Interreligious Dialogue

Muthuraj Swamy provides a fresh perspective on the world religions paradigm and 'interreligious dialogue'. By challenging the assumption that 'world religions' operate as essential entities separate from the lived experiences of practitioners, he shows that interreligious dialogue is in turn problematic as it is built on this very paradigm, and on the myth of religious conflict. Offering a critique of the idea of 'dialogue' as it has been advanced by its proponents such as religious leaders and theologians whose aims are to promote inter-religious conversation and understanding, the author argues that this approach is 'elitist' and that in reality, people do not make sharp distinctions between religions, nor do they separate political, economic, social and cultural beliefs and practices from their religious traditions. Case studies from villages in southern India explore how Hindu, Muslim and Christian communities interact in numerous ways that break the neat categories often used to describe each religion. Swamy argues that those who promote dialogue are ostensibly attempting to overcome the separate identities of religious practitioners through understanding, but in fact, they re-enforce them by encouraging a false sense of separation. The Problem with Interreligious Dialogue: Plurality, Conflict and Elitism in Hindu-Christian-Muslim Relations provides an innovative approach to a central issue confronting Religious Studies, combining both theory and ethnography.

Written by some of the world's leading scholars of theology and interreligious dialogue, the essays in this volume provide a number of original voices to conversations around Nostra Aetate, bringing new ferment to the field of interreligious understanding.

In the face of competing religious claims in our shrinking world, many turn to dialogue as a hopeful way of fostering understanding and reducing violence. But why does actual dialogue so often fail? This provocative study investigates the possibilities and limits of interreligious dialogue. By showing the significant obstacles for dialogue within Christianity, the book also proposes ways in which these obstacles may be overcome from within. Major themes include Humility, Conviction, Interconnection, Empathy, and Generosity.

This comprehensive volume brings together a distinguished editorial team, including some of the field’s pioneers, to explore the aims, practice, and historical context of interfaith collaboration. Explores in full the background, history, objectives, and discourse between the leaders and practitioners of the world’s major religions Examines relations between religions from around the world, moving well beyond the common focus on Christianity, to also cover over 12 major religions Features a wealth of case studies on contemporary interreligious dialogue Charts a long-term shift away from a competitive rivalry between belief systems, and a change in focus towards the more respectful, cooperative approach reflected in institutions such as the World Council of Churches Includes up-to-date commentary on the growing dialogue of recent years, written by some of the leading figures working in the field of interfaith discourse

A challenging controversial discussion of the current state of the debate about Christianity and other world faiths.

This invaluable volume gathers together the cumulative insight of more than fifty years of Leonard Swidler's work on dialogue. The founder and president of the Dialogue Institute, Swidler offers through experience and research his theory and tools of interreligious, intercultural, and international dialogue.

From the point at which one faith first became aware of an other, there has been inter-religious dialogue: a dialogue that can lead to a positive and rewarding exchange of ide as between different religious traditions, as Martin Forward shows in his lucid introduction to the topic. Drawing on a wide array of sources, this accessible guide examines the past, present and future possibilities of inter-religious dialogue. Covering everything from the global ethic to the position of women in the community, and drawing on the words of individuals from Socrates to John Wesley, Forward examines many of the world faiths and their varying contributions to the field.

Each article is followed by a significant response from a member of the non-Catholic faith community being addressed and by a response to the response by the author of the article.