Fractals and the World Religions Paradigm

Schmidt-Leukel, Perry

Abstract

The paper analyses the critical deconstruction of the concept of ‘religion’ and the ‘world religions paradigm’. Following Paul Hedges, it distinguishes between soft and hard deconstruction, opting for the first. It shows how John Hick’s version of religious pluralism (in the wake of Wilfred Cantwell Smith) fits in well with an understanding of religions as non-static, internally diverse and structurally entangled traditions. This view is further elucidated by applying Mandelbrot’s fractal analysis to religious diversity which reveals strong correspondences between inter- and intra-religious diversity.