Multiple Religious Belonging: Hermeneutical Challenges for Theology of Religions

The phenomenon of multiple religious belonging is studied from different perspectives, each
of which reveals a different understanding of religion, religious diversity and religious belonging. This
shows that the phenomenon of multiple religious belonging is challenging the applicability of these
central notions in academic enquiry about religion. In this article, I present the different perspectives on
multiple religious belonging in theology of religions and show how the understanding of some central
scholarly notions is different. In Christian theology, the debate on multiple religious belonging is conducted
between particularists, who focus on the uniqueness of religious traditions, and pluralists, who focus on
the shared religious core of religious traditions. Both positions are criticized by feminist and post-colonial
theologians. They believe that both particularists and pluralists focus too strongly on religious traditions
and the boundaries between them. I argue that the hermeneutic study of multiple religious belonging could
benefit from a more open understanding of religious traditions and religious boundaries, as proposed by
these feminist and post-colonial scholars. In order to achieve this goal we could also benefit from a more
intercultural approach to multiple religious belonging in order to understand religious belonging in a nonexclusive
way.