DIALOGUE IN RELIGION

“For you, your religion and for me, mine.” THE QURAN, 109: 6 This is the principle of religious co-existence. This means that whenever common grounds for agreement between two or more parties cannot be arrived at on an ideological basis, then the way of practical co-existence must be adopted. The Community of Sant’Egidio is a Christian community that provides a good example of a continuing dialogue of this nature. The community promotes interaction on a mass scale between adherents of different religions. The religious meet held under the auspices of the Community of Sant’Egidio on a large scale each year makes a considerable contribution towards the achievement of the goal targeted by dialogue. We should not judge our efforts in this matter only by the results of meetings held in the name of formally arranged inter-religious dialogue. The truth is that ‘inter-religious dialogue’ is not limited to specific meetings held in the field of religion. It has assumed the form of a vast historical process—spontaneous, ongoing and perhaps never completely recorded. Negotiation in controversial matters is in tune with the spirit of the age. The industrial revolution and modern communication have added such vast dimensions to human relations that the entire world has been converted into a global village. People of various beliefs are coming closer, on a global scale. This interaction serves as an informal and on-going dialogue. With distances shortened, the confrontational attitude gives way to compromise. Interaction in itself is unannounced dialogue. As a result of circumstances, when interactions between people of different beliefs increase, the purpose of the dialogue is served on its own. Today, in educational institutions, offices, in travel, and in national and international activities, adherents of different religious traditions are meeting one another on a scale hitherto unwitnessed. In the course of this continuous and vast interaction, for the first time in human history, people seem less like strangers to one another. A great gap has been bridged. People are learning one another’s languages. They are becoming familiar with one another’s culture. Making concessions to one another has become a basic social need. These factors have brought people all over the world closer. And it is a psychological truth that closeness and interaction serve the purpose of a