Interreligious Encounter Research Articles

Women’s Environmental Peacebuilding – from the Lense of Post-Colonial Theological Ecofeminism

In a broader context, this paper focuses on the need to address environmental issues and include women’s voices and actions in the context of interreligious dialogue—more specifically, to create a venue for women’s engagement in environmental peacebuilding through interreligious encounters and dialogue. First, the phenomenon of religious environmental peacebuilding is introduced as an emerging field that views conflicts over environmental resources (environmental injustice) as an opportunity for the conflicting parties to cooperate with one another and ultimately work toward a lasting and sustainable peace. A brief overview of two examples of good practices of women’s movements for environmental peacebuilding (Navdanya and the Green Belt Movement) and their contributions are briefly analyzed. From this perspective, the question arises: is Western Christian ecotheology listening to the ecotheological perspectives and practices of the Global South? Furthermore, it addresses the importance of including women’s voices and actions (from the Global South and the Global North for mutual enrichment), which are often left out of interreligious dialogue, but could also find their place in religious (environmental) peacebuilding. This paper follows the ecofeminist thesis that the exploitation of the earth (ecological crisis) is closely linked to the marginalization, exploitation, and abuse of women. From this perspective, perceptions and critical perspectives of environmental injustice and the importance of women’s engagement in environmental interreligious peacebuilding are brought together.

Investigating Yūsuf al-Qaraḍāwī’s Approach Towards Inter-Religious Encounters in the Light of His Teachings and Writings

This research seeks to investigate the approach of Yusuf al-Qaradawi toward inter-religious encounters in the light of his teachings and writings. As a prominent Islamic scholar and intellectual, Qaradawi’s teachings and writings have had a significant impact on the relationship between the Muslim community and others. The goal of this research is to provide an analysis of Qaradawi’s writings and teachings to extract his approach toward inter-religious encounters and relations, drawing on a range of primary and secondary sources. Through a critical examination of his views on this subject, the approach of Qaradawi toward inter-religious understanding and cooperation is emphasized. The descriptive, analytical, and critical methods are used in the entire work. A brief description of Yusuf al-Qaradawi’s life, intellectual development, and works on inter-religious encounters and understanding is provided. Analysis of how he approached inter-religious encounters and relations, and how his views and thoughts on this subject have been received by both Muslim and non-Muslim communities. The study expects to provide new insights into Yusuf al-Qaradawi’s approach to inter-religious engagements, which are relevant to the contemporary context of inter-religious relationships between Muslims and adherents of other religions.

The Materiality of Interreligious Encounters

This special issue, “The Materiality of Interreligious Encounters,” provides a diverse sample of scholarly attention to the role of the material in interreligious relations. It features articles by five anthropologists (Hanane Benadi, Yulia Egorova, Samuel Everett, Lindsay Simmonds, and Erica Weiss) whose research considers spaces of religious intersection, proximity, and negotiation and the potential of material things therein. Prompted by Birgit Meyer’s opening reflection, with responses from Ayala Fader, Vlad Naumescu, and Jeremy Walton, this issue’s In Conversation section further explores how closer focus on senses, aesthetics, space, time, and music can enhance our understanding of interreligious encounters as well as offer fresh insights at the nexus of religion and materiality. Together, these wide-ranging articles offer three main contributions: they demonstrate the material pragmatics of living together; they illuminate interreligious proximities that tend to be lost in discursive processes of religious differentiation; and they subvert normative views of interreligious encounter as primarily a matter of clashing beliefs, texts, and theologies.

Illiberal Jewish-Christian Encounters: Political Temporalities in Amish Country Tourism

Abstract Increasing numbers of ultra-Orthodox Jews are flocking to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to participate in Amish country tourism and to consume kosher dairy products, sometimes produced through economic collaborations between Orthodox Jews and local Amish/Mennonite farmers. Through an ethnographic examination of these phenomena, we demonstrate how Amish tourism fosters illiberal interreligious encounters among the triangle of ultra-Orthodox Jewish tourists, Amish/Mennonite farmers, and Christian tour guide mediators. Whereas historically tourism to the Amish was driven by white nostalgic longings for a European peasant past and the American frontier, Orthodox Jews project a nostalgic vision of the Eastern European shtetl onto the Amish and their dairy products. We borrow the concept of political temporalities (Little 2022) to explore an illiberal political temporality formed by the encounter among illiberal religious groups in a recreational tourist setting. Despite different nostalgic projections, these religious groups converged over their visions of an American religious present and future.

Alexander the Macedonian's Image in the Jewish Temple: A Medievaval Tale of Jewish–Non-Jewish Encounter

Abstract: Narratives about Alexander the Macedonian's life were extremely popular throughout the Middle Ages all over Europe and beyond. Crossing cultural boundaries, they were also adopted and adapted for a Jewish readership. In the latter context, the episode about the king's visit to Jerusalem served as a topos of interreligious encounter between the Jews and their non-Jewish rulers. It was first told by Flavius Josephus in the first century as a tale that sets idolatry in contrast with monotheism. Among other episodes, the text reports a dramatic encounter with the Jewish high priest. In medieval versions, Alexander suggests that the high priest erect a golden statue of himself in the sanctuary to honor God. The paper offers an in-depth analysis of this latter motif in different versions of the narrative against the background of medieval Jewish-Christian relations. Abstract: Narratives about Alexander the Macedonian's life were extremely popular throughout the Middle Ages all over Europe and beyond. Crossing cultural boundaries, they were also adopted and adapted for a Jewish readership. In the latter context, the episode about the king's visit to Jerusalem served as a topos of interreligious encounter between the Jews and their non-Jewish rulers. It was first told by Flavius Josephus in the first century as a tale that sets idolatry in contrast with monotheism. Among other episodes, the text reports a dramatic encounter with the Jewish high priest. In medieval versions Alexander suggests that the high priest erect a golden statue of himself in the sanctuary to honor God. The paper offers an in-depth analysis of this latter motif in different versions of the narrative against the background of medieval Jewish-Christian relations.

Ethics Education in the Context of an Interreligious Encounter Day (IED): Empirical Research Results from Austria

This article adds an empirical contribution to international discussions on interreligious education, taking the point of view of the academic study of religion. It presents results from a Viennese research project that used a participant observation design to analyze one of the more recent pedagogical formats to deal with religious plurality at school—the so-called Interreligious Encounter Day (IED). More precisely this article focuses on the role of Ethics Education (EE) within the context of a specific IED that was organized in 2019. Along those lines, it highlights the ambiguity of IED practices at a school by presenting a threefold argument: first, the article makes the point that the IED opened up a space to explicitly make religion a subject of discussion at school. Second, it argues that—within the context of the IED—religion is constructed in a specific way that can be described as ‘school religion’. Third, it proposes that the observed IED format has the tendency to prioritize specific individual constructions of religion—especially those prompted by theology.

The Akan Indigenous Concepts of Religion and Nyame (the Supreme Deity) and the Promotion of Inter-religious Relations in Ghana

This paper in revealing that the adoption of foreign religions has not eradicated the lingering influence of indigenous spiritual and religious values, explores the coexistence of Christianity, Islam, and indigenous Akan religious values among the Akan people. The study, employing a mixed-methodological approach, including interviews with three respondents and ten focus group discussions in Ghana’s Central Region, delved into the Akan conception of religion as a prevailing system. It highlighted the Supreme Deity’s role as the Great Ancestor, emphasizing how these concepts foster apathy towards religious differences and cultivate a trans-religious attitude among the Akan people. The findings suggest that Akan’s general indifference to religious disparities not only contributes to a tolerant society but also potentially serves as a model for interreligious harmony. This resilience is evident in the face of efforts by some Christians and Muslims to discourage trans-religious practices among the Akan. This showcases the enduring nature of Akan inclusivity in matters of religion. Keywords: Akan, Indigenous Religions, Christianity, Islam, Interreligious Encounters, Dialogue

Religious Differences and Imperial Pragmatism in a Polemical Arena: A Privileged Law for Muslims, Hindus, and Jains in Diu (1557)

Abstract In 1557 Francisco Barreto, the Portuguese governor of the State of India, issued a decree forbidding the destruction of temples and books belonging to the Gujarati Muslims, Hindus, and Jains of Diu and allowed them to practice their religion freely. This and other reforms introduced by the crown and the Goan archbishop created a special situation for Muslims and Hindus living in Diu, in contrast to the policies designed to establish monolithic confessionalism that the Portuguese authorities had been attempting to impose in most part of Asia since around 1540. This article aims to reconstruct and explain the specific nature of the religious policies pursued in Diu, adopting a holistic approach that compares them with developments in other areas of Portuguese Asia. It will be argued that the policies adopted made Diu a multiconfessional city, one that accommodated interreligious encounters though it was less supportive of mobility between different religions. This was the outcome of pragmatism, an essential feature of the actions of the different Portuguese agents who intervened at different levels, creating dynamics in which the role of the native population was also decisive in shaping imperial societies.

Missiology as encounterology: Pentecostal considerations

Encounterology is a missiological approach to the theology of religions that was developed by J.N.J. Kritzinger – a South African missiologist. The approach recognises the encounter between people of different faiths or religions such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and others. Encounterology is a theology of a particular interfaith encounter that is relevant to the theology of religions. Encounterology is discussed here as a theology relevant to addressing the differences that exist between Christian denominations and their theological approaches. This article engages encounterology from a Pentecostal theological perspective to develop an authentic and transformative Pentecostal theology of encounters. This article builds from the Pentecostal theology of encounters with the Holy Spirit and fellow human beings into the development of the theology of interreligious encounters. In addition, encounterology is relevant in Pentecostalism in the encounters between the movement and other Christian traditions. Therefore, the theology of religions should consider not only exclusivist, inclusivist and pluralist approaches, but also encounterology as an authentic and transformative approach for both interreligious and ecumenical dialogue.Contribution: This article used encounterology as an important framework for a Pentecostal theology of interreligious and ecumenical dialogue. This article has made a new contribution to the theology of religions in the methodological and theoretical field in proposing encounterology to existing approaches such as exclusivist, inclusivist and pluralist approaches.

The Abu Dhabi Document: A Potential Cornerstone for Islamic-Christian Dialogue in Italian Educational Contexts

In Italy, the migratory phenomenon has also had an impact on the school system, becoming an interesting potential field for intercultural and inter-religious encounters. As regards, for instance, the presence of pupils and students and their families of Islamic faith, very frequently, emphasis is placed almost exclusively on specific issues and requests, such as exemption from the teaching of the Catholic religion or specific diet. On the other hand, we rarely discuss how the presence of diverse faiths can create a unique opportunity for mutual knowledge to spread and promote the “culture of encounter”. In fact, engagement with religious others is an unavoidable duty, both pedagogical and civic. Therefore, starting from an analysis of pedagogical-educational aspects of the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, the aim of this article is to outline a rethinking of the concept of intercultural/inter-religious dialogue, above all as a pedagogical challenge and a preventive measure against extremism, within the broad framework of inclusive citizenship.

Aporetic Belonging: Thinking the Experience of Buddhist-Christian Practice with Gillian Rose

abstract: The possibility of authentic Buddhist-Christian belonging and practice has largely been affirmed or dismissed on the basis of the individual participant's different understandings of their respective faith traditions. Here, I suggest that the philosopher Gillian Rose's speculative thought offers a complimentary lens through which to engage in the conversation, particularly those themes imbricated in her speculative thinking around the broken middle, inaugurated mourning, or "working through," recognition, and appropriation. A different kind of dialogue emerges from her thinking that refocuses engagement from merely being a presentation of different views to a humanizing and deeper regard for dialogue partners across their differences, with implications for wider interreligious encounters and peacebuilding.

Cemeteries as Spaces of Interreligious Encounter? The Use of Different Types of Neutrality in the Context of Graveyards in Scandinavia

Abstract In Scandinavia, the loss of members in established (or formerly established) churches, the rise of unaffiliated, and diverse migration led to a need for new approaches to historically Christian spaces. To create all-inclusive spaces, the idea of neutrality has been adopted. Among others, burials, and cemeteries, which are still mostly run by the national churches, have been affected by this effort. The use of neutrality in this context, however, begs the question: neutral with regard to what or to whom? This article explores the concept of neutrality in Scandinavia and studies three cases to see how it works in practice. These cases include new burial and graveyard laws in Norway, the idea of a neutral ceremony room in Denmark, and the introduction of a neutral cemetery section in Sweden.

INTERRITUALITY SEBAGAI MEDIUM KOMUNIKASI LINTAS AGAMA: BELAJAR DARI SEMBAHYANG KING HOO PING UMAT KHONGHUCU DI SEMARANG

For more than thirty years, the existence of the religion of Khonghucu was not recognized by the New Order government. During Abdurrahman Wahid's presidency, the government issued a regulation recognizing the religion. Soon afterward, the Khonghucu community actively engaged in various interreligious communication practices to maintain interreligious harmony. Interestingly, Khonghucu community in Semarang established practice of interreligious communication through the King Hoo Ping prayer ritual. In that annual prayer, religious leaders are invited to actively participate in the private ritual of the Khonghucu community. This kind of interrituality practice can be a medium for interreligious encounter and communication. Using Marianne Moyaert's concept of interrituality, this paper aims to describe the interritual practice of King Hoo Ping interreligious prayer. This paper wants to examine how the host's religious hospitality can turn strangers and outsiders into being guests in the host's ‘religious house’.

Social and political contexts of religious conversion in Sidaama, Ethiopia, 1891-1974

This article discusses religious conversion in Sidaama, Ethiopia, 1891-1974. The Sidaama area is in Southern Ethiopia, southeast of Lake Hawassa and northeast of Lake Abaya in the Rift Valley of Ethiopia. Most of the population belongs to the ethnic group Sidaama, speakers of the Cushitic language Sidaamu Afoo. The region became incorporated into the Ethiopian Empire during the twentieth century. The article will first provide a historical overview of religious change in the area. Next, the paper will present theoretical approaches to religious conversion. The article's main content focuses on the interreligious encounter between the indigenous Sidaama religion and varieties of christianity. The paper will discuss how the interreligious encounter initiated a process of conversion to Christianity. The conversion process occurred at the intersection between indigenous Sidaama converts and various forms of Christianity and was influenced by internal social tensions and inequalities in Sidaama.

Nathan the Wise: Dialogue without words

The ‘dramatic poem’, Nathan der Weise [Nathan the Wise], was written in 1779 by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing in Germany. The scene is set in medieval Jerusalem, where Sultan Saladin rules and where the wealthy merchant Jew, Nathan, lives with his adopted daughter Recha, who is saved from a burning house by a Christian Templar knight. It is clear from the characters that the poem has the making of a fine example of interreligious dialogue. The culmination of the interreligious encounter in the poem is the account of what is now known as the parable of the Three Rings. The principle behind the parable has theological and socio-ethical implications that may guide us in understanding how religions can and ought to engage. This contribution presents a critical reflection of the Three Rings parable to add to the current debate on interreligious relations. The text of the poem is read from a theological socio-ethical perspective. The conclusion drawn from this reflection is that theological reasons may sometimes not be enough to ensure peaceful relations between religions. It may be that religions can together address socio-ethical challenges. Such co-action may transcend theological differences and mitigate interreligious dialogue.Contribution: This contribution wants to critically discuss the dramatic poem ‘Nathan der Weise’ and determine how the Three Rings parable can contribute to current interreligious relations. The research addresses United Nations Sustainable Development Goals numbers 11 and 16, contributing to peaceful co-existence in sustainable communities.

Moral Cultivation and Divine Revelation: James Legge’s Religious Interpretation of the Yijing (Book of Changes)

James Legge (1815–1897), arguably the most prominent missionary sinologist in the nineteenth century and the founding Professor of Chinese in Oxford in 1876, produced an English translation of the Yijing (Book of Changes), the prominent Chinese classic, in 1882. This translation was included in Max Müller’s monumental Sacred Books of the East series. While existing scholarship has outlined some background and features of Legge’s Yijing translation, this version deserves more in-depth textual analysis to unearth Legge’s primary sources of reference and theological positions behind his interpretive approach. Perceiving the Yijing as a Confucian classic with profound moralistic connotations, Legge even revered it as a “sacred book” containing certain elements of divine revelation. He asserted that the Chinese term Shangdi (Supreme Ruler) referred to the Christian God, insisting that “God” was the “correct” translation of Shangdi, and that the operations of nature in the different seasons are the work of Shangdi. This paper examines Legge’s pioneering attempt of translating the Yijing to the West, with special reference to his religious interpretation of the seminal Chinese classic. This endeavor engendered profound inter-religious encounters and dialogues between Confucianism and Christianity.

Madonna of the Reef in Perast and the Fašinada Custom: Relational and Representational Perspectives on a Maritime Pilgrimage

This article is about the Fašinada custom. The Fašinada refers to the transporting of stones by boat from the coast to a small island named Madonna of the Reef in Perast, Montenegro. This custom both commemorates the finding of a miraculous painting of the Madonna on a reef in the sea, and it furthers the island’s construction by piling stones on that reef. I consider issues of both representation and relationality linked to this site. These two aspects constantly intermingle, and one cannot be understood without the other. In the first part of the article, I draw more on a political economy perspective on human intentionality and consider the material results of social relations. I describe and explain the complex background to the Madonna of the Reef pilgrimage, the different practices linked to this island and her saint, the transformations that Perast in general and maritime pilgrimages in particular have undergone over time, and then, I describe the multivocality of the contemporary Perast community. In the second half of this article, I consider relational and dwelling perspectives on the co-option and construction of the Madonna of the Reef, and how nature has affected social relations. In doing so, I consider “nonhuman agency” as one of the main reasons why the custom of the Fašinada has transcended its religious context and become a space for interreligious encounters.

Designing Interreligious Encounters: Space, Materiality, and Media in Berlin’s House of One

Drawing on an analysis of the multi-religious architectural project called “House of One” in Berlin, this article explores the spatial dynamics surrounding multi-religious places by design. My central questions are: How are liberal notions of tolerance, religious sharing, and diversity addressed and translated in the medium of architecture? And what are the spatial dynamics that facilitate the formation of urban, national, and transnational publics in which understandings of shared sacred space are negotiated? I suggest that emblematic architectural projects such as the House of One acquire their material shape and political meanings not only through design practices but also through media-driven processes of communicative construction and the ways in which affect dispersed audiences by animating their fantasies of peaceful coexistence. Inspired by theories of iconicity, research on urban religion and studies of interreligious dialogue, I explore the narratives and material practices that turn the House of One into a new urban emblem. I argue that as a socio-material energy that is fundamentally relational, iconic force emerges from the ways people attach their vision of interreligious peace to buildings such as the House of One, begin to see them actualized through the building itself, and develop affective ties to it.

Teaching and Learning for Interreligious Encounters: An Islamic Perspective

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Transformational Dialogue and Christian Identity in a Multi-Religious Context: Nigeria in Focus

Dialogue within a multi-religious context presupposes the recognition of the many identities that are involved in mutual encounter and exchange. The understanding, shape or interpretation of each identity plays a critical role in the nature of the dialogical process as well as the outcome of the dialogue itself. This article re-assesses the Christian identity in the dialogue between Christians and Muslims, with a focus on how this plays out in the Nigerian context. It explores how a distinctive African worldview can shape the Christian identity towards an increased relationality, solidarity, and interdependence. Furthermore, the article critically investigates fundamentalist tendencies within Nigerian Christianity, and finally addresses how ‘a personalist approach’ could foster better intra- and inter-religious encounters in Nigeria in a manner that preserves identity while remaining open towards the other (Christian or religious).