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Fri, Mar 29, 2024

Interreligious Dialogue Part 1


  • 05/15/2022 - by S.E.R Eric Escala

Many times we talk about a topic thinking that we are learned in the matter, but most of the time we were misinformed; the dialogue aims to correct this and expand our knowledge about the reality of the other's spiritual family.

What is interreligious dialogue?

It consists of knowing and respecting the different ways of communicating with God.

To be able to give an opinion on something, I must first know it; otherwise I'm just speculating.

Many times we talk about a topic thinking that we are learned in the matter, but most of the time we were misinformed; the dialogue aims to correct this and expand our knowledge about the reality of the other's spiritual family.

What is a spiritual family?

They are the people with whom I relate on a religious level; they share the same feelings and seek to get closer to God in the same way as me.

We could talk a lot about spiritual families but that is where knowledge comes in; not all spiritual families are homogeneous, for the vast majority have been divided over time for political, historical and other reasons. Example:

Christians are divided into Evangelicals, Protestants, Orthodox, Catholics, to name a few, but these at the same time are subdivided.

Evangelicals are divided into Pentecostals, Neo-Pentecostals, Assemblies of God, Foursquare Gospel, Seventh-day Adventists, and we could go on; these are just a few examples.

Protestants are divided into Methodists, Calvinists, Lutherans, Anglicans, and all these groups also have their divisions.

We could go on talking about divisions and subdivisions within religions but the issue is dialogue.

As I can understand the dialogue, through respect and knowing that God manifests himself through his multiform grace, he knows man better than we could scrutinize; he also manifests himself to each one as he believes best.

To say that the faith of the other does not work, is not correct, shows a lack of respect and is a mistake that the majority commits.

Only when we reach intellectual maturity do we understand this.

How does the dialogue start?Getting to know each other.

How can I meet you? Learning how it arises, where, what was its historical and political context.

Another thing that we must understand is their cult, what are their bases, what they believe in and how they manifest their faith. Not all beliefs are focused in the same way, nor do they have the same type of worship.

We must also know the reason for their dress, this is an extension of the cult, we not only use formal clothes within the service but in daily life, then we must know what it is, what it means and what its name is.

All religions have a basic book, but sometimes that same book is different; they can take parts out of it for not agreeing with what others say, as with the Catholic Bible and the Reformed Bible.

What is the difference between interreligious dialogue and ecumenism?

Ecumenism seeks union – that is, that the churches unite until they form a single nucleus.

On the other hand, interreligious dialogue seeks precisely the flow of ideas and rapprochement with the other, respecting the identity we have.

Thus, for example, there is dialogue between Christians knowing that they belong to a different tradition without suggesting a fusion.

Within ecumenism, one of the most common practices is worship, but we must bear in mind that not all of us approach God in the same way and within the same service; although it may seem so, it is not always the same.

For example, the Holy Supper within our communities or Mass for the Catholic Church has the purpose of bringing us closer to God, at the moment of communion; for us everyone is invited to receive communion, no matter their marital status or if they were there the previous Sunday; instead within the Roman liturgy there is the issue of marital status and regular attendance, so there already exists an impediment.

What other things should we know?

The liturgical calendar is essential; we relate to the environment and with God in daily life; within our churches we have ways of being in communion with our father, and this ranges from daily prayers to holidays.

We must know when and why, so we can have an idea of ​​what happens within that community.

 Many of our festivities have their origin in the religious festival of another group, since some of us have roots in a religion other than the one we practice.  For example, the Jewish Passover for Christians becomes Easter, Shavuot becomes the Pentecost festival.  On this subject we could also continue but it is more than anything to give us an idea of ​​how important it is to know where each religion comes from; sometimes people are part of something they do not know.

 We must also know that in some cases the main characters of one faith are also representative in another, which shows us the degree to which we are united; in the Christian Bible the image of the Virgin Mary and her role is shown, and within some Christian groups especially in evangelical environments, the image of Mary is less valued, but for Islam it has a preponderant role so much so that there is an entire chapter of the Koran that talks about her.

It is for all this that we must not only know but delve into this subject in order to understand the infinity of God and how he allows us to communicate with him, without misinterpretations or wrong examples.

I invite you this week to learn more about the religion you practice and discover all the spiritual wealth it has.

Lord we ask humility to know you and wisdom to understand you. Amen

Archbishop Eric Escala

Anglican Continuum Church