Encounters among Jews, Christians and Muslims are as old as the traditions themselves. Organised dialogue aimed at mutual understanding is largely a development of the last two centuries.
Early milestones
The World’s Parliament of Religions, held in Chicago in 1893, brought representatives of many faiths to one platform and is often cited as the beginning of the modern interfaith movement. In the twentieth century, organisations dedicated to Jewish and Christian understanding formed in several countries, and the experience of the Holocaust led many churches to re-examine their teaching about Judaism.
Changes in church teaching
In 1965 the Second Vatican Council issued a declaration on the relation of the Catholic Church to non-Christian religions. It rejected the charge that the Jewish people as a whole bear responsibility for the death of Jesus and spoke with respect of Muslims as worshippers of the one God. Many Protestant and Orthodox bodies have issued their own statements since.
Muslim initiatives
In 2007, a group of Muslim scholars and leaders addressed an open letter to Christian leaders, proposing love of God and love of neighbour as common ground between the two faiths. The letter drew many responses and led to a series of conferences.
Forms of dialogue
- Dialogue of life: neighbours of different faiths sharing daily life and civic concerns.
- Dialogue of action: cooperation on social causes such as relief work.
- Theological dialogue: scholars comparing beliefs and practices.
- Shared reading: Jews, Christians and Muslims studying their scriptures together.
Aims and limits
Dialogue seeks understanding and respect; it does not require participants to set aside their convictions. Participants often find that honest discussion of differences builds deeper trust than a focus on agreement alone.