Interfaith Meaning/Prayer and Meditation Room

The article focuses on differences between interreligious dialogue and interfaith relations. It mentions need for educators to distinguish between interfaith work and interreligious studies and interfaith encompasses persons whose systems of belief sit outside religious categories, such as humanists and secularists. It also mentions various aspects of diverse religions, while others are nontheistic or atheistic in their philosophical outlooks and spiritual lifeways.

The article discusses the meaning and origins of the terms ecumenical, interreligious dialogue, and interfaith dialogue. The author reflects on the history of the ecumenical movement and on the title of the periodical "Journal of Ecumenical Studies" (J.E.S.) which he cofounded with his wife Arlene Anderson Swidler. It is suggested that although there are few differences between the terms interreligious and interfaith, interreligious can be seen as more inclusive of non-Christian traditions.

Today, western liberal democratic societies are secular, or in other words, religion is set apart from the state. However, the beginning of the 21st century has seen a re-politicizing of the religion. This paper argues that religion plays an important role in current global politics and events. Moreover, it has been used as tool to recruit masses for a wrong cause. Hence, Interreligious and interfaith dialog can play a role of catalysts and a future trend in cultural diplomacy. The paper provides definitions of a secular and post secular society. Then, it discusses the general concept of dialogue and explores it from an interreligious and interfaith point of view as a way to mitigate the role religion has undertaken. Finally, it provides examples of what European Union has been doing in that respect.

Evidence has shown that interreligious dialogue is one of the paths to build bridges among diverse cultural and religious communities that otherwise would be in conflict. Some literature reflects, from a normative standpoint, on how interreligious dialogue should be authentic and meaningful. However, there is scarce literature on what conditions contribute to this dialogue achieving its desirable goals. Thus, our aim was to examine such conditions and provide evidence of how interreligious dialogue enables human agency. By analyzing the activity of interreligious dialogue groups, we document the human agency they generate, and we gather evidence about the features of the conditions. For this purpose, we studied four interreligious dialogue groups, all affiliated with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Association for Interreligious Dialogue (AUDIR), employing in-depth interviews and discussion groups. In these groups, which operate in diverse and multicultural neighborhoods, local actors and neighbors hold dialogues about diversity issues. In so doing, social coexistence, friendship ties, and advocacy initiatives arise. After analyzing the collected data, we conclude that for interreligious dialogue to result in positive and promising outputs, it must meet some principles of dialogic learning, namely equality of differences, egalitarian dialogue, cultural intelligence, solidarity, and transformation.

‘Interfaith dialogue’ is a term that generally assumes dialogue between different faiths. Much has been written about why, how and what form this dialogue should assume. Although many theories have been developed around this process, it remained theories and did not develop into praxis. Some of these theories include aspects of psychology, theology of religions, preconditions for dialogue, ethical theories, epistemology and even social constructs in relation to the economy, social justice and peace. In as much as these theories are important, and needed to be noted, the how to walk the talk in the encounters in interreligious dialogue is not often addressed. This article, therefore, addresses the ‘enacting’ element of interreligious encounters as human-to-human encounters in walking the talk. With the emphasis on human-to-human encounters, examples from history are considered to explicate these encounters and, finally, why the term ‘interreligious dialogue’ better expresses the human-to-human encounters than the term ‘interfaith dialogue’.

Each religion has at its core a commitment to the flourishing of life. Themes of relationality, hospitality, and friendship are pathways for promoting their mission to bring about the flourishing of all. James L. Fredericks, a Roman Catholic theologian with specialization in comparative theology, has spent his adult life working intentionally to enter into friendship with people of other faith traditions. In some of his works, he describes how such friendships have led to growth in his understanding of his own Catholic-Christian faith traditions. Interreligious friendship is not about proselytization, it is rather about exploring God's truth in the safe space of admiration, openness, trust, embrace of vulnerability, and discipleship in the presence of the other who bears the gift of divine grace by their presence.