A) The relationship between religion and society

Diversity and pluralism

• Religious diverstity: the coexistence of 2 or more religious communities in a specific geopolitical setting
• Religious pluralism: a value, cultural or religious ideology which positively welcomes the encounter of religions
• Hinduism is naturally pluralistic: Rig-Vedic hymn says 'Truth is one, though the sages know it variously'. And Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita says, 'All paths lead to me'
• There are no theological difficulties accepting degrees of truth in other religions- Hindus believe everyone worships the same God, whether they know it or not

Gandhi's Sarvodaya

• Sarvodaya: 'universal uplift'/ 'progress of all'
• Gandhi embraced the term as a name for the social movement in post-independence India
• 3 basic principles:
• 1. Good of the individual is contained in the good of all
• 2. All have the same right of earning their livelihood from their work
• 3. A life of labour is a life worth living
• Sarvodaya movement- the establishment of a whole network of such self-supporting village communities where distinctions based…