1. IRD
Interreligiou
s Dialogue

2. IRD DEFINITION EXPLAINED
What is an IRD?
Definition of terms:
Inter- with one another
Religious-devoted to piety and monastic vows of life.
Dialogue-a conversation in which two or more take part
• A CONVERSATION between persons of different
minds, where the dialogue-partners come TO LEARN
from the other TO WITNESS to the other as well as
TO CONVERT the other.

3. THE HIGHLIGHTED TERM(S)ON THE
DESCRIPTION OF IRD
CONVERSATION

4. Conversation…
-A two-way communication between two or
more persons with different views
– Not a debate but more on listening and
understanding of one’s
religious convictions and traditions.
– Open-mindedness to others despite of its
differences is necessary in conversation.
– Partners in conversation should avoid an
act of EXCLUVISM.

5. Excluvism  a subjective attitude of
superiority of one person over the
other. He/she believes the idea that his/
her religion is the only one who
deserves an absolute righteousness
and final status.

7. TO LEARN…
• At this point the dialogue-partners should mutually
learn about each other differences.
• It is by way of accepting and respecting others
differences.
• In learning about the other, one will also learn and
appreciate much about one’s own religion.

8. TO WITNESS

9. TO WITNESS…
• A commitment of the other to witness and
experience one’s own religious convictions, values,
system, tradition and truth.
• In witnessing, the truth of other religion, one hopes
that the other will be able to understand and
appreciate its truth.
• To witness the other, one must also come ready to
be witnessed by the other. A mutual witnessing.

10. TO CONVERT

11. TO CONVERT…
• It is a mutual conversion characterized more by
authentic transformation of the hearts, and not so
much by changing one’s own religious affiliations.
• It is a “win-win” conversion where both sides come
to see and truly appreciate one’s fundamental
religious convictions.

12. WHY ENGAGE IN IRD?

13. REASONS:
A.RELIGIONS ARE DIFFERENT

14. RELIGIONS ARE DIFFERENT…
– It is evident that religions are indeed
different. Each religion has its own
religious truth. Therefore, we are
surrounded with different truth.

15. – Due to one’s differences IRD invite us to
an openness to the real truth which one
should be able to ask sincerely about the
essence of the real truth.
– It also invites us to search for this truth
which as well found in other religions.

16. The illustration of a pyramid below shows the different people
of different religion of different truth. Each religion has a
corresponding percentage of 25% truth and for one religion to
attain the absolute truth of equivalent 100% they must
interact with each other by dialogue.
s Muslims Jews Bu
st ian dd
Chri 25% 25% 25
his
% t
25 %

17. B.
UNITY

18. UNITY…….
• Differences could be used as uniting factor
through the means of IRD.
• In IRD, one is bound to discover that many of
these differences are not so different in
essence as they are in manifestation.
• IRD facilitates the discernment of shared or
common grounds to one’s belief.

19. • Moreover, it helps in bridging the gap
between religions and its perspective
toward other religions.
• Also it encourages religionist to
appreciate substantive reasons for
collaborative action and partnership.

20. C.RELIGIONS
WILL MEET
ANYWAY

21. RELIGIONS WILL MEET ANYWAY….
• Even each religion has different ways of
practicing religious convictions still they
are all aiming to the real truth.
• They all believe in the only Supreme being
which is God.
• They all follow the commandments of God
which is one LOVE GOD above all and the
other is to LOVE YOUR NEIGHBORS as you
love yourself.

22. D. SUFFERING IN THE
WORLD

23. SUFFERING IN THE WORLD…
– In reality, violence is apparent due to
misunderstood differences of one’s religion which
causes the sufferings of the world.
– It could be an ecological, human, societal or
personal sufferings.
– As the fact that sufferings continue to exist, IRD
come into its place to alleviate these sufferings.

24. – In relation to IRD, one must be willing to work
together with other religions by understanding
and sharing one’s own faith and others faith
which may help in promoting the integral human
development.

25. WHO SHOULD ENGAGE
IN DIALOGUE?

26. A.DIALOGUE OF DISCOURSE

27. DIALOGUE OF DISCOURSE…
• It is an academic dialogue which often takes
place on the formal level amongst trained
scholars, religious leaders and theologians
which uses scriptural texts, beliefs,
theologies stories, myth and history of the
various religious traditions.
• It is where experts come together to discuss
points of convergences and divergences.

28. B.DIALOGUE OF
RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE

29. DIALOGUE OF RELIGIOUS
EXPERIENCE…
☺This form of dialogue is most often between
persons deeply involved in religious practices
such us monks, nuns, mystics, sufis and any
person who has a little theological training.
☺It is a spiritual dialogue on how and why we
pray as well as to have a personal encounter
with God.
☺It could be practiced through reflection,
meditation and other forms of prayer.

30. C.DIALOGUE
OF ACTION

31. DIALOGUE OF ACTION…
-It is an institutional, organizational, societal or
group dialogue which involves social
workers, community organizers, human
rights activists for the purpose of working
together for the common good of the society.

32. D.DIALOGUE OF LIFE

33. DIALOGUE OF
LIFE…
• Involves all persons from all walks of life.
• A dialogue where believers of different religious bear
witness to their religious values and convictions in
their everyday life such us from home, workplaces
and neighbors.
• A dialogue of day to day interactions of people with
neighbors of other faith.
• Examples: A mother teaching to love other persons
of other religion; returning lost item by person with
another faith.

34. HOW TO ENHANCE IRD?

36. SIMILARITY…
– It is suggested that interreligious relationship can
be further enhanced if similarities are highlighted
as the old adage goes “birds of same feather flock
together”.
– A similarity to characteristics, attitude, values,
interests, some shared principles, beliefs, stories
between religions may helps an individual to get
along well and be comfortable to others.
– Awareness that religions have more similarities
than differences.

37. FAMILIARITY

38. FAMILIARITY…
• Exposure to the teachings, values, and systems of
other religions is a way to be familiar with them.
• Direct exposure to persons of other religions is more
useful.
• Familiarity can also be acknowledged through mass
media, textbook, billboards, television, movies and
other ingenious means.
• As the other become more familiar her/his behaviors
also become more predictable.
• If one is able to predict others behavior and be
familiar with her/his religion, he/she become more
comfortable relating with him/her.

39. PROXIMITY

40. PROXIMITY…
-Refers to physical closeness where one is able to see,
hear, speak with or meet the other.
-It increases familiarity to attitudes, values and codes
of the other.
-Proximity encourages different religions to come
together more often, work together more often or to
live in the same neighborhoods.
-As it says, the less physical distance between persons
of different religions the more its interreligious
relationships will develop.

42. ATTRACTIVENESS
- One religion may see the attractiveness of other
religion for him/her to be inspired to enhance its
interaction to them.
•One religion must be pleasing to the
other by means of its own presentations of
its religious activities.
- It should be understood and presented
by giving freedom to other religions to
express their own convictions toward
the real truth.

44. ACTIVITY:
Think of ways by which we engage
in DIALOGUE of life here in
ATENEO
•What are those concrete ways by
which we dialogue with one
another?
•What are your insights and
realizations?

45. • DRAW A SYMBOL OF INTER-
RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE
(explain briefly)
• Be Creative!

46. SOURCE:
PAXERS, Ateneo de Zamboanga University
Inter-Religious Dialogue Group