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Download Download Types of Interreligious Dialogue Sergey Melnik The existing classifications of types of interreligious dialogue have limitations and shortcomings and do not allow us to describe this extremely complex, multi-faceted phenomenon in a systematic and complete way. The article presents an original classification of interreligious dialogue that provides a more sophisticated tool for analyzing this phenomenon. On the basis of the “intention” criterion, i.e. the motivation that encourages followers of different religions to come into contact with each other, four major types of interreligious dialogue are “polemical,” “cognitive,” “peacemaking,” and “partnership”. These types of dialogue are lined up respectively around the following questions: “Who is right?”, “Who are you?”, “How can we live together peacefully?” and “What can we do to improve the world?” Using the criteria goal (tasks headed towards by the participants in the dialogue); principles (starting points which determine the interaction), and form (participants in the dialogue), various kinds of dialogue within each of the four types are identified and described. Presented classifications provide an approach that can be useful for analyzing various kinds of interreligious dialogue.1 Keywords: interreligious dialogue, classification, interfaith relations, types, peacemaking, cooperation, diplomacy, theology, comparative theology, theology of religions, state-religion relations. Religion plays an important role in the life of contemporary societies all over the globe. According to Peter Berger, the world is “as furiously religious as it ever was, and in some places more so than ever”2. The scholar argues that modernity gave rise not to secularization, but to pluralism—which implies coexistence of and close interaction between adherents of various value systems and worldviews within one society. Becoming particularly essential in today’s interdependent and interrelated world is the task of exploring a complex of problems pertaining to the establishment of positive relationships between followers of different religions, which is usually called “interreligious dialogue.” Interreligious dialogue as a scientific problem Religious leaders, politicians and experts often mention interreligious dialogue in their speeches; yet, the interpretation of this notion can vary greatly. Catherine Cornille, a specialist in interreligious dialogue, notes that The term dialogue tends to be used to cover a wide range of engagements between religious traditions, from daily interaction between believers living in the same neighborhoods to organized discussions and debates between expert scholars, and from formal or casual exchanges between spiritual or institutional leaders to inter-religious activism around social issues. The goals of particular 1 The study reported here was funded by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research according to the research project № 18-311-00337. 2 Peter Berger, “Desecularization of the world: a global overview,“ in The Desecularization of the World: Resurgent Religion and World Politics, ed. Peter Berger (Washington: Ethics and Public Policy Center, W. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1999), 2. 48 “Types of Interreligious Dialogue” dialogues may differ—from peaceful coexistence to social change and from mutual understanding to actual religious growth.3 Terrence Merrigan believes that interreligious dialogue falls into a category of terms that everyone uses but no one is able to explain4. In this regard, he writes: “dialogue” is perhaps the most ambiguous term in the vocabulary that has developed around the challenge to religions posed by globalization and pluralization. Scratch the surface of this term and a whole range of interrelated issues make their appearance, including questions about the precise aims of dialogue, the appropriate (or necessary) conditions for dialogue, the topics to be discussed (or avoided) during dialogue, the criteria for evaluating the success (or meaningfulness) of dialogue, and so on.5 He, along with many other researches, points to a problem caused by the fact that interreligious dialogue is a complex, many-faceted phenomenon.6 Hence, classification of forms of interreligious dialogue becomes an urgent research task. The best-known attempt to devise such classification was made by the Roman Catholic Church. It highlights the following four types of interreligious dialogue: dialogue of theological exchange (theological dialogue; dialogue of study); dialogue of religious experience (dialogue of spirituality, spiritual dialogue); dialogue of action; and dialogue of life.7 Theological dialogue is aimed at exploring another religion, at trying to comprehend how it views these or those issues, and often entails drawing a comparison with one’s own doctrine. Within the framework of the dialogue of theological exchange, “specialists seek to deepen their understanding of their respective religious heritages, and to appreciate each other's spiritual values.”8 The spiritual dialogue implies very close acquaintance with another religion, even to the extent of using its spiritual practices, and its goal is often seen as “mutual enrichment.” As the document Dialogue and Proclamation notes, within the framework of “the dialogue of religious experience . persons, rooted in their own religious traditions, share their spiritual riches, for instance with regard to prayer and contemplation, faith and ways of searching for God or the Absolute.” The dialogue of action is a joint activity of believers working towards common goals, such as, for instance, rendering aid to the needy. In the dialogue of action, “Christians and others collaborate for the integral development and liberation of people.” By the dialogue of life, the Catholic classification denotes contacts between ordinary believers of different religions in the course of everyday life (at work, 3 Catherine Cornille, “Introduction,” in The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Inter-religious Dialogue, ed. Catherine Cornille (Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 2013), xii. 4 Terrence Merrigan, “Introduction. Rethinking Theologies of Interreligious Dialogue,” in The Past, Present, and Future of Theologies of Interreligious Dialogue, ed. Terrence Merrigan and John Friday (Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 2017), 2. 5 Merrigan, Introduction. Rethinking Theologies of Interreligious Dialogue, 2. 6 Marianne Moyaert, “Interreligious Dialogue,” in Understanding Interreligious Relations, ed. David Cheetham, Douglas Pratt and David Thomas (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013), 201–12. 7 Dialogue and Proclamation: Reflection and Orientations on Interreligious Dialogue and the Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Document of Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, https://w2.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_19051991_dialog ue-and-proclamatio_en.html. 8 Dialogue and Proclamation 49 The Journal of Interreligious Studies 31 (November 2020) between neighbors, between parents at school, etc.). The dialogue of life takes place “where people strive to live in an open and neighborly spirit, sharing their joys and sorrows, their human problems and preoccupations.”9 Each of the aforementioned kinds of dialogue corresponds to the “level” at which it is carried out: “head” (using intellectual abilities for exploring another religion), “heart” (gaining insight into the perspective of another’s religious experience), “hands” (undertaking practical activities), and “daily life.” For this reason, the theological, spiritual, and practical kinds of interreligious dialogue are sometimes respectively called “dialogue of head,” “dialogue of heart” and “dialogue of hands.” Table 1. Catholic classification of interreligious dialogue dialogue of theological exchange (theological dialogue, dialogue of study) dialogue of head dialogue of religious experience (dialogue of spirituality, dialogue of heart spiritual dialogue) dialogue of action (practical dialogue) dialogue of hands dialogue of life While providing structure to various forms of interfaith interaction, the Catholic classification has its shortcomings. For instance, it does not take into consideration some important forms of interfaith relations. Left aside in this classification is a polemical aspect of interfaith interaction, i.e. disputes over the trueness of religions. This topic will be examined below. Describing the Roman Catholic classification of the types of interreligious dialogue, Marianne Moyaert suggests adding “diplomatic dialogue” to the four types within this classification.10 Such kind of interreligious dialogue, i.e interaction between heads of religious communities and other high-ranking official representatives, mainly finds its expression in the form of numerous interfaith forums, summits, conferences, and sessions of respective councils and commissions receiving the widest press coverage. The Catholic approach places interreligious dialogue in the context of discussion of theological problems and puts forward “spiritual dialogue” as the “true dialogue” which leads to the changes in participants’ views as a result of the meeting. Presumably, this is the reason why contacts between officials, often formal and leaving aside doctrinal problems, found no reflection within the framework of the Catholic classification of the types of interreligious dialogue. At the same time, the diplomatic interreligious dialogue is widespread and essential for the present- day interfaith relations, Therefore, it requires
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