Perspectives on Pluralism, Universal Salvation and the Love of God

Universalism is the belief that after death everyone will have salvation no matter what their religion, denomination, actions, or beliefs. It is unorthodox in mainstream Christian churches because scripture seems to contain explicit passages about hell for those who have not “accepted Christ as their personal savior.” The idea of universal salvation has come into the foreground in recent years due to globalization and subsequent contact with those of other faiths. In the past, it was easy to dismiss other religions located across the world, but people can no longer ignore the plurality of religion. They begin to question the “unique” belief structure that their society has built: whose god is true? Would God send most of the world to hell because they were born in the “wrong” time and place or haven’t repeated a formula for salvation? What makes me more enlightened than other earnest people of another tradition?

 

Those who question the traditional doctrine of hell see the inconsistency between a God who is on one hand loving and on the other damning. The topic of universal salvation is hotly contested within the religious world. Eastern religions have no problem affirming that God is at work universally, in whatever tradition one is born into. They liken the religions to alternate paths leading to the same summit, or different lamps with the same light. Monotheistic traditions are more apt to hold on to the particularity of their religions; they believe letting go of exclusive claim on truth undoes the whole basis of their religion. Christianity uses three boxes to outline possibilities about the fate of non-Christians: exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism. Exclusivism emphasizes acceptance of Christ and holds that explicit belief in him is the only escape from hell. Inclusivism says Christ is the only Truth, but salvation is available to others in spite of their religion because God knows their hearts. Pluralism holds all religions to be equally valid paths to God; each contains part of the truth of the divine but not the whole puzzle.

 

The smartest theologians and philosophers cannot agree on the issue of universal salvation, yet it haunts us. People cannot reason their way to God without trusting their experience as well. The infinite cannot be placed in human categories or understood by finite minds, so it is ridiculous to base our opinions solely on “fact.” Those who want to build an airtight case based on the “facts” in the Bible forget that it was written from people’s human experiences of the divine! Every religion was born from an intimate encounter with the Beyond, and humans have gradually built belief structures around that encounter. If we don’t let the power of experience transform rigid belief, we deny the holy spirit’s ability to speak to us. The Bible is a collection of stories where God spoke to a person in order to bring change. There are scripture passages that both support and deny the universalism idea-- we could argue the point indefinitely. There does seem to be one repetitive theme amid passages about hell, however; God is love, is infinitely patient, and wills that everyone be saved. If he desires the salvation of everyone, I believe he will accomplish it. The other alternatives are God as executioner or God enslaved to a “divine justice system” where God wants to save us but is somehow bound by law. Many justify their belief in hell by claiming God gives humans the free will to choose their fate. He does not send them to hell. But in this model, death would have the final victory over God. We are allowed to reject God’s grace, but we cannot separate ourselves from his love. An analogy for this is a child who runs away from home. Her parents cannot take care of her, but she still can’t stop them from loving her. Once a person eventually grasps the depth of God’s love for them, it is nearly impossible to reject grace. Perhaps it happens in life, perhaps after death. When the crowd crucified Jesus, we rejected the grace of God. But God didn’t accept our rejection; he revealed in the resurrection that he has nothing to do with death or violence or the order of this world. He loves us enough to show us a new path of love and reconciliation.

 

Based on an experience of God I had recently, I am convinced that God does and will do the most loving thing in every situation, no matter what it may be. I am not convinced one way or the other about “doctrines” of heaven and hell; are they literal places? Perhaps hell is a place of refining, holy fire where the “false self” is consumed by God’s love. Perhaps it exists figuratively on earth in the evil we commit, in the times we reject God’s grace and in the painful process of being drawn nearer to the divine and further from selfish ambition.  In this model, salvation is fluid—a process of being humbled and called away from the things that burden our planet-- violence, war, and oppression. It is not an altar call or a single sinner’s prayer. Perhaps hell is exactly as traditionalists envision it, but without finality. It’s even possible that there is no afterlife, although that is hard to conceive. I don’t know for certain about inclusivism or pluralism either, only that God is bigger than we know, and his work is not limited by our human constructions of religion. God wills that all creatures come to a closer understanding of him, and works tirelessly like a shepherd searching for their lost sheep so that we might draw near. God does not discriminate against Greek or Jew, Christian or Hindu. His love covers all. I believe he whispers, “Come. Follow me,” so gently that eventually we want to, universally. 

  Sarah Grimes