-negotiable' if one cannot abandon the belief without the abandonment of one's religious (or non-religious) perspective. Although non-negotiable beliefs can logically exclude other perspectives, a non-reductive approach to religious pluralism can help to create a space within which the nonnegotiable beliefs of others that contradict one's own non-negotiable beliefs can be appreciated and understood as playing a justificatory role for the other. The appreciation of these beliefs through cognitive resonance plays a crucial role to enable the understanding of those who hold other perspectives. Epistemological and spiritual consequences of this claim are explored.