Alon Goshen-Gottstein and Eugene Korn (eds.), Jewish Theology and World Religions

Abstract

A coherent Jewish theology of world religions has not yet been composed. Christians were the first to develop such a discipline; people like John Hick, Leonard Swidler, Paul Knitter, and Perry Schmid-Leukel come to mind. From the Jewish side, little has been done in this growing field, although there have always been interreligious dialogs and indeed it has always been and is today impossible to avoid the religious other. There is a profound need for investigating traditional sources that have relevance to the Jewish relation to other religions and for revisiting early positions in light of today's interfaith relations. The fact is that from a Jewish point of view, other religions were often seen as highly problematic. The religious other is frequently depicted negatively in the Jewish tradition. However, we are now more and more in contact with other narratives and with people of other religions who look for recognition and acceptance and who are ready to cooperate in order to create a more humane society. The encounter with real people rather than with abstractions and religious systems is challenging. In an increasingly global world, our contacts with others have become a daily reality. Moreover, there is a consensus between religious humanists that religions are valuable in as far as they contribute to the bettering of society. For these people, the “truth” of the various religions is measured in accordance with their effectiveness in promoting the formation of a peaceful society. In present-day open societies, the “truth” of religions is understood differently than it was in the past and is associated with moral purposes. This may lead to the recognition that the ultimate truth is not the possession of one particular religious community and that we all reflect aspects of the unreachable truth. From this perspective, one has to learn from other religious persons in order to approach what is finally unutterable. For all these reasons, in view of today's challenges, it has become imperative to develop a Jewish theology of world religions and a praxis of interreligious dialog.