3 - A Creative Perspective on Interreligious Dialogue

Summary

Against the background of the theoretical and empirical discussions presented in the previous two chapters and as a response to the epistemological, methodological and ethical perspectives that have been detected, it is now time to introduce the theme of creative interreligious dialogue. The approach outlined in this chapter rests on the fundament of Martin Buber's dialogue philosophy as well as thoughts on and analyses of dialogue put forward by contemporary thinkers, taking their starting point in one of the three Abrahamic traditions or in critical theoretical approaches such as hermeneutics, gender perspectives or moral philosophy. As a complement to the view of dialogue as a discursive comparison between abstract theoretical entities, a shift in focus needs to be undertaken from religion to religious. Dialogue also needs to be understood as an encounter between religious subjects: a search for interpersonal relatedness and respect between persons with different religious backgrounds as well as between persons who represent different ways of being religious within the same tradition. Hence, I strive to formulate a theoretical starting point for understanding interreligious dialogue that moves beyond the limited scope of traditional, rational approaches and that acknowledges post-secular influences on contemporary dialogue environments, including the “metamorphosis of religion” and the subsequent importance of “reflexive religiosities.”