Opportunities, Risks and Side-Effects of Inter-Religious Dialogue

At first glance I can see a whole series of fundamental common features in the roots of the three major Abrahamitic religions. We believe in the same one God, to whom we feel responsible for our thoughts and deeds - regardless of the dogmatic superstructure of the respective confession and our individually diverse ideas and experiences. Our connection with a supra-ontological reality is another factor we share with other religions.

One example here is Buddhism, where this reality is not named, or Hinduism, where it at first seems to be hidden behind countless images. In Judaism, Christianity and Islam, however, this common factor surfaces prominently and expresses itself with surprisingly frequency in a shared terminology.

Parallels and reciprocal influences

This is joined by the fact that we mostly share a common religious history and recognize numerous prophetic personalities as our common spiritual forefathers. We have the same ethical values, assuming that we all aspire to honesty, sincerity, love, peace, moderation, brotherly love, respect for others and above all for our elders, helpfulness and similar - even the terms themselves are similar in the ancient languages of our religions, or at least closely related - and deprecate all that was already declared reprehensible in the ten commandments and furthermore has never been sanctioned by any of the world's cultures.

Frequently, we even have similar religious forms of expression, insofar as these are still extant today. One need only think of regular daily prayers, periods of fasting and the obligation to do charitable deeds. Even in the historical development of our religious traditions, however great the differences, time and again we can find parallels and reciprocal influences.

When we look back through history, we can see that in all communities and in all eras there have always been people who have given top priority to their own aspirations to power and have stopped at nothing to see them satisfied.

Such people have doubtless been able in many cases to exploit their religion or confession - today more likely the relevant ideology - for their own ends and to enlist unsuspecting idealists to help them pursue their goals.

Trying to tell right from wrong

Defensiveness against this kind of abuse of power is so pervasive today, that in some cases it is hardly possible anymore to tell right from wrong or to champion one side against another. The Middle East, Latin America and many similar regions of this earth bear witness to this dilemma.

Learning from history and questioning the customs of one's own tradition necessarily leads one at first to enter a kind of no-man's-land. There are episodes in our history of which we are so ashamed that we would prefer to keep them under wraps or to shift the blame onto others - or at the other extreme to withdraw into utopian visions.

There is an element of mourning here over what we have lost along the way or what others are able to express in a way that we should have been able to. There is also insecurity about the fact that we do not have a directly tangible goal within our reach, but first have to lay the groundwork.

Learning from history

Here is where dialogue presents a valuable opportunity. Because even when dialogue sometimes painfully opens old wounds, it still helps us to discover something about the larger context and possibly to find new approaches to realizing our own agenda.

Learning from history does not mean letting ourselves wallow in self-pity or complete denial. That won't change anything. Rather, from history we can learn two things:
1. that the arrogant attempt to assert self-serving aspirations to power, does not lead to anything in the long run but dissatisfaction and destruction, including our own; and
2. that people make mistakes from which they can learn, and should therefore always be willing to exercise self-criticism and to start all over again.

Learning from history means consciously processing one's own ideas, values and behavior and seeing these in the light of appropriate contexts.

We will then soon realize that we do not live in an accumulation of random coincidences, which we in turn encounter with our own arbitrariness, but rather in an organic system, of which we are a part. Everything within this organic system, while subject to life's inevitable changes, nonetheless has its own place, whether it's a living creature, a phenomenon, a natural law, or ethical values and social patterns.

The key to this human experience is provided in turn by the Holy Scriptures of our three religions, as well as, on closer inspection, the scriptures and traditions of other religions. If we draw on these roots and, reciprocally with our brothers and sisters from other religions, come to terms with our history and tradition, at first we end up, as already mentioned, in a kind of no-man's-land. But even there we follow what our prophetic figures exemplified for us through their own lives.

Perhaps at this point the direct encounter with the transcendental to which they bore witness will become more comprehensible for us.

The unity of man

Although we will not be able to reconstruct it in the same form, we will nonetheless still be able to experience this transcendence in our own humble way when we recognize the unity that reveals itself in diversity. Perhaps then we will find our true identity as humans. In any case, this opens up an immeasurable wealth of impulses that broaden our horizons and bring us closer to true mutual understanding - no longer an understanding perched precariously on a cracked and shaky surface, but one with a deep and stable base.

Thus, despite all of the contradictions and differences, despite all the current unrest, I simply cannot resist speaking of a transcendental unity of the religions. I must assume that all people are now situated at some point in a journey on the way to a common goal, where the important thing is not to stand still, but to patiently keep moving forward.

I would like to close with a quote from the Qur'an, which I think expresses this thought particularly aptly: "He decreed for you the same religion decreed for Noah, and what we inspired to you, and what we decreed for Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: You shall uphold this one religion, and do not divide it. The idol worshipers will greatly resent what you invite them to do. God redeems to Himself whomever He wills; He guides to Himself only those who totally submit."

Ironically, they broke up into sects only after the knowledge had come to them, due to jealousy and resentment among themselves. If it were not for a predetermined decision from your Lord to respite them for a definite interim, they would have been judged immediately.

Indeed, the later generations who inherited the scripture are full of doubts. This is what you shall preach, and steadfastly maintain what you are commanded to do, and do not follow their wishes. And proclaim: "I believe in all the scriptures sent down by GOD. I was commanded to judge among you equitably. God is our Lord and your Lord. We have our deeds and you have your deeds. There is no argument between us and you. God will gather us all together; to Him is the ultimate destiny." (Sura 42:13-16)

Halima Krausen

Translated from the German: Jennifer Taylor-Gaida

© Halima Krausen/Qantara.de 2003