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Document Details :

Title: Newman and Religions
Author(s): MERRIGAN, Terrence
Journal: Louvain Studies
Volume: 35    Issue: 3-4   Date: 2011   
Pages: 336-349
DOI: 10.2143/LS.35.3.2157501

Abstract :
John Henry Newman’s reflections on the origins and nature of religion contain a number of seminal ideas that can illuminate contemporary discussions about the relationship between Christianity – and the Roman Catholic Church, in particular – and the non-Christian religious traditions. In particular, Newman’s understanding of conscience and his sensitivity to the essentially ‘sacramental’ character of God’s dealings with humankind open interesting perspectives on the controversial issue of whether the non-Christian traditions can play any sort of mediatory role in the economy of salvation. This issue has been a consistent theme in recent Catholic thought on the theology of religions and has been treated by, among others, Yves Congar, Jacques Dupuis and Pope John Paul II. Newman’s reflections on religion resonate with the concerns of all these authors.

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