Interfaith Dialogue Research Articles

Agree to Disagree? Allowing for Ideological Difference during Interfaith Dialogue Following Scriptural Reasoning

Interfaith dialogue is a promising conflict resolution method and encourages participants to learn about and appreciate religious diversity. Yet, participants often need a facilitator’s help to learn how to converse successfully across areas of ideological differences, such as religion. A valuable resource for facilitators and scholars of interfaith dialogue would be intricate knowledge of how successful dialogue happens, particularly when participants disagree with one another. In this study, applied conversation analysis was used to examine moments of disagreement in interfaith dialogue. Beginning with abdicated other-initiated repair, participants expressed differences in opinion through assertion and counter-assertion sequences where they followed both other- and self-selected turn-taking patterns and used membership categories to bolster their claims. This analysis offers insight into how specific conversational tactics might lead to successful interfaith dialogue during critical moments of disagreement.

Religious Discrimination in the Rejection of the Manokwari Mosque Construction

This research discusses land disputes for the construction of mosques in Manokwari, West Papua. This study aims to convey an accurate and useful understanding of land disputes for constructing a mosque in Manokwari, West Papua. The research method used in this study is qualitative. Qualitative research methods provide an opportunity to explain complex phenomena more comprehensively and contextually. The results of this study indicate that the cases regarding the refusal to build a mosque in Manokwari were not from the original Manokwari community. Still, some newcomers had a particular interest in provoking the Manokwari community to find a solution, namely, interfaith dialogue can help resolve misunderstandings between religions and cause conflict. Interfaith dialogue is an important means of building interreligious understanding. Dialogue can also rebuild reconciliation (division) and peace to resolve conflicts if interreligious dialogue is carried out. Having the awareness that every religion that the community adheres to carries a mission of peace

Understanding Covenants and Communities: Jews and Latter-day Saints in Dialogue

Understanding Covenants and Communities: Jews and Latter-day Saints in Dialogue

Karl Barth, Mou Zongsan, and the Political Responsibility of the Chinese Protestant Church

How can dogmatic teachings inform the political witness of the Chinese Protestant church and its calling among the moral crises of the past four decades? This essay responds to this urgent need by examining the political legacies of Karl Barth and Mou Zongsan, two dogmatic thinkers of Protestant Christianity and New Confucianism. A contextual and constructive comparison of the two figures allows us to reconfigure the notion of political responsibility as a praxis theory of neighbor love with several critical elements: it grounds the political responsibility of the church in the imperative of safeguarding fellow humanity and the forming of responsible humanity, and this imperative must be self-critical and forward-looking in practice. It thus contributes to Christian ethics by articulating the legacy of Barth’s dogmatic theology for democratic ethics through interfaith dialogue and a praxis theory of neighbor love for the Chinese Protestant church under the neoliberal regime.

That All Shall Be Saved: Heaven, Hell, and Universal Salvation by David Bentley Hart

Reviewed by: That All Shall Be Saved: Heaven, Hell, and Universal Salvation by David Bentley Hart Glenn B. Siniscalchi David Bentley Hart, That All Shall Be Saved: Heaven, Hell, and Universal Salvation. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2019. Pp. 224. $16.00, paper. Recognizing that certain expressions of Christianity have taught that everyone will see the beatific vision, Hart maintains that the doctrine of universal salvation has frequently been the minority viewpoint within Christian communities. However, that minority stance does not prevent Hart from arguing persuasively that the credibility of the gospel message is at stake in this debate. This book is a mesmerizing defense of the claim that everyone will freely submit to the Christian God. This is not to say that all beliefs concerning damnation are logically incoherent, but one should acknowledge the strength of Hart’s theological and philosophical arguments in That All Shall be Saved that the fires of hell will cleanse the unrepentant of the shortcomings that prevented them from cooperating with the Reign of God during their earthly lifetimes. Each of four meditations focuses on a distinct argument in support of the basic thesis of the book. Following the lead of Gregory of Nyssa, for instance, the doctrine of creatio ex nihilo reinforces the theology of God as the origin and destiny of all human beings. The second meditation discusses some of the complicated issues related to the proper translations and exegesis of the biblical texts (and whether the doctrine of an eternal hell is biblically based). Hart offers a plethora of textual evidence that the doctrine of universal restoration is firmly rooted in the scriptures. The third meditation continues the tradition of classical Christian thought on the collective nature of the identity of human beings. To state the case succinctly, if one person is saved, we must conclude that everyone will reach heavenly bliss. In Hart’s words, “Finite persons are not self-enclosed individual substances; they are dynamic events of relations to what is other than themselves” (p. 151). The last meditation concentrates on the nature of freedom as a condition of being for responsibility and excellence, not as the mere ability to choose between competing options. With this traditional understanding of human freedom in the background, the onus is placed on whether the intellect is able to see the good and the true in a fallen world. God’s grace therefore becomes paramount in guiding human beings toward their final ends. Reading this book as a Catholic theologian with a strong interest in fundamental theology, interfaith dialogue, and the philosophy of religion, I have been fascinated by Hart’s scholarly publications and public lectures, many of which are available online. These have played a major role in convincing me that his depiction of the eschatological horizon is correct. Catholic scholars who live with anxieties about the incompatibilities between conciliar teachings and belief [End Page 125] in universal restoration are strongly encouraged to consult Trent Pomplun’s article, “Heat and Light: David Bentley Hart on the Fires of Hell,” Modern Theology 37 (April, 2021): 523–530. Many intellectuals have discussed Hart’s works in several respectable forums, but, when their reviews and commentaries are carefully interpreted, one becomes perplexed by the misrepresentations of the arguments in support of select universalist positions. As long as one accepts a few other foundational beliefs about the nature of a theistic God and Christianity, the cumulative effect of the case that is presented in Hart’s book will likely remain irrefutable. Glenn B. Siniscalchi Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, St. Meinrad, IN Copyright © 2023 Journal of Ecumenical Studies

From Intellectual to Advocacy Movement: Islamic Moderation, the Conservatives and the Shift of Interfaith Dialogue Campaign in Indonesia

The interfaith dialogue campaign takes a new turn after the demise of the authoritarian regime in 1998. While the previous campaign was characterized by the important role of public intellectuals, such as Gus Dur, Romo Mangunwijaya and Th. Sumartana; the new generation of campaigners adopt more community-based advocacy movement. The shift into a new turn specifically refers to two phenomena; 1) change of the modes and practices of interfaith dialogue movement at the society level and 2) the idea of recent interfaith originates more from communities rather than from prominent public intellectuals. These two phenomena basically show the opportunities and challenges for the future of interfaith dialogue campaign. The study uses two methods, namely archival and case study based on the empirical data from Makassar and Yogyakarta in the mid 2022. The findings show that advocating interfaith dialogues through communities as adopted by the new generation of campaigners apparently more effective for young generations than what is experienced before 1998. It generates the recent interfaith dialogue among young people to be intimate. The findings also implies that the religious moderation discourse and campaign recently propagated by the Ministry of Religious Affairs need to be critically assessed. These two findings interestingly show the conservatives’ involvement that eager to join interfaith campaign in order to curb hardliner stigma.

ENGLISH-ISLAMIC PARADIGMS FOR INTERFAITH DIALOGUE: A QURANIC AND SUNNAH PERSPECTIVE

Dialogue is the only way that can be a good tool for making less and cease the conflict and tension among the groups. It is the channel for clearing the misconceptions, slanders, and acquisitions from both sides. This paper will investigate the roots or the sources of dialogue, theologically and historically in Islamic traditions, especially the prospects of Islamic paradigms of interfaith dialogue in the light of Quran and Sunnah with references to the Quranic verses and the traditions of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in brief. Additionally, this study will also propose a potential and positive contribution to continue the dialogue in religious and cultural perspectives as it is the best way to minimize the tension among the masses of different faith and culture. It will also suggest that Muslims should take initiatives in the best interest of religious peace and harmony. Muslims should learn the lesson from the life of the prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his treatment to other people of faith in the best manner. The life of the prophet was the best and the living example that was compatible with the verses of the Quran that clearly direct and address the believers to interact with others and have good relations with mutual understanding.

A Book Review on Environmental Wisdom for Planet Earth: The Islamic Heritage (Revised Second Edition) by Osman Bakar. Malaysia: Centre for Civilisational Dialogue University of Malaya and Islamic Book Trust. 2022

This book is an introduction to Islam’s legacy of ecological and environmental wisdom prescribed in the Qur’an and in the history of Islamic science and technology. The author attempted to expound the title in question two-pronged: by addressing the spiritual dimension of the environmental wisdom and its scientific-economic counterpart. His main argument centres on highlighting a spiritual vision of nature – in this case, Islamic – that should be embodied and accounted within discussions about ecology and environment based on dialogue. The book is an ideological expansion of Seyyed Hossein Nasr’s seminal work, Man and Nature: The Spiritual Crisis in Modern Man (2007). Specifically, the author emphasizes that the Earth is human beings’ only planetary home and highlights the Quranic take on the proposition. In this revised second addition, it updates the importance of intensifying interfaith dialogues particularly with regards to addressing contemporary environmental issues (i.e climate change) by reflecting on Muslim-Catholic dialogue by referring to the Pope’s Laudato Si in His Holiness’ regards to Earth as Our Common Home in particular. Theoretically, this book is yet another addition to the dialogic approach to inter-civilizational issues to address both practical and spiritual upheavals emanating from such inter-religious discourse about the current state of humanity and its relationship with the environment.

Interfaith Dialogue: A Qur’anic Cum Prophetic Perspective

Interfaith dialogue is a crucial technique for mitigating interreligious tensions that exist around the world. However, It is in the name of religion that we see many heinous crimes being perpetrated resulting in the deaths of many innocents despite the fact that every religion promotes universal love and compassion for other people .Today, Islam has been misunderstood due to the lacking of proper Islamic knowledge. So research is needed to mitigate ambiguity regarding Islam’s proper knowledge and Islamic perspective on interreligious dialogue. This article has been designed to go through the Qur’an and the Prophet’s ﷺ way of life in order to clarify how Islam views interfaith dialogue and also to warn of various hazards to be guarded against while in dialogue. The study demonstrates how Islam plays a unique role in encouraging interfaith dialogue by ensuring justice, equal rights, and religious freedom for all religions, cultures, and civilizations, as well as accepting all prior prophets as Prophets of Islam .The study concludes by emphasizing that Islam is a comprehensive faith that promotes peaceful interreligious coexistence. It can be used as a model for resolving interfaith conflicts and promoting interfaith harmony and peaceful coexistence in today's world of diverse faiths and traditions .This research adopted the qualitative method in the form of contextual analysis and the historical interpretation of the Qur’an and Sunnah.

Impact of Affirmative Actions to Enhance Participation of Minorities in Governance of Pakistan

Paper is an effort to assess the impact of affirmative actions to enhance the participation of religious minorities in governance in Pakistan. Quantitative research approach is employed in the research. Researcher used both secondary and primary sources of data for in-depth understanding of the issue. For secondary data various research papers, reports and policy papers were analyzed keeping in mind the research questions. Survey has been conducted with the help of questionnaire from the relevant population. Research found that there are adequate legislation and policy aiming at enhancing minority participation in governance and society. To some extent minority population is satisfied with existing policies and quotas however, certain issues and challenges have been identified which obstruct the inclusion of minority population which include cultural factors, some historical hostilities among Muslim and some no-Muslim groups, sense of self-isolation of minority, role of certain fundamentalist groups. To solve these issues government and civil society must take certain steps like proper implementation of quotas, protection of minority, propagation of cultural tolerance and religious pluralism, inter-faith dialogue and research on minority issues.

Pengarusutamaan Moderasi Beragama Generasi Milenial melalui Gerakan Siswa Moderat di Kabupaten Lumajang

This article examines the model for mainstreaming religious moderation for the millennial generation that is vulnerable to the movement for religious exclusivity. The religious spirit of the millennial generation has been coloured by extreme legal-formal thoughts and views that have implications for the existential destruction of religious moderation values and the growth of intolerance. This article focuses on studying Gerakan Siswa Moderat (GSM)/ the Moderate Student Movement initiated by the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Lumajang Regency to create religious moderation activators among madrasah students. Retrieval of field data used a qualitative model. Data collection was carried out using observation techniques and presented in descriptive writing to describe the phenomena, situations and conditions that took place during the launch of the GSM program. The research results show that although madrasah students are vulnerable to exposure to radicalism and tolerance due to natural factors that are part of the digital age, those who are members of GSM become agents as well as ambassadors for driving religious moderation in three actions at once, i.e. linking past and present religious awareness, being an adhesive for collective religious identity, and being a communicator of narratives and religious messages that are intact, tolerant and peaceful. The strengthening was conducted through a moderation school program and interfaith dialogue.

Countering Social Stigma as the Basis of Interfaith Movement: A Case Study of Cadar Garis Lucu

One of the weaknesses of interfaith dialogue in Indonesia is the lack of participation and space for women’s voices. Almost all spaces for interfaith dialogue are dominated by men, even though women have an important role in interfaith dialogue. Therefore, we should involve more women than men, not only because women are the most affected when religious conflicts occur but previous studies have also shown that women are most effective in peacebuilding negotiation based on non-violent strategies. This study investigates an interfaith movement, Cadar Garis Lucu, which veiled/niqab women initiated to counter the stigma that veiled/niqab women are radical-extremist and anti-other religions. Besides being active in promoting peace and interfaith dialogue, Cadar Garis Lucu also promotes the discourse of gender equality. By employing qualitative research and in-depth interview method as the primary data collection technique, this study found that Cadar Garis Lucu is an interfaith movement that aims to counter society’s negative stigma towards women – both veiled/niqab women and women in general – and seeks to bring women to participate in interfaith dialogue. Furthermore, this study argues that there is no better way to peacebuilding than to give space for women in interfaith dialogue.

Nationality, Locality, and Religiosity: Works and Thoughts of Maria Theresia Geme of the Forum for Religious Harmony of East Nusa Tenggara

This article examines Maria Theresia Geme's thoughts and works on the issue of religious harmony through Forum for Religious Harmony (FKUB) of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). This is a qualitative study which gathers data through observation, in-depth interviews, and document analysis. This research aims to address three primary questions: (1) How the agency of "women's leadership" of Maria T. Geme within FKUB NTT?; (2) What is her perspective on women's involvement in issues of religious harmony and peace building?; (3) What are Maria thoughts and works while leading FKUB NTT, and what it's implications for interfaith dialogue and religious harmony? This study concluded that Geme is the first and only woman in the history of Indonesia to lead FKUB at the provincial level. Her leadership strategy is to integrate women's leadership and her agency in the development of FKUB initiatives, in order to emphasizes women's involvement on the issue of religious harmony with mubadalah paradigm (mutuality). For Geme, the Indonesian identity will be strengthened through a balanced relationship between religious values and local wisdom. Therefore, preserving and strengthening local wisdom is one of important things in developing and fostering interfaith dialogue and religious harmony.

Principles of Religious Pluralism

Religious pluralism is growing in significance because of increasing religious diversity and increasing religious conflicts, which cause unrest in contemporary society. Muslim perennialists represent one of many groups advocating for the common goals of religious pluralism and the reaffirmation of perennial wisdom, which lies at the heart of all primordial religious traditions. The purpose of the study is to explore the principles of religious pluralism advocated by Muslim perennialist philosophers. Using the discourse analysis methodology, this study analyzed the theological validity of the Muslim perennialist perspective for articulating interfaith dialogue and co-existence in multicultural societies. By conducting this critical analysis, the study concludes that the principles of religious pluralism advocated by Muslim perennialists are the means of bringing interfaith peaceful co-existence to society.

God isn’t dead: religion, nuclear norms, and the Middle East

ABSTRACT Religion is understudied as a variable in nuclear-proliferation and nuclear-deterrence policies. This article issues a call to scholars, activists, and practitioners to improve knowledge and strategic intelligence about the connection between religion and nuclear weapons. Such a research program is necessary to fill gaps in the scholarly literature on nuclear norms and nuclear decision making. It is also policy relevant. This is especially true in the Middle East, where all states profess to want a nuclear-weapon-free region and where religion is often used to legitimize political authority and decision making. Efforts to create in the Middle East a zone free of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction (a Middle East Zone) are currently hamstrung by conventional diplomatic concerns over sequencing, monitoring, and the security dilemma. This article posits that interfaith dialogue—one possible manifestation of a reinvigorated research program on religion and nuclear weapons—could both enhance our knowledge of how religious belief influences nuclear decision making and stimulate progress on achieving a Middle East Zone by reframing discourse on such a zone in terms of Abrahamic identity. The proposition is deductive and rooted in constructivist theories of change. It is not idealistic: a constructivist approach and a role for religion does not necessarily indicate pacifism, nor does it require unanimous buy-in for a religious normative order to prevail.

Time, grief, and hope on film

Time, grief, and hope on film

The conception of religious moderation in interfaith dialogue in Indonesia; Case study in Flores Nusa Tenggara Timur

This article discusses the concept of religious moderation in interfaith dialogue in Indonesia, especially in Flores, NTT. Religion, which in general is an ideology that is defensive and partial, at first glance does not appear in the Flores NTT community. This can be seen when commemorating religious holidays such as Eid al-Fitr or Christmas, where young people from different religious backgrounds help each other in the smooth implementation of the holiday, houses of worship that are often built side by side facilitate the process of interfaith interaction in Flores, NTT. This is an interest for the author to look further into the concept of religious moderation in Flores, NTT which can become an example in the application of religious moderation in Indonesia. Interpretive paradigm, an inductive qualitative approach, with qualitative multimethods, anthropology - ethnography to phenomenology, the author tries to map interfaith interaction patterns in the concept of religious moderation in NTT, where the result is, the position of religion as an ideology is replaced with the family, where the family is more exalted than religion, on the other hand the role of religious leaders is very large in the process of interfaith dialogue, cultural elements, customs that are humanistic in nature strengthen the process of interfaith interaction in Flores, NTT.

Interfaith Dialogue: A Qur’anic Cum Prophetic Perspective

Interfaith dialogue is a crucial technique for mitigating interreligious tensions that exist around the world. However, It is in the name of religion that we see many heinous crimes being perpetrated resulting in the deaths of many innocents despite the fact that every religion promotes universal love and compassion for other people .Today, Islam has been misunderstood due to the lacking of proper Islamic knowledge. So research is needed to mitigate ambiguity regarding Islam’s proper knowledge and Islamic perspective on interreligious dialogue. This article has been designed to go through the Qur’an and the Prophet’s ﷺ way of life in order to clarify how Islam views interfaith dialogue and also to warn of various hazards to be guarded against while in dialogue. The study demonstrates how Islam plays a unique role in encouraging interfaith dialogue by ensuring justice, equal rights, and religious freedom for all religions, cultures, and civilizations, as well as accepting all prior prophets as Prophets of Islam .The study concludes by emphasizing that Islam is a comprehensive faith that promotes peaceful interreligious coexistence. It can be used as a model for resolving interfaith conflicts and promoting interfaith harmony and peaceful coexistence in today's world of diverse faiths and traditions .This research adopted the qualitative method in the form of contextual analysis and the historical interpretation of the Qur’an and Sunnah.

Islamic Approaches in Multicultural and Interfaith Dialogue

Humans are created with diverse ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds. Thus, dialogue experience has become a part of the experiences in daily life. Dialogue expresses an important aspect of human beings, such as listening and responding sincerely to each other and building bonds between them. It emphasizes different perspectives, attitudes, and openness. Similarly, Interreligious dialogue refers to a positive relationship with reciprocity and cooperation among followers of different religions. This dialogue communicates thoughts and hearts between different faiths people to build a common goal. In building interfaith dialogue, several approaches can be applied where the participants can become open, accept and respect different truths. The purpose of dialogue in Islam is not to change one's beliefs but to open up space and opportunities for others to express their religious beliefs and practices. Islam teaches that every human being has the right to choose and practice his religion. Dialogue can be realized without having to change our faith, we can even hold on to our faith. This research applies qualitative methods through contextual analysis.

Faith based violence juxtaposing Christianity with Islam: the way forward

Irrational killings and prejudice for and against one religion and another has been ravaging Nigeria. The risks associated with the re-occurring violence and terrorism in Nigeria remains of concern. When such incidents are juxtaposed with the state of affairs in Nigeria and the rise of religiosity in Nigeria, it becomes glaring that faith based violence is a time bomb which explodes at any little opportunity. It is however established that those that execute these violence actually do grave harm to the reputation. The dangers are undesirable and despicable. But this requires an urgent call to action towards eradicating faith based violence as a result of psychological complex. To live beyond this menace, there is need to intensify vocal denouncement of terrorism by non-Islamic and Islamic leaders, a guarantee of good governance, proper and modest hermeneutics of the scripture, intra and inter-faith dialogue and tolerance as way forward to this plague called faith based violence.