Universalism
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Universalism refers to concepts and issues which are said to be "universal" in appeal—i.e. transcending any existing localizing boundaries. The term may refer to:
In comparative religion, universalism is the belief that true and valuable insights are available in many of the religious traditions which have grown up in various human cultures. It posits that a spiritually aware person will respect religious traditions other than his own and will be open to learning from them. It does not deny that immersion in one tradition is a useful anchor for an individual's spiritual development. While it celebrates the richness and value to be found among humankind's religious traditions, it does not necessarily deny that some things done in the name of religion, and some religious practices, are not constructive. But it distinguishes itself from the view that there is only one true faith, one uniquely chosen people, or one final prophet superseding all others. The name Universalist refers to certain religious denominations of universalism, which as a core principle adhere to standards and rituals which are convergent rather than divergent, often espousing themselves as alternatives to denominations based on dogmatic or factionalized differences.
A universal religion is one that holds itself true for all people; it thus allows all to join, regardless of ethnicity. In contrast, ethnic religions, like ethnicity itself, can be determined not just by genealogy, but by geography, language, and other social boundaries. In that sense Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism are universal religions. Sikhism would also fit this description too although like Judaism, it is only practiced by a minority of people. Judaism is also universal in this sense; according to Jewish tradition, there is no requirement for non-Jews to convert, only for them to follow the Noahide Laws. Contrast with Chosen people.
Universalism is also used as a synonym for moral universalism, as a compromise between moral relativism and moral absolutism.
Universalism can also mean the wish for a closer union between all people of the world (the emergence of world citizens) and/or the aim of creating common global institutions (democratic globalization)
Universalism may be associated with Catholicism, through the etymology of the Greek "katholicos", meaning "universal". The term Catholic originally referred to its "One Church" model as a "universal church", for all to participate. However, in Catholic theology, Universalism is the name of a heresy (see below).
In Christianity, Universalism, Universal reconciliation, or universal salvation, is the doctrine that all will be saved. Among theologians the doctrine is often referred to using the Greek word apocatastasis. The doctrine addresses the problem of Hell and notions of God's mercy and justice. Universalists contend that a loving God would not submit anyone, regardless of his or her sins or beliefs, to everlasting torment. Some also argue that eternal condemnation in Hell, an infinite punishment, is not proportionately just with any number of essentially finite sins. Scriptural support includes Biblical passages such as 1 Corinthians 15:22 and Revelation 5:13. Some universalists, sometimes called "strong universalists," hold that all creatures, including demons and even Satan himself, will eventually be saved. In North America, some adherents formed the Universalist Church, which in 1961 merged with the American Unitarian Association to form the Unitarian Universalist Association.
In Ananda Marga, Universalism refers to the ideas that energy and matter are evolved from cosmic consciousness. Thus, all created beings are of one universal family. This is an expansion of humanism to include everything as family, based on fundamental truth that the universe is a thought projection from the Supreme.
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