Peter Wong

Max Charlesworth’s view in his “Ecumenism between the World Religions” is briefly summarised and discussed. His crucial question being, how can the different and varied claims of the world’s religions be reconciled when they are often incompatible with each other, and how can one come to terms with other religions in the world. Charlesworth sought to preserve the paradigmatic status of religions for their respective adherents yet allow for mutual recognition of value in each other.This paper seeks to address and test the range of diversity that is allowable in Charlesworth’s position. For this purpose, the paper considers the case of Confucianism for it differs from theistic religions by not being centred on the belief in a deity. Rather, it has more to do with human attainment understood in the context of ritual and cultural forms: becoming human, and creating the community that enables such an attainment constitute the main religious project.Although Charlesworth’s position is mainly informed by the theistic traditions, the paper concludes by agreeing with him that respect is the key attitude in interreligious dialogues.

This volume engages in conversation with the thinking and work of Max Charlesworth as well as the many questions, tasks and challenges in academic and public life that he posed. It addresses philosophical, religious and cultural issues, ranging from bioethics to Australian Songlines, and from consultation in a liberal society to intentionality. The volume honours Max Charlesworth, a renowned and celebrated Australian public intellectual, who founded the journal Sophia, and trained a number of the present heirs to both Sophia and academic disciplines as they were further developed and enhanced in Australia: Indigenous Australian studies, philosophy of religion, the study of the tension between tradition and modernity, phenomenology and existentialism, hermeneutics, feminist philosophy, and philosophy of science that is responsive to environmental issues.