Abstract
The aim of this article is to show that the intercultural way of education, which includes the interreligious dimension, is a fundamental way to create and maintain conditions for coexistence in a multicultural society. The background of this claim is represented in the belief that the starting point of every encounter with the other and the different should be the human being and its experience of humanity, not an intellectual polemic about doctrines and ideologies. Schools are particularly suitable for such a more personal manner of dialogue. The topic is discussed primarily in a philosophical way from a Christian (Catholic) perspective. The context of reflection is the European society marked by Christianity, secularization and, increasingly, Islam. Croatia is also mentioned, as the issue of multiculturality is becoming increasingly topical there. The context of cultural pluralism is presented first. Then, the necessity of dialogue based on the experience of everyday life is highlighted. The next section is focused on the analysis of the multicultural society’s need for values that are acceptable for all members of society in order to maintain social peace and mutual respect and cooperation. The following chapter deals with the difficulties and challenges of dialogue. Then, the section after that presents an analysis of the fundamental European documents that provide crucial guidelines for understanding religious and cultural pluralism and the role of religions in a multicultural and multireligious society as values on which society should be built. Finally, the place and role of religious education is discussed as a vital and unavoidable factor in co-creating the preconditions for appropriate coexistence in a multicultural society.
Highlights
Multiculturality is not a new phenomenon in European society
The section after that presents an analysis of the fundamental European documents that provide crucial guidelines for understanding religious and cultural pluralism and the role of religions in a multicultural and multireligious society as values on which society should be built
What we find important in the context of discussions on interreligious and intercultural dialogue is again the platform of humanity—humanum—as the core foundation and the start of building coexistence
Summary
Multiculturality is not a new phenomenon in European society. The experience of multiculturality can be traced all the way to the ancient world The culture of a social group is the result of both religious and non-religious beliefs, the European cultural circle has lost touch with its religious roots and reasoning that contributed to the articulation of the culture and values on which community life is built (cf Bullivant 2018) Without this substantive connection of culture with the religion that influenced it, the reason for the establishment of values of that same culture and society becomes lost. This period is the period of starting of the policy of multiculturalism in many European countries.”. In the European context, special attention should be paid to the issue of Islam in the Christian context, which will be the topic of a later chapter
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