Peacemaking interreligious dialogue: principles, objectives, forms of implementation

Abstract

The article offers the original classification of interreligious dialogue types based on four criteria as follows. 1. «Intention» (i.e. the motivation to come into contact with a representative of another religion); 2. «Goal» (i.e. tasks and aims headed towards by the participants in the dialogue); 3. «Principles» (i.e. the starting points, which determine the interaction); 4. «Form» (i.e. participants in the dialogue). Among those the most important criterium is that if intention, which identifies the types of «polemical», «peacemaking », «cognitive» and «partnership» dialogue. These types of dialogue are lined up respectively around the following questions: «Who is right?», «How can we live together peacefully?», «Who are you?» and «What can we do to improve the world?». In the article are analyzed the possibilities of applying the approach outlined as above. As an example is used the interreligious dialogue, which aims to reconciliate the arguing parties. Special attention is additionally paid to the “diplomatic” dialogue as conducted between between heads and official representatives of religious communities.