John Hick’s Interpretation of Religion: A Perspective from South Africa

Abstract

In his 1989 book An Interpretion of Religion the eminent British philosopher of religion (and formerly philosophical theologian) John Hick provided a detailed view of what he saw as world religions, involving his wellknown and much-debated pluralistic hypothesis in terms of which he is able to see all those religions as valid paths to salvation/liberation. How convincing is his theory? This article addresses that question by summarizing Hick’s main contentions in the 1989 book and then offering a critical discussion involving five key questions, with answers to them, from the perspective of a student of religion based in and indebted to South African traditional cultures, their  beliefs and their ethics.