Q. Does Religion Produce Hardliners?

different faiths need to interact closely, learn from each other, and benefit from the good each has to offer. Further, learning the art of difference management, they must inculcate the spirit of patience, tolerance, and wishing well for others. This can lay the foundation for peace and harmony in society globally. Q. Can Differences be Eliminated? A. Living in a closely interconnected ‘global village,’ we find ourselves living in a world of multi-religious, multicultural, multi-ethnic societies. Differences naturally exist between people in such pluralistic societies. Some people confront others in efforts to remove these differences, not realising that some differences just cannot be removed. The fact is that nature abhors uniformity and revels in diversity. This means that ‘difference’ is a part of nature. Differences exist in every aspect of life, including in the sphere of religion. For peace to prevail in such societies, we need to learn the ‘art of difference management’ rather than the ‘art of difference elimination.’ Q. Can Interfaith Dialogue Help to Manage Differences? A. In the realm of religion today, differences can best be managed through meaningful and positive dialogue between people of different faiths, as this book has sought to show. Such dialogue can serve many important purposes, such as peace-building, conflict-resolution, and, most importantly, helping people grow intellectually and spiritually through learning from others’ insights and experiences. Meaningful inter-religious dialogue is necessary today to promote peace