Interreligious Dialogue
Interreligious Dialogue
Interreligious Dialogue
In the document Nostra Aetate, starts with searching for realms that unite
different religions. All human beings belong to the same race and have the same origin.
It is God who has spread human kind all over the world. The final goal of every man is
the same–God. His providence and salvific plan embraces all. This will continue until
the chosen ones are gathered together in the city illumined with the glory of God (NA 1).
Since all are the children of the same God, illumined by the rays of the same truth,
Christians are asked to live in good relationship with people of other religions. So the
Church encourages her children to engage in dialogue and cooperation with other
religions, with prudence and love while witnessing to Christian faith and life. Church also
teaches to recognize, protect and promote the spiritual and moral goodness and the
social and cultural values found in them (NA 2).
As a student, what can we learn from religions is not from borrowing one
another’s symbols, or even serious dialogue. And so I suspect that, despite very
important cultural differences, the great religions of the world have very similar deep
structures. All the great religions have debates about free will, about whether the
imperative to be compassionate requires peace or allows for military defense, about
whether one’s ultimate destiny is particular or is absorbed into a greater reality, and
about whether and how to be grateful for a creation that includes suffering and death.
Heavenly Father, You are intimately aware of the struggle we’re experiencing,
the pain and despair. I ask now for your healing touch. Amen.