The Necessities and Limitations of Inter-Religious Dialogue

Abstract

Inter-religious dialogue has been conceived as an antidote to all the problems of religious tensions, attracting resources and expectations.1 However, it has come short of these expectations. In fact, religious tensions are on the increase, despite increased inter-religious encounters.2 Hence, the research question: what exactly are our expectations of inter-religious dialogue and what are its limits? This work distilled out in two areas the necessities and limitations of inter-religious dialogue: liberalism in religion, and concatenation or practicalisation of inter-religious dialogue. It argues for caution on issues of religious truth, relativistic pluralism, equality / sameness of religions, etc. Inter-religious dialogue would perhaps have more success if not for the problems of inner strife and contradictions of theological perspectives. It proffered a solution in the ‘model of mutual enrichment’. This model checks our expectations of interreligious dialogue.