ABSTRACT

Pluralism, understood as diversity, is a fact of human existence. Like belief, it can have express or hidden dimensions and, like belief, it is there whether acknowledged or not. Laws and practices can allow and encourage pluralism or they can attempt to restrict it. However such laws and practices are structured, there will be pluralism even within communities that profess homogeneity of belief. This is because human beings are in the process of interpretation, and not all interpretations agree nor do they remain static.