ABSTRACT
The issue of religious realism is precisely the issue that has arisen within religion and religious thought about the meaning of God. Several contemporary religious thinkers have defended non-realism as a way of understanding God and spiritual commitment. In contemporary reflection, the issue of religious realism has arisen specifically within and for Christianity. Don Cupitt urges the traditionally religious to "break with" their realist belief, whereas defenders of realism think that the circumstance is not accidental and reflects the deeper understanding of the meaning of God. At one point in his discussion of the meaning of God, Cupitt raises the issue of "reductionism" in connection with his non-realism. John Hick maintains that there may be spiritual progress—and essentially the same spiritual progress—in different religious traditions. Cupitt and other non-realists are aware of the traditional forms of religiousness that embody realist belief in God.
