Question Marks
Interreligious dialogue is a good means to build bridges among people who live in various contexts of religion. Only a few people engage in this field if we compare it to the billion numbers of Christians. This activity aims to fight against separation or any things that will cause it. It is essential for fostering mutual understanding between believers of different faith traditions. Thus, whenever we talk about interreligious dialogue, most of the time, we find people discussing or sharing how to find harmony or peace and achieve the common good of all. The tendency is to find meeting points or common similarities that religion has and can be found in other religions.
I would say that peace or living in harmony is one of the crucial goals of interreligious dialogue, mainly because we come from different backgrounds of religious traditions. Everyone does not practice the same way of life. There are Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, local beliefs, or even people who call themselves Atheists, etc. The fact is that we live in this multicolor context. Is it possible to live in unity in this kind of globalized world? Or are we dreaming about the same goal, being one human family?
It is important to have a clear perspective about what we should do in interreligious dialogue as disciples of Christ. Is it enough to pursue peace or harmony? Then, many people have been doing this better than us. What is precisely our purpose in doing interreligious dialogue? And to whom should we do the interreligious dialogue? Are we going to do it only for those who open themselves to us? How do we share our spiritual experiences of divine love with non-Christian people? Have we given our best participation to the common good of all?
To Fulfil the Wish of Jesus
As Christians, we are encouraged to fulfill the wish of Jesus that all may be one. In his earthly life, Jesus had always taught us about love as the driving impulse of our relationship with others. As we can find in the Gospel, he never put any boundaries when people came to approach him. He talked with them, healed them, cared for them, listened to them, loved them, and died for them. Jesus showed his love to all men up to the end of his life on the cross. Then, we can find these words true, “No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
Moreover, knowing that Jesus’ love comes from the Trinitarian relationship is also crucial. The characteristic of this relationship is communion among the Three Persons; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. Following the same path, we should live under the same spirit, to be in communion or to live in unity. Our call is clear – “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). Thus, divine love must be the very foundation we need to own as Christians before we do interreligious dialogue. If we have experienced God’s love, how can we remain indifferent and not share it with as many people as possible?
Spiritual Communion Through Our Human Experiences
Recalling my experiences with interreligious dialogue, I want to mention two different occasions from which interreligious dialogue is a work of the Spirit. When I was still a philosophy student, I did my apostolate for one year in one of the Muslim institutes in Jakarta (Indonesia). In the beginning, I was confused because I did not know what to do except arrange their library. However, an unexpected moment came when I was asked to set a movie discussion. From that day on, I became close to some Muslim friends who worked there. So, every time I came there, we shared and discussed many things, like our experiences, faiths, church architecture, political issues, etc.
One confessed that he did not belong to any religion but believed there was a transcendent. He preferred to say that he was an agnostic. He liked to discuss philosophy and theology. Because of his interest in philosophy, which is also related to my study, we came to know each other. Another is a Muslim friend who liked to ask about the Christian faith and the church. He was friendly, and I could talk to him freely without any prejudice in my mind. In my opinion, this experience is an example of a healthy interreligious dialogue because we share with and listen to one another. Isn’t it true that when two or three people gather, God is present in their midst? Thus, the spirit of communion is manifested in our midst, where we live in unity despite all our differences.
Another interesting experience I had was dealing with people who cling firmly to a certain truth of their religions. In other words, they are fundamentalist people who cut the line of interreligious dialogue. Once I did a social analysis in a cable factory. The workers did not know that I was a seminarian, but they knew that I was a Catholic. After having with them for several days, I finally got to know them individually. They were very welcoming. One day, when we had our lunch break, a Muslim man in his sixties tried to provoke me by saying that Jesus was not God. He was just a man who died on the cross. What did I do?
Honestly, I got hurt and tried to explain to him. Nothing changed. So, I took the personal initiative to always be with him during our work times. Every day I greeted him, asked about his family's situation, listened to his stories, and helped him. In other words, I tried to love him. We became closer until the last day of my work in the factory. Before I left, he hugged me and said, “Thank you, son. I will miss you.” His honest words touched me. From this experience, I would like to say that there is always a way to love a person, even though they have a different point of view about who Jesus is. If words do not apply, love him through concrete action and let the Spirit work.
Eventually, interreligious dialogue is not about loving one’s religion but loving the person. We don’t just bring people to an ordinary and shallow friendship. Instead, we are invited to draw people to spiritual communion with God through our human experiences, remembering that one day we will enjoy his eternal love in the Kingdom. As Christians, we must bring this Good News to those who have not yet received it.
