Vol. 19 No. 1 (2010)

The idea of religious pluralism can be understood in a general sense, and in a more specific one as well. That is to say, it can be loosely defined as the casual acceptance of various theistic traditions, equal
to or in conjunction with one’s own, but it is more commonly understood as a more technical theological category: the belief that two or more religions with mutually exclusive truth claims are equally valid. Generally, pluralism is understood in contrast to exclusivism (“salvation is found in only one religion”) and inclusivism (“one religion is best but salvation is possible in other religions as well”). The current issue of JVS will explore the various dimensions of pluralism in relation to Vaishnava dharma.