Date of Award
2019
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Honors Thesis
Department
Religion
First Advisor
James McGrath
Abstract
Today, there is an ongoing debate within and between different faiths regarding the correct way to interact with religious diversity. For example, exclusive language is found in several religions, which states that individuals can only experience the Ultimate through a specific faith practice. This belief directly challenges the relevance of interreligious dialogue, but a spectrum exists amongst adherents of different faith communities in how they understand religious diversity amid absolute truth claims in their own tradition. The goal of this research is to illustrate this debate so readers have a foundation on which to build. Then, the Center for Interfaith Cooperation (CIC), which is a local Indianapolis organization that seeks peaceful dialogue in an interfaith setting will act as the case study and offer real-world practice to the conversation. The board members within the CIC will be interviewed to get their perspective on why interfaith work is so important. Their input will add to the conversation not to provide an inerrant approach to religious diversity or reach a conclusive answer to the debate, but to offer personal stories and rationales behind their pursuit of interfaith relationships.
Through this project, people will be able to recognize the importance of interreligious dialogue and gain some insight on how dedicated members of the CIC have reconciled interfaith to their own faith. Hate crimes against religious communities is a real, current threat, so conversations that unite rather than divide are extremely important.
Recommended Citation
Koehler, Rachel, "The Dynamics of Interfaith" (2019). Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection. 497.
https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/ugtheses/497