Friday, 25 August 2017

M.M. Thomas’ Man and Universe of Faiths



M.M. Thomas’ Man and Universe of Faiths

September 2016                                                                              Presenter: Laldanmawia
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Introduction
The book ‘Man and Universe of Faiths’, written by M.M. Thomas was published by the Christian Literature Society (CLS) in 1975. The book is divided into two parts, which are sub-divided into several sub-points. It has 161 pages excluding preface and introduction.
M.M. Thomas gives the introduction of the book by writing a brief explanation about one world and the meeting of faiths. In the previous time, most religions were isolated from other faiths in their practicing of their faith. But now, the ferment of revolutionary world draws them into the stream of a single universal history. There is no more static concept of reality. And Christianity is no more in the dominant role. Then inter-religious relationship can be pictured in the modern world. Questions and responsibilities of human existence have been set before all the world religions. In this way Thomas brought out this book.
1. The Purpose of M.M. Thomas in writing this Book
The writer was influenced by the theology of inter-faith relations of John Hick who wrote God and Universe of Faith. He even chose the title in relating to John Hick’s book. The book is with a purpose to study the transformations taking place within the various religious traditions like Primal religion, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Christianity, including non religious tradition- Marxism, as they confront the social and spiritual problems of the modern world, and what these imply for a meeting of faiths, and to provide a theology of religious pluralism as an argument and conclusion to it, which can be found in the last part of the book.
2. Summary of PART- I
Part-I surveys the characteristic of modernity, and elements that inherent in modern societies and modern man. The three points are summarized in the following.
2.1. The Revolution of our Time: New Potentialities and Perils for Human Community
M.M. Thomas mentions three kinds of revolutions. First is the scientific and technological revolution. Modern scientific technology gives man the power to control and change his nature and environments. It has creative and destructive aspects. Technical power can destroy diseases and release on the other hand. Today modern science and technology work in a purpose to make man wealth and to increase power. The military technology transformed the character of war with the development of new weapons. Technical inventions have also impact on the concept of establishing a socialist state. This technical spirit breaks traditional organic societies and geographical regions.[1]
The development in mass-communication relates the development of human community, in terms of increasing participation of people across the boundaries of class, age, and nation, which led to the emergence of world community. On the other hand, human techniques which include medicine and genetics to psycho-analysis and sensitive training, physical health, peace of mind, etc should not be left out in developing community. Its destructive influences can be seen in the widespread problem of pollution from industries, and the quality of human life. But it is argued that we may live poorer but happier, in responding to the modern exploitation towards nature, to have better environment and a higher quality of life. To reduce social inequalities, it is necessary to have a need-based distribution of world resources.[2]
Secondly, Thomas talks about the Revolution of the oppressed and the poor, demanding right to participate in the total life of the society. Pope John XXIII mentions three kinds of liberation movements: the awakening of working class, the emancipation of women and social development without racial discrimination in order that the benefits can be extended to everyone. The struggle of non-white against white racism, third world’s fight against poverty, non violent strategies of Nobel Laureates of peace, and Martin Luther’s awakening of the blacks led to more liberation movements in Africa, Asia and USA. Revolutions happened because they knew that poverty is man-made, it can be overcome. The urge for liberation and equality motivate the people to revolt and fight for their own destiny in a new social structures. The society is made by the people and therefore they can change it. Many choose non violent methods for their struggle, while others opt for institutionalized violence. But, this kind of revolutionary demand of people for justice can lead to the continual international conflict or inter-group social conflict.[3]
The third revolution is for disintegration of traditionally established patterns and secularization of common life. The process of secularization shapes the contemporary world by breaking down the traditionally integrated institutions between religion, society and state. The European renaissance and other movements liberate culture and politics, art and science from the authority of the church and theology. They pushed religion to become smaller. Secularization has been accelerated in Asia and Africa with the coming of the western ideas-individual freedom, mobility, equality, the idea of society with fraternity of person, etc. On the other hand, Christian mission and other religious missions also promoted the secular society by propagating religious pluralism and religious freedom. According to David L. Edwards, secularization is the process which makes religion private, optional and problematic.[4]
The three kinds of revolutions are often mentioned in his books. Yes, they are very important features in M.M. Thomas’ thinking. They shaped the world to become modern. However, as we are now in the post-modern world, apart from what he said, we can add some more forces which shape the world today. The three revolutions are not enough now to understand the present situation.
2.2. The Self-Understanding of Modern Man [sic]
The distinctive characteristic of human being is the spirit that transcends all the mechanical and organic processes of nature. Only a being which has self-awareness is called spiritual. This self awareness of being constitutes the quality of human being. There are different ways to describe the spirit of modern man: Firstly, human experiences self as the freedom and the power of creativity. Human, according to Johannes Metz, experiences him/herself as the active subjectivity of nature, who create his/her world out of the material of nature. Human modern history has been shaped by the movements of thought and action.[5]
Secondly, for modern human freedom is self-determination and search for self-identity. It is not only the individual who cries for self determination and self-identity, but all the nations which struggle for political independence, all the societies, ethnic, linguistic and religious communities. At the same time, the individual dignity has an ambiguous relation to the sense of group identity, by submerging their individual identity to the groups which they belong.[6]
Thirdly, Modern human sees the destiny of his self in involvement in history, defined as the movement of human liberation. Historical mission and action is a focus for human’s realization of social liberation and spiritual salvation, which is the fulfillment of the ultimate meaning of existence as self.[7]
Fourthly, the human freedom is realized in universal love, in open dialogue, fellowship and communion among persons and groups. William Morris said that for fellowship’s sake only human lived on earth. And this fellowship defines the goal of revolutionary struggles. Ecumenical spirit leads all humankind to paradise.[8]
The nature of modern humans has been changing since the coming of modernity. They can enjoy individual freedom to determine themselves and use their creativity to shape their own history. The traditionally rooted and controlled natures of human beings have been eliminated and they are freer in the social life. However along with modernity which promote individual freedom, individuality comes which can ruin the strength of social life.
2.3. The Dimension of Faith and the Spirit of Modernity
The sense of self and the sense of God as Ultimate Reality relate each other, because the sense of self involves an awareness of its transcendence over itself. The totality of self involves in response to the Ultimate Reality, which can be called the dimension of Faith. Faith in this form is Religious Faith. Secular Faith, on the other hand, is the absence of transcendence reality and God who is interpreted as the illusory projection of a self-transcendence seeking self-fulfillment. In history and science, the major religious traditions are divided into two: Judaeo-Christian-Islamic tradition and religious traditions of African, Indian and Chinese. Thomas distinguished them as the Messianic and the Unitive apprehension of Reality.[9]
The Messianic Faiths sees the fulfillment of God’s purpose in human history through prophets and the Messiah. Two types of messianic thought and expectation in the history of the Hebrew people and other people throughout the world are the national messianism of the Conquering King, and the universal messianism of the Suffering Servant. With faith in the crucified Jesus as the Christ of God, Christianity becomes the religion of the Suffering Messiah. But later the world history encountered the turning of Christianity to the national messianism of Conquering king in its conflict with Islam in the crusades, and East and West war in Europe. So the history of messianic faiths can be interpreted as a continuous dialectic between two messianic spirits. The spirit of modernity has arisen within the messianic consciousness.[10]
The Unitive Vision includes, as said before, the religious traditions of African, Indian and Chinese origins. The commonness of the varieties of this vision of Ultimate Reality is the attitude to the emergence of the ego-awareness of human. This self- consciousness is a kind of disturbance in the harmony and peace of the world. They are the religions which do not expect a Christ because they do not affirm an ultimate meaning and its fulfillment. But when the spirit of modernity interacts with them; some react it with self defense, some converted to Messianic faith or secular, and most remold the pattern of their traditional practices.[11]
Modernization brought developments at the two dimensions of faith-messianic and unitive in positive and negative ways. These developments are very essential in search for ecumenism, because all kinds of faiths are not just isolated, but started contacting each other and relations have been built between them.
3. Summary of PART II
Part-II is an illustration of the previous part, surveying some of the major traditions in the universe of faiths. It reinterprets the doctrines of God, man and world of the Primal Religion, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Marxism and Christianity in tackling with the forces and spirit of modernity.
3.1. The Primal Vision and Modern Man
In this context, Thomas brings out the tradition of Africa, of the humanism, and of its interaction with Christ in modern world. African nationalism and socialism rooted in the state where the heritage was handed down by ancestors, interpreting Marxist’s idea of socialism of its ethical basis. But the implication must be the integration of their cultural values especially religious values with socialism. According to Senghor, African’s idea of man and society is based on communitarianism that is in union of individuals. Today, the historical mission of African is set to approach the knowledge of reality and his idea of humanism in the modern period. In spite of the effects of colonialism, it is the responsibility of African to negrofy its destroyed values. On the other hand, Nyerere offers Ujamaa or familihood for the basis of African Socialism, in which the familihood must be extended even to the whole humankind of the society. Whereas Tom Mboya’s idea of African Socialism is based on the belief that ‘we are all sons and daughters of the soil.’ It is evident that the inner dialogue between the primal and the modern views of self and society is a real one in African idea of Nationalism and Socialism today.[12]
The religious movements in the African primal societies lead to the transformation of the nature and spirit primal people under the impact of modernity. Today the transformation is the self realization that they are in active subjects rather than passive objects. Christianity, even Islam, intensify the search for spiritual foundations of human responsibility for the future. Christianity influences African nationalism, and then Christian consciousness which the church has created is an integral part of the creativeness of African Nationalism. Beyond movements in the church, there are movements of revival of traditional tribal religion also. However if African Christianity is to become indigenous to the modern Africa oriented to the Future, the traditional and new humanism need to be reinterpreted in the light of centrality of New Man, Jesus Christ.[13]
African primal vision-human nature, culture and religion have been changing with modernity towards humanism, nationalism, socialism and revivalism within religions.
3.2. Hindu Renaissance, Spiritual Liberation and the Goal of History
The modern movements of Hinduism under different prominent leaders are being studied and written in different fields of study. But this chapter deals with the revival of some fundamental doctrines of Hinduism and the reinterpretation to the stands of modern man. K.M. Panikkar cited that Hindu reformation helped building the basis for India’s new life. Bhagavad Gita, a scripture became a handbook of revolution as the dynamic doctrines were interpreted for the action for the welfare of the world. The interpretation of Vedanta as a ‘social gospel’, as the spiritual basis of an ideology of secular humanism is one of the most radical transformation in Hindu doctrine and life. Vivekananda would confirm that human realize himself as strong and self-reliant through this Vedanta.[14]
The inner dialogue between Hindu fundamental unitive vision and the self-aspiration of modern man is culminated in Sri Aurobindo’s doctrine of integral Vedanta. It is the integral vision of Brahman to interrelate between Being and becoming, pure Existence and world existence, so that the creative and destructive aspect of the cosmic process of nature and human history can be consciously understood. In this process, human suffering is defined as the first element, not as a punishment, of the work he/she has to fulfill. Gandhi contributed in the Hindu spiritual tradition of sources of faith which could spiritualise and humanize modern politics. He based his political and social struggle for justice in the modern world in the Isopanishad. His idea of society is an extension of the principles of self-renunciation and ahimsa to social organization. He opposed western civilization and materialistic passion because he wanted to promote a communitarian pattern which is self-sufficient and self governing politically. Hinduism’s movement away from metaphysical and mystical to moral and social realities is tremendous significant in relating with Christianity.[15]
With the coming of modernity, there have been changes within Hinduism particularly in the way of revivals in its fundamental doctrines. Scholars see the need of changing the traditional concepts which would be meaningful and relevant in the present context, in interrelating individual, social and world existence.
3.3. Buddhist Messianism and Essential Suffering
The Convocation of the 6th Buddhist Council in Rangoon expressed the view about the coming of a new Buddha, the last Buddha. This Messianism in Buddha will renew the Dharma and usher it in the Buddhist world order, to realize the peace of the world through the teaching of the Buddha. Buddhist leaders find the needs for reaffirmation of the fundamentals of Buddhism in relation to the forces and spirit of modernity.  Vijaya-vardhana speaks about the emergence of life and human in terms of the evolution of nature. He imagines the problem of human as the problem of knowledge of the world and self. The stream of existence is continuity without permanence, a continuous flow which has neither beginning nor end which can be called philosophy of creative evolution. Meanwhile French Buddhist scholar Andre Migot confirms the idea that life in the world is a complex process, and life and consciousness are cycle in which nothing is eternal, but eternally changing. Buddha is in an intension to wipe out the false notion of the metaphysical character of human. Thus human is conditioned by his/her past and involves in a continual process of becoming, to raise the self by the self, self in its higher sense.[16]
Nirvana, the ultimate destiny of human in Buddhism is also the extinction of craving, thirst, greed, hatred, illusion and all such defilements. Suzuki, in a System of Being, points out that the individuals are not isolated existences, because they acquire meaning only when they are in oneness in Dharmakaya. Therefore liberation from ignorance or suffering is not the asceticism, but spiritual expansion of the ego, expressing itself in all beings. Then the goal of realization is not arahatship (becoming saint with selflessness, love and wisdom), but bodhisattvahood (who attain liberation, but refuse to enter Nirvana due to seeking to identify him/herself to others to help them in their quest). This doctrine of bodhisattva is thought to have importance for developing doctrinal foundations for human solidarity and social ethics.[17]
The dimension of social ethics in Buddhism was historically associated with its revolt against the metaphysics, rituals and social structure of religion, like Brahminic priestly class, rituals on the basis of class. Social equality has been the fundamental principle of Buddhism. Some Buddhist thinkers go more than this, seeing Buddhism as a revolt against the gods and religions. To them, the theistic belief in the ‘omniscient God whose will is omnipresent’ is the root for dictatorship.[18]
Some Buddhist scholars are in search for the reality of collective existence under the influence of modernity. They see the need of changing or reaffirmation of the fundamentals of Buddhism in relation to the forces and spirit of modernity.
3.4. The Unity of God, the Finality of Prophethood and Modernity
Thomas brings some crucial issues within Islamic theology in relation to the forces and spirit of modernity. One is the religious perspective on evolving nature and developing human history, and on their meaning and ultimate goal. Iqbal speaks of Quranic concept of God as Ultimate Ego. In the creative evolution of nature and human history, he, basing on the Quranic version of Creation, affirms that Creation is animated and sustained internally by the divine purpose of self revelation. Unlike Genesis, Quran omits the serpent in the doctrine of Fall, but speaks of the purpose, that is to indicate human’s rise from a primitive state to the conscious possession of a free self. The Fall does not mean any moral depravity, but it is human’s transition from simple consciousness to the flash of self consciousness.[19]
The advocates of Islamic reform successfully accept, reform and change as necessary and possible under the authority of the Quran and the revealed law. Syed Ahmed Khan maintains that the door is opened for any application of the principles of the Quran to the problems of their own time. Rashid Ridha is also known for his revived doctrine of the Caliphate in relation to the modern community as the focus on moral and spiritual authority.[20]
Traditionally in Islam, Religion, Community and State had been an institutional and spiritual unity under God. In Islamic states, Abduh says that there should be good relations between different faiths by quoting the Quran. In another way, there is also a basis for secular state and religious pluralism in Islam, that is, Islam is not Mohammedanism, and rather it is the religion of different prophets with Mohammed at last. Some leaders stand that Islam believes in the transcendent God and the Creator of Universe, and all those who make common to this truth can get equal recognition and rights in Islam.[21]
The thoughts of Muslims have also been developing in the process of modernity. Muslims scholars see the necessity of encountering issues in modern world under the authority of Quran and revealed laws. One important aspect of development is its openness towards ecumenism, allowing reinterpretation of the position of Mohammed in Islam.
3.5. Marxist Atheism, Open Future and the Question of Transcendence
The inter-relation between human self awareness/self commitment and the divine ultimate is also discernible in non-religious movements like Marxian Communism. According to Roger Garaudy, Marxism represents the spirit of human characteristic of modernity. Its proletariat movement expressed the transformation of society, and the success of October Revolution under Lenin in constructing Socialism also expressed the same.[22]
Marxism is humanism in his urge of emancipation from alienation. In human alienation state, human does not express as an active agent. But Marx saw Communism as the abolition of this and led to self-realization. It is the solution of the conflict between existence and essence, objectivisation and self-affirmation, etc. This solution is thus the vision of human self realization. However, the crudest form of human alienation may be abolished, the new thing appeared, that is in connection of the creation of new centers of power. That power is no longer based on economic wealth as in capitalism, but in unlimited political authority. So it is impossible to have complete elimination of old human degradation without introducing new conflicts and contradictions. It can be in the form of technology, organizations and institutions. Maoism is thus one good example which necessitates frequent revolutions to prevent any party from becoming bureaucratic.[23]
Gardavsky asked the question of personal identity and meaning of love in the context of expanding objective world of science and social engineering which use humans as means, and the problem of subjective identity. He further defines his idea of open future in relation to person al identity, that the future is not absolute, but open. That is why socialism and communism cannot be seen as an absolute goal.[24]
According to Van Leeuwen, Marxism and Christianity are both in the same theological circle. Christian-Marxist dialogues have been taking place at different levels. They co-exist together for the common good and common ends in the situation where they are called to co-operate each other. Through this dialogue, a mutual understanding has come regarding what is basic in Christianity and Marxism, how each sees the meaning of transcendence in its relation to human creativity and future. For Christians transcendence is the act of God who comes forward to him/her, but for Marxist it is a dimension of human’s activity which goes out beyond itself.[25]
3.6. Modern Man and the New Humanity in Jesus
Thomas brings some significance points at which the traditional theological formulations of Christian faith have been challenged by its revision with relating the New Man in Jesus Christ to the problems of modernity or modern human.
First is about the creative process and the redemptive history. Christian traditional myths of Creation, Fall and Redemption have to be reinterpreted in new ways to make them tools of discerning Christ’s presence at different times. A sense of self and freedom grew in human in the creative process, as human encountered transcendent spirituality. Sin has to do with human freedom in the Biblical story. Then sin is primarily related to the spirit in human. Doctrines of Creation and Fall are not to be considered as the accounts of the genesis of the world, but a working backwards from the Christian vision and experience of the Redemption of creation in Jesus Christ.[26]
Second is the people of the Messiah. One significant point in the Christian theology is the definition of the people of God in the context of the universality of Christ and the unity of humankind. Today, the nature of the mission needs to be restated in the context of modern human and a pluralistic world community. According to Paul Lehman the church and the world have the same centre-Jesus Christ, that the Church is inner and the world is outer circle where Christ is the king. There is no difference in believers and non-believers in God’s work to keep new humanity. From the people who worship God to the people who seek the unknown God, even to the ones who cultivate beautiful qualities of human spirit without knowing the source of these qualities are all under the work of God in Jesus Christ, all of them are in the koinonia in Christ, the people of the Messiah.[27]
Thirdly, the significance is towards a secular fellowship in Christ. The faith acknowledgement of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is completed in human’s participation in the work of Holy Spirit in building genuine human community, as sign of ultimate Kingdom to come.  Therefore, Christians’ task is to manifest our unity in Christ by entering into full fellowship with other people of different races, classes, ages, religions and political convictions in our pluralistic world. This idea of Christ-centred ecumenism or of secular fellowship in Christ has come to the forefront of Christian thinking today.[28]
Christian traditional faiths have to be reinterpreted and reformulated along with the modern world. Some concepts like the redemptive process, the people of God, church in relation to the plurality of society are mentioned in which developments have been made.
4. Towards a Theology of Religious Pluralism:
In the last part of this chapter, Thomas (as a Christian) gave his argument and conclusion. It is recognized that there is too much religious communalism and exclusivism which maintain religious and social distance from each others, and which militate against human solidarity, reconciliation, unity, harmony among all humans. Therefore Christians cannot escape grappling with the theology of religion and religious pluralism in the context of common struggle for an open modern secular human community. In search for religious inclusivism or pluralism, many theologians considered other religions as the early stage of religious development (Hegel), inhistoricisation of God’s agape in history (John Hick), pre Christian situation (Roman Catholic theologians).[29]
There is an opened path to relate other religions that is a theological relativisation of all religions in the name of the Grace of God in Jesus Christ. According to Paul Devanandan, among all human, there exists a common universe of discourse based on our reaction to the totality of life, by involving common social crisis with common interest. He sees the anthropological questions like the nature and destiny of human, raised by non-Christian world as an opening itself to the reality of the new man in Christ. All religious traditions are in various stages in the struggle for human community. In this framework, the church as the fellowship in Christ must take shape in the transformation and conversion of people of other faiths in integral relation to their religions to Jesus Christ as the Christ of God. In the world-wide religious pluralism and secular faiths, cultures and ideologies, Christ and His significance may be unveiled by recognizing the relativity and by seeking elements in the beliefs and expression of the peoples of the world which can serve as human starting point.[30]
In the coming modern world, all peoples need to stand together for full humanization and for making the world better. In that process all faiths must work together in partnership. To build our partnership strong, we need to rethink our theology and move towards theology of pluralism. Ecumenical theologians propose dialogue for this.
5. Concluding Remarks
5.1. He mentions three kinds of revolutions- science and technology, revolt of the oppressed and the poor, and secularization, which were significant for the development of humanity and human community towards the spirit of modernity. He not only stands for the positive influences of these revolutions, but also the possible negative developments brought by them. What about ideological revolution that the Renaissance and Enlightenment brought to the world of thinking?
5.2. He sees the inappropriateness of Bonhoeffer’s interpretation of the person of Jesus Christ as ‘Man for others.’ Rather, theological relativisation of all religions in the name of the Grace of God in Jesus Christ may be the better path. However the absolute claims of religions may not be released by theological relativisation as long as the absoluteness of Christianity, the redemptive work of God in Jesus Christ, is presented as the source of new humanity.
5.3. Thomas always emphasis on secularization of faith in the secular history and world. Secular Christian, Secular Christ, Secular society, etc, are to be seen in his approach to the pluralistic of religion, culture and society. It can be questioned that, is the essential meaning of Christianity and Christ not enough to relate with the universe of faiths? Instead of secularizing Christian faith, conservative evangelical may simply opt for the secular states under which all faiths would receive equal respect and freedom.



[1] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths (Madras: Christian Literature Society, 1975), 1-7.
[2] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 8-9.
[3] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 11-14.
[4] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 15-19.
[5] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 21-23.
[6] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 24-25.
[7] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 26-27.
[8] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 28-29.
[9] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 31-33.
[10] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 34-42.
[11] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 43-46.
[12] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 50-57.
[13] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 58-61.
[14] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 63-64.
[15] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 65-70.
[16] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 81-87.
[17] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 87-89.
[18] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 90-93.
[19] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 97-100.
[20] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 101-103.
[21] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 103-106.
[22] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 112-113.
[23] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 114-117.
[24] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 118-121.
[25] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 121-127.
[26] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 129-132.
[27] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 134-137.
[28] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 139-142.
[29] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 146-150.
[30] M.M. Thomas, Man and Universe of Faiths, 151-155.

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