What are the imperatives that drive the need for interfaith dialogue?

[rational experiences]

If we share the same used communal beliefs it owns a communal sharing platform.

Then we all can challenge the scientific beliefs in the documents as a variable subject.

To allow advice of abstract science human theories versus a common human behaviour reasoning. As just humans only.

Subject to a world agreed law.

Medical processes pre used were brain entrainment about human development self destructive mind conditions

That science introduced.

The basis of religious objections in human life.

 

[Aupmanyav]

No, I didn't. I'm not sure what that means. I'm guessing it means you were kidding. I'm not that good at reading stuff like that. Honestly.

Truth seeker and other Bahais, I like you but wish you were not into evangelization. And it hardly makes any difference. We all have our settled view which you will not be able to dislodge with the kind of arguments that you have - 'heavenly maiden' and 'Manifestation of Allah'. That brings up opposition. We are not from the Iranian hinterland of 19th Century. We have members from all religions who avoid doing that.

 

[Truthseeker]

Truth seeker and other Bahais, I like you but wish you were not into evangelization. And it hardly makes any difference. We all have our settled view which you will not be able to dislodge with the kind of arguments that you have - 'heavenly maiden' and 'Manifestation of Allah'. That brings up opposition. We are not from the Iranian hinterland of 19th Century. We have members from all religions who avoid doing that.

I'm not trying to dislodge you from your view or anyone's view. That would be counterproductive. Speak to me, not all Baha'is. I'm not being evangelistic right now, am I?

Never mind, I see you will never believe what I am saying.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

We live in a fractured religious world. In places like Sri Lanka, a mixed religious and ethnic civil war that raged for many years created a situation where interfaith dialogue is vitally needed.

In the United States religion has exacerbated a political and racial divide that is has become wider. We need to talk to each other about religious differences without rancor, because this is intertwined with race and politics.

In the Balkans we saw how religious ethnic groups caused a destructive war, they need to stop demonizing each other.

In Israel, the Muslims and Jews need to make friends with each other, understand each other.

You can't let religious disagreements get in the way of working together for a laudable goal.

To work with people you need to know their religious beliefs, so you can deal with them more effectively. You need to know how to act appropriately with them. This means talking with them about religion, and it also means knowing about a variety of religious beliefs so when some says they are of a particular religion, or religious denomination, you know roughly what they probably believe.

I will add you need to understand also those without a religion.

Other thoughts?

As the world gets smaller, the need for understanding of our different beliefs grows greater.

 

[firedragon]

We live in a fractured religious world. In places like Sri Lanka, a mixed religious and ethnic civil war that raged for many years created a situation where interfaith dialogue is vitally needed.

Lol. Really? Cmon Truthseeker. You really think this war was just "faith based"?

I think you should a little more thinking or real research.

I get it. People should have interfaith dialogue. But this kind of simplification of vague situations is not the way to go about it. Its actually falsifying ground level information.

Try to get some information. You will know better.

 

[Sundance]

We live in a fractured religious world. In places like Sri Lanka, a mixed religious and ethnic civil war that raged for many years created a situation where interfaith dialogue is vitally needed.

In the United States religion has exacerbated a political and racial divide that is has become wider. We need to talk to each other about religious differences without rancor, because this is intertwined with race and politics.

In the Balkans we saw how religious ethnic groups caused a destructive war, they need to stop demonizing each other.

In Israel, the Muslims and Jews need to make friends with each other, understand each other.

You can't let religious disagreements get in the way of working together for a laudable goal.

To work with people you need to know their religious beliefs, so you can deal with them more effectively. You need to know how to act appropriately with them. This means talking with them about religion, and it also means knowing about a variety of religious beliefs so when some says they are of a particular religion, or religious denomination, you know roughly what they probably believe.

I will add you need to understand also those without a religion.

Other thoughts?

I agree with you on the matter, TS. I find it sad that some people don’t have the openness of heart and mind to sincerely engage with others who may believe differently. We will find points of similarity, and we will find points of difference, but we ought to approach our differences in the spirit of humility and curiosity, not animosity as has often been the case. We can learn much more from those who are different in mind than those who are like us.

“Consort with the followers of all religions in the spirit of friendliness and fellowship.”

 

[Aupmanyav]

“Consort with the followers of all religions in the spirit of friendliness and fellowship.”

Well, that has limitations. One can't have friendliness and fellowship with the neighbor if the person keeps drumming in the middle of night. Can we?

 

[Sundance]

How can a religion which says that the other religions are corrupted, help in bringing about peace and brotherhood?

As for this criticism, it’s a common one, but one which rests on a mischaracterization of what our religion actually teaches. The Bahá’í Writings do not say that other religions or scriptures are corrupted, no. Rather, the Spirit which animates religion in general (the dedication to transforming the human person, society, and the world at large) becomes muddled by mindless superstition and other things that cause the followers to be led away from the essential points of the religion in the first place, and stifled by the (sometimes) antagonistic mindsets held by the followers of the religions.

With this established, while the Bahá’í Writings certainly do criticize certain beliefs and practices found in other religions — like salvific exclusivity and a literal Heaven and Hell in Christianity or the idea of reincarnation found in Hinduism, or the idea of a Final Teacher or Religion as in Islam, or book-burning, or a caste system, etc. — they do not at all state that the religions and scriptures themselves are invalid or illegitimate.

 

[Sundance]

Well, that has limitations. One can't have friendliness and fellowship with the neighbor if the person keeps drumming in the middle of night. Can we?

This is true, on both levels. Though, it really depends on the mindset of the person hearing it. Most people would have an issue. But what if the “drumming” is actually a different sound coming from another area nearby?

 

[Ella S.]

Originally, I thought interfaith dialogue was, like in the Socratic method and dialectic, about cooperatively finding the truth through sharing information and respectfully correcting one another's reasoning.

Now I realize that there are a diverse number of motivations for why somebody might be interested in interfaith dialogue. To humiliate those they disagree with, to evangelize, to find weakness in another person and ruthlessly attack them for it, to gain a broader perspective from the cultural worldviews of various cultures, to understand the beliefs of others in order to interact with them more respectfully, because you are a fan of ancient mythology, and so on.

 

[Truthseeker]

Originally, I thought interfaith dialogue was, like in the Socratic method and dialectic, about cooperatively finding the truth through sharing information and respectfully correcting one another's reasoning.

Now I realize that there are a diverse number of motivations for why somebody might be interested in interfaith dialogue. To humiliate those they disagree with, to evangelize, to find weakness in another person and ruthlessly attack them for it, to gain a broader perspective from the cultural worldviews of various cultures, to understand the beliefs of others in order to interact with them more respectfully, because you are a fan of ancient mythology, and so on.

It depends on your definition of dialogue. Your definition is different from mine. However, I know you are not after humiliating someone, or to evangelize, ruthless attacking other people's weakness. What's in a definition?

 

[Ella S.]

It depends on your definition of dialogue. Your definition is different from mine. However, I know you are not after humiliating someone, or to evangelize, ruthless attacking other people's weakness. What's in a definition?

How is my definition of dialogue different from yours?

 

[Truthseeker]

How is my definition of dialogue different from yours?

I see dialogue as exchanging ideas. From Marriam-Webster:

2a: a conversation between two or more persons
b: an exchange of ideas and opinions
c: a discussion between representatives of parties to a conflict that is aimed at resolution.

b and c are especially relevant to what I am thinking about.