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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > General > Interfaith relations
These are some of the urgent questions posed by this stimulating
and wide-ranging new colloquy. Bringing together a wealth of wisdom
and experience in medical science and in Buddhist thought and
ethics, the discussants together address issues of vital current
concern. They ask, for example, to what degree science and
religion, as well as other fields of learning, may find common
ground. They examine the pitfalls, as well as the opportunities,
posed by genetic engineering. They examine the need for science to
develop a proper ethical dimension, particularly in relation to
weapons of war, if it is to realize its true potential. Exhibiting
everywhere a sensitive humanity, as well as a deep respect for
their different backgrounds, the participants exemplify in these
civilized exchanges a mutual passion for developing dialogue as a
profound and practical way of cultivating both toleration and
peace.
What happens when a Muslim, born and brought up in a Muslim family
in an Islamic country, converts to Christianity? In this unique
book, Brother Andrew describes the personal, cultural, spiritual
and life-threatening challenges that they face. Most of the book is
written as a thrilling novel, tracing the intertwined lives of a
small group of believers in an unnamed Islamic country. The story
becomes all the more fascinating as we realise that the stories are
all based on the actual experiences of real people Andrew meets on
a regular basis. SECRET BELIEVERS is the most topical, eye-opening
Christian book of 2007.
Beginning with Catholic attitudes to the Act of Union, this work
traces various elements in the interrelationship between the
Catholic Church and the state in Ireland in the 19th century.
Catholicism's role in the Protestant state for most of the century
was tempered and conditioned by its relationship with the various
Protestant churches in the country. In the development of its
infrastructure, facilitating as it did along with other factors the
'devotional revolution', the church was in many ways dependent upon
Protestant financial help. The ironies and complexities of this
situation is a consistent theme in these essays. Although the
religion of the vast majority of the Irish people Catholicism, in
its institutional aspect, felt itself to be undervalued and
underappreciated by the Protestant state.Its dealings with the
state where tempered by its relative poverty and it dependence on
the state for various benefactions not least the generous provision
for Catholic clerical education. For the first time in the
historiography, some attention is paid to the relations between the
Catholic Churches in Ireland and England in an era when the future
cardinal Nicholas Wiseman attempted to pose as an unofficial
adviser to government on Irish and Vatican affairs, in
circumstances which caused resentment among Irish Catholic
churchmen.
Muthuraj Swamy provides a fresh perspective on the world religions
paradigm and 'interreligious dialogue'. By challenging the
assumption that 'world religions' operate as essential entities
separate from the lived experiences of practitioners, he shows that
interreligious dialogue is in turn problematic as it is built on
this very paradigm, and on the myth of religious conflict. Offering
a critique of the idea of 'dialogue' as it has been advanced by its
proponents such as religious leaders and theologians whose aims are
to promote inter-religious conversation and understanding, the
author argues that this approach is 'elitist' and that in reality,
people do not make sharp distinctions between religions, nor do
they separate political, economic, social and cultural beliefs and
practices from their religious traditions. Case studies from
villages in southern India explore how Hindu, Muslim and Christian
communities interact in numerous ways that break the neat
categories often used to describe each religion. Swamy argues that
those who promote dialogue are ostensibly attempting to overcome
the separate identities of religious practitioners through
understanding, but in fact, they re-enforce them by encouraging a
false sense of separation. The Problem with Interreligious
Dialogue: Plurality, Conflict and Elitism in Hindu-Christian-Muslim
Relations provides an innovative approach to a central issue
confronting Religious Studies, combining both theory and
ethnography.
Common to both Judaism and Christianity is a heightened engagement
with time within liturgical practice, in which collective religious
memory and anticipation come together to create a unique sense of
time. Exploring the nebulous realms of religious experience and the
sense of time, Remembering the Future charts the ways that the
experience of time is shaped by the traditions of Judaism and
Christianity and experienced within their ritual practices. Through
comparative explorations of traditional Jewish and Christian
understandings of time, contemporary oral testimonies, and
discussions of the work of select twentieth-century Jewish and
Christian thinkers, this book maps the temporal landscapes of the
religious imagination. Maintaining that the sense of time is
integral to Jewish and Christian religious experience, Remembering
the Future makes a notable contribution to interreligious studies
and liturgical studies. It sheds light on essential aspects of
religious experience and finds that the intimacy of the experience
of time grants it the capacity to communicate across religious
boundaries, subtly transgressing obstacles to interreligious
understanding.
Islam came into being around AD 600 as a monotheistic, Abrahamic
religion revealed through the Prophet Muhammad. Awareness of Islam
in the West has grown dramatically in the twenty-first century, but
there remains much misunderstanding of the interrelationship
between Islam and Christianity, both their commonalities and
differences. Andrei Younis elucidates esoteric reasons behind the
emergence of Islam from the perspective of Steiner's spiritual
science. He draws on more than thirty years of studying Steiner's
work, as well as on first-hand knowledge gained from living in
various Islamic countries and cultures. His purpose is to reconcile
the origins, beliefs, and meanings of Islam and Christianity.
Comprehending this anthroposophic perspective on the emergence of
Islam is key to understanding why Islam manifests as it does today.
Whereas this book will be enlightening and even surprising to most
open-minded Western readers, it is not meant to be a foundation for
beliefs (or non-belief), but as a springboard for thought and new
avenues of understanding and compassion in a dangerous time.
Contemporary Muslim-Christian Encounters: Developments, Diversity
and Dialogues addresses the key issues in the present day global
encounter between Christians and Muslims. Divided into two parts,
the first examines theoretical issues and concerns which affect
dialogue between the two traditions. The second part highlights
case studies from around the world. Chapters come from established
scholars including Reuven Firestone, Douglas Pratt and Clinton
Bennett, emerging scholars, as well as practitioner perspectives.
Highlighting the diversity within the field of "Christian-Muslim"
encounter, case studies cover examples from the US and globally,
and include dialogue in the US post 9/11, Nigerian Muslims and
Christians, and Christian responses to Islamophobia in the UK.
Covering unique areas and those not explored in detail elsewhere,
Contemporary Muslim-Christian Encounters: Developments, Diversity
and Dialogues will be of interest to advanced students,
researchers, and interfaith professionals.
The connection of interfaith and intercultural understanding stems
from a conceptual foundation on the dialogue between religions and
cultures. These types of conversation are essential for the
clarification and reflection of practical opportunities and
challenges that these exchanges are facing. New Media and
Communication Across Religions and Cultures offers a unique
opportunity in both the social sciences, humanities, and
communication fields to provide concrete concepts and notions in
the areas of inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue. By
exploring this empirical research of relevant experiences, this
book is important for researchers, practitioners, and students in
varied fields of philosophy, sociology, cultural studies, media
students, law, and more.
The notion of Interreligious Studies signals a new academic
perspective on the study of religion, characterized by a relational
approach. Interreligious Studies defines the essential features of
interreligious studies compared with alternative conceptions of
religious studies and theology. The book discusses pressing and
salient challenges in interreligious relations, including
interreligious dialogue in practice and theory, interfaith dialogue
and secularity, confrontational identity politics, faith-based
diplomacy, the question of interfaith learning in school, and
interreligious responses to extremism. Interreligious Studies is a
cutting-edge study from one of the most important voices in Europe
in the field, Oddbjorn Leirvik, and includes case study material
from his native Norway including interreligious responses to the
bomb attack in Norway on 22nd July 2011, as well as examples from a
number of other national and global contexts Expanding discussions
on interreligious dialogue and the relationship between religions
in new and interesting ways, this book is a much-needed addition to
the growing literature on interreligious studies.
What is anti-Semitism? The Definition of Anti-Semitism is the first
book-length study to explore this central question in the context
of the new anti-Semitism. Previous efforts to define
'anti-Semitism' have been complicated by the disreputable origins
of the term, the discredited sources of its etymology, the diverse
manifestations of the concept, and the contested politics of its
applications. Nevertheless the task is an important one, not only
because definitional clarity is required for the term to be
understood, but also because the current conceptual confusion
prevents resolution of many incidents in which anti-Semitism is
manifested. The Definition of Anti-Semitism explores the various
ways in which anti-Semitism has historically been defined,
demonstrates the weaknesses in prior efforts, and develops a new
definition of anti-Semitism, especially in the context of the 'new
anti-Semitism' in American higher education.
Shared ritual practices, multi-faith celebrations, and
interreligious prayers are becoming increasingly common in the USA
and Europe as more people experience religious diversity first
hand. While ritual participation can be seen as a powerful
expression of interreligious solidarity, it also carries with it
challenges of a particularly sensitive nature. Though celebrating
and worshiping together can enhance interreligious relations,
cross-riting may also lead some believers to question whether it is
appropriate to engage in the rituals of another faith community.
Some believers may consider cross-ritual participation as
inappropriate transgressive behaviour. Bringing together leading
international contributors and voices from a number of religious
traditions, Ritual Participation and Interreligious Dialogue delves
into the complexities and intricacies of the phenomenon. They ask:
what are the promises and perils of celebrating and praying
together? What are the limits of ritual participation? How can we
make sense of feelings of discomfort when entering the sacred space
of another faith community? The first book to focus on the lived
dimensions of interreligious dialogue through ritual participation
rather than textual or doctrinal issues, this innovative volume
opens an entirely new perspective.
This book reflects on one of the most pressing challenges of our
time: the current and historical relationships that exist between
the faith-traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It begins
with discussion on the state of Jewish-Christian relations,
examining antisemitism and the Holocaust, the impact of Israel and
theological controversies such as covenant and mission. Kessler
also traces different biblical stories and figures, from the Hebrew
Bible and the New Testament, demonstrating Jewish-Christian contact
and controversy. Jews and Christians share a sacred text, but more
surprisingly, a common exegetical tradition. They also need to deal
with some of the more problematic and violent biblical texts. Jews,
Christians and Muslims includes reflection on the encounter with
Islam, including topics associated with a divergent history and
memory as well contemporary relations between the three Abrahamic
faiths. Kessler's writings shed light on common purpose as well as
how to manage difference, both vital in forming a positive identity
and sustaining a flourishing community.
This challenging and provocative book reimagines the justification,
substance, process, and study of education in open, pluralistic,
liberal democratic societies. Hanan Alexander argues that educators
need to enable students to embark on a quest for intelligent
spirituality, while paying heed to a pedagogy of difference.
Through close analysis of the work of such thinkers as William
James, Charles Taylor, Elliot Eisner, Michael Oakeshott, Isaiah
Berlin, Martin Buber, Michael Apple and Terrence McLaughlin,
Reimagining Liberal Education offers an account of school
curriculum and moral and religious instruction that throws new
light on the possibilities of a nuanced, rounded education for
citizenship. Divided into three parts - Transcendental Pragmatism
in Educational Research, Pedagogy of Difference and the Other Face
of Liberalism, and Intelligent Spirituality in the Curriculum, this
is a thrilling work of philosophy that builds upon the author's
award-winning text Reclaiming Goodness: Education and the Spiritual
Quest.
Schleiermacher maintained that "to make proselytes out of
unbelievers is deeply engrained in the character of religion." But
why do religions proselytize? Do all religions seek conversions?
How are religions adapting their proclamations in a deeply plural
world? This book provides a detailed analysis of the missionary
impulse as it is manifested across a range of religious and
irreligious traditions. World Religions and Their Missions
systematically compares the motives and methods of the "missions"
of Atheism, the Baha'i Faith, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism,
Islam, and Mormonism. The text also develops innovative frameworks
for interreligious encounters and comparative mission studies.
As a leading movement in contemporary Turkey with a universal
educational and inter-faith agenda, the Gulen movement aims to
promote creative and positive relations between the West and the
Muslim world and to articulate a critically constructive position
on such issues as democracy, multi-culturalism, globalisation, and
interfaith dialogue in the context of secular modernity. Many
countries in the predominantly Muslim world are in a time of
transition and of opening to democratic development of which the
so-called "Arab Spring" has seen only the most recent and dramatic
developments. Particularly against that background, there has been
a developing interest in "the Turkish model" of transition from
authoritarianism to democracy. "The Muslim World and Politics in
Transition" includes chapters written by international scholars
with expertise in relation to the contexts that it addresses. It
discusses how the Gulen movement has positioned itself and has
sought to contribute within societies - including the movement's
home country of Turkey - in which Muslims are in the majority and
Islam forms a major part of the cultural, religious and historical
inheritance.The movement and initiatives inspired by the Turkish
Muslim scholar Fethullah Gulen began in Turkey, but can now be
found throughout the world, including in both Europe and in the
'Muslim world'. Bloomsbury has a companion volume edited by Paul
Weller and Ihsan Yilmaz on "European Muslims, Civility and Public
Life: Perspectives on and From the Gulen Movement."
Religious pluralism upholds the idea that multiple religions can
coexist and be beneficial for society; it is a concept spreading
around the world, not only in Asia with its myriad beliefs and
practices, but also in Europe where many non-Christian religious
traditions are growing. On the face of it, religious pluralism is
the ultimate message of tolerance, a vitally important principle
for how we can live peacefully. But not everyone sees it this way.
Joseph Ratzinger, former Pope Benedict XVI and Prefect of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is amongst those who
regard religious pluralism as a threat to Christianity. If only
Christianity can save us, then how can religious pluralism do
anything but hinder Christianity's cause? Ambrose Mong examines
Ratzinger's thoughts on this subject and evaluates how the church
has responded to the call of the Second Vatican Council to create
dialogues with other faiths. By looking at Ratzinger's educational,
cultural and religious background, Mong reveals the roots of
Ratzinger's Eurocentric bias and how it has shaped the views that
he holds today, including his attitude towards religious pluralism,
his ecclesiology and his ecumenical theology. Are Non-Christians
Saved? is essential reading for students, teachers and scholars
seeking a thorough analysis of Ratzinger's position, including why
he believes religious pluralism, with its 'evil twins' of
relativism and secularism, is a threat to Christianity.
In the vast collection of his writings, the French philosopher Paul
Ricoeur only sporadically raised the issue of interreligious
dialogue. In this book, comparative theologian Marianne Moyaert
argues that Ricoeur's hermeneutical philosophy offers valuable
signposts for a better understanding of the complexities related to
interreligious dialogue. By revisiting the key insights of
Ricoeur's wider oeuvre from the perspective of interfaith dialogue,
Moyaert elaborates a Ricoeurian interreligious hermeneutic. In
Response to the Religious Other provides a coherent interreligious
reading of Ricoeur's philosophy of religion, his hermeneutical
anthropology, his ethical hermeneutics. Moyaert shows that Ricoeur
makes an exceptionally rewarding conversation partner for anyone
wishing to explore the complex issues associated with
interreligious dialogue. This book is essential for studies of
hermeneutics, ethics, religious philosophy, global cooperation and
hospitality, comparative theology, and religious identity.
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