Is Interreligious Dialogue Syncretism?

3 PAGES (849 WORDS) Religious Studies Paper
Interreligious dialogue, also referred to as interfaith dialogue, is about people of different faiths coming to a mutual understanding and respect that allows them to live and cooperate with each other in spite of their differences. In other words it refers to cooperative, constructive and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions (i.e. “faiths”) and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels (Arinze 43). It is distinct from syncretism or alternative religion, in that dialogue often involves promoting understanding between different religions or beliefs to increase acceptance of others, rather than to synthesize new beliefs.