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192 : Śramaņa, Vol 57, No. 3-4/July-December 2006
be difficult in practice and futile.
Should we, then, follow the sectarian approach where we interpret only our religion ? This would be theology. Philosophical approach invites some sort of transcendence of our limits, whether material or mental. If we interpret our own faith in the true sense, it has to be without reservation. If need be, we should refute and reject those articles of faith which do not stand for rational examination. And for such a transcending and daring approach knowledge of other religions, preferably by way of inter-religious dialogue, would be helpful and rewarding.
If we have a look at the representative English texts on philosophy of religion, for example, those written by Caird (1880), Hoffding (1906), Galloway (1914), Wright (1922), Edwards (1924), Hick (1963), Smith (1965), Mitchell (1971) and Capitan (1972), we can easily find that most of them have been written from sectarian points of view. They do not take into account other major religious traditions or their problems. Some of them echo fanaticism and arrogance as well, which are so opposed to philosophical aptitude. Hegel Himself idealized Christianity as the absolute religion. Needless to say that there cannot be any absolute religion nor can there be an absolute explanation of our experience.
Most of the textbooks written by western scholars on the subject, further, do not mention even the most important concepts of Oriental religions as if they are not aware of the very existence of such other traditions. Those who do know and do make a mention of Eastern religions also at time draw instance, a scholar like Cantwell Smith (one time Director of the Centre for the Study of World Religions, Harvard) could indiscriminately conclude that the ‘end' of religion is god. Can this be the concluding remark of one who is award of the non-theistic systems (like Jainism and Buddhism, in India) in the world of religions? Of course, if we take the God to be the ontological goal we can find some Godhood in every religion, but not the psychological goal.
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