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Interreligious dialogue needs to move beyond academic exchange to engage with local communities, some of which are hostile to the notion of dialogue, according to senior faith leaders speaking in Geneva today.
Representatives of virtually all the major world faith communities explored the connections between dialogue and action on the second day of an international conference on a "critical moment in interreligious dialogue" hosted by the World Council of Churches, 7-9 June 2005.
"We should move from a dialogue of strangers to a dialogue of neighbours," suggested Rev. Valson Thampu, (Church of North India) a leader in the social justice movement. "In a globalized world, more and more religions are crowding into my neighbourhood. But when you seek your neighbours and their needs, you will find God accidentally in the other."
<span style="font-weight: bold; "ยป Bridging the gulf between dialogue and action
Interventions by several speakers emphasized the gulf between global dialogue among like-minded specialists, and the inter-communal tensions which can shape reality on the ground.
Swami Agnivesh, an Indian spiritual leader and social activist, emphasized the limited impact of dialogue at the local level. "We now need to 'walk the talk'," he said. "Together we need to deal with the major issues that are haunting the world. But we should also see that religions have been as much part of the problem as part of the solution."
Rabbi Naamah Kelman, the first woman rabbi to be ordained in Israel, described this dilemma. "I live in the Middle East, a place that is so volatile. There, religion seems only able to fuel hatred, prejudice, violence. Few religious voices preach tolerance, openness, and social justice."
But the picture is not only bleak, and situations of conflict also stimulate people of faith to intervene and take responsibility. For Agnivesh, "the world is now poised for a shift to social spirituality which upholds the core spiritual values common to all faiths: love, compassion, and justice. That is real spirituality."
Speeches, documents and free high resolution photos are available on the conference website: