What Does The Theology of Religions Mean?

People will not push to climb till mount Everest, because there are so many top high mountain besides Everest. Buddha says, "Human being was not created by something. Human being are being by the natural law." For Buddhism, the divine reality is not nibbana -- but it's something beyond nibbana. 

Theology of religions. What dose it mean? It is a reflection on the theological implications of reality Non-Christian religions and their followers, based on the norms and richness of Christian theology and tradition. The deferent between Dialogue of Religions and Theology of Religions is placed on the way and the aims of the each subject. Dialogue of Religions makes us capable in dialogue, but Theology of Religions makes us understand well about our position among the other religions.

The aim of theology itself is to clarify the problem. If we want to make a dialogue with the other religions, the important thing that we have to know is the theology of each religions. One thing that we ought to reflect, turning with every human situations nowadays (ISIS, AL-Qaeda, etc.,) is do we adore the same God in our religions (Christian, Muslim, Buddhism, Hinduism, and so on)?

Actually, we adore the same God (Muslim, Christian, Buddhism), but we have a different concepts about Him (the only one divine reality). That's make us turn from His way (creates rival among the religions). The fundamental aspect of Dialogue of Religions is every kind of dialogue must be connected with the rule of each religions. Pope Francis says, "The name of God is mercy!"

There are three typologies of Christian Theology of Religions, as follows: pluralist position, inclusivism position, and exclusivist position.

Exclusivist Position

In the exclusivist position, there is Restrictive -- Access Exclusivist (limited). In restrictive position, salvation is limited. This kind of theology shows us about the the plan of God for not all the people. It is just for those in which He prefer to choose. In predestined plan of God, the grace of salvation is offered to a limited number of people. Because God is revealed exclusively in Christ alone (solus Christus), so the non-Christians and the Christians who are not worthy -- or because of God's predestination -- will not be saved. So, the role of the Church is often understood

In the exclusivist position, there is also Universal Access Exclusivist. The main point is here: Because God is revealed exclusively in Christ alone, so only those who believe in Christ will be saved; that is those who heard the Word of God (fides ex auditu) and answered personally through faith. There are two different sub-positions here, as follows: those who think that the chance and offer to come to a personal faith in Christ should happen during one's life on earth and those who think that this chance could also happen at the moment of death or after death.

Inclusivism Position

In the inclusivism position, there is another ideology named Structural Inclusivism. In this kind of ideology, Christ no longer become the Savior for just certain people. The revelation of Christ is only a normative position that brings the salvation for those who believe in Him. It means that the salvation itself depends on God.

Beside Structural Inclusivism, there is another position of inclusivism named Restrictive Inclusivism. Restrictive mention some points: Jesus is the normative revelation of God and the main principle is solus Christos without fides ex auditu.