Recognition of religious identity and religious pluralism as the foundation of religious freedom and stability of inter-confessional and social relations

Abstract

Religious pluralism as the foundation of religious freedom was firstly declared in the era of the Reformation, but was limited with a number of warnings. The Catholic Church from the very beginning didn’t recognize it and considered it as "Protestant heresy". Protestantism used religious pluralism as an instrument to protect personal freedom of religion and didn’t give to it an essential, universal sense. For the first time, religious pluralism from the point of view of the religious freedom interpretation, attitude towards non-Christian religions and ecumenism was thoroughly discussed and declared at the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). Since that time this problem wasn’t removed from the agenda of world Christianity and other religions. The events of the beginning of the third millennium which take place in the world and in particular in Ukraine testify the extreme urgency of this problem. Ethno-religious, inter-confessional, state-church, social, inter-human relations would be transparent, stable, tolerant and human if first of all churches, religious communities and at their example state and society recognized religious pluralism as the cornerstone in the foundation of freedom of conscience and religious freedom. Key words: religious pluralism, religious identity, religious freedom, non-Christian religions, inter-confessional relations, social and inter-confessional dialogue, Ukrainian context of religious pluralism.

Keywords

• religious pluralism
• religious identity
• religious freedom
• non-Christian religions
• inter-confessional relations
• social and inter-confessional dialogue