How can the religions of the Middle East (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) Dialogue to bring World Peace?
Text To Text
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Some examples of texts that we went through that were about faiths dialoging together in class, were ones such as the video about Amal Kassir, where she discussed her struggles about being a Muslim woman in her country. The video showed us that one can stand up to the rumors that surround their faiths, and show people that they are incorrect.
Evidence
As mentioned in the paragraph above, the video about Amal Kassir shows her willingness to make change in her religion, and to try to remove the labels that were placed on it by others. She does this by partaking in small talk with others near her to make them feel more comfortable, and allowing them to ask questions about her faith, even if they may be uncomfortable.
This video shows, and explains the differences, and similarities between different religions. I found this video important to include because, knowing what makes a faith different or similar to your own is important when trying to accept, and include others. Knowing about somebody else's faith lets you know about their traditions, and can also help to make them feel more included, and also help refrain one from making offensive comments.
Text to Faith
Using another quote from the Bible, Genesis 1:27 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.". I chose this quote because it was one in the creation story, which can help to show what God intended for us early on, and is also very clear on its message. It mentions how everyone is created in God's image, which means he had himself in mind when creating us. Long story short, he wanted us to all be inclusive of one another, and to care for each other as his own creation, regardless of faith, race, or other factors.
There are numerous instances in our faith that show that God intended for us to all be equal. Galatians 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." This is one of many instances in the Bible that show one of the many figures stating that we should all be kind and respect one another, despite what they may be. The other Abrahamic religions in the Middle East also share this in common, which can help to create peace.
Evidence
Text to World
There are many instances of people, or events in our world that display interreligious dialogue. Some of which include;
Our own prime minister, Justin Trudeau, defending immigrants when somebody claims that Islam and Christianity 'will not mix'. Trudeau proceeds to explain to the man that the country was built on immigration, and that we should respect our roots and be inclusive of others, no matter their religion.
https://www.ted.com/talks/wade_davis_the_worldwide_web_of_belief_and_ritual?language=en#t-84276 This ted talk starts off with discussing our ancient roots. After which, he starts to explain how different we are, but also how similar we are, in which he says that we all are genetically related to each other. throughout the ted talk, he continues to explain our similarities, and makes an emphasis about how are differences are a good thing too. This can be applied to interreligious dialogue in the Middle East because it can be used to explain how similar we are, and why we should all be inclusive of eachother.
The Pope talking about interreligious dialogue, in which he talks about: "Although sadly evil, hatred and division often make news," the pope said, "there is a hidden sea of goodness that is growing and leads us to hope in dialogue, reciprocal knowledge and the possibility of building, together with the followers of other religions and all men and women of goodwill, a world of fraternity and peace." This quote from one of his speeches show that he believes in a world where all religions can stand together, and be inclusive, and accepting of one another. Later on, he also mentions how fear is the number one enemy of interreligious dialogue. https://www.ncronline.org/news/quick-reads/pope-encourages-interreligious-dialogue-initiative
Evidence
Text to Self
I dialogue with many of people of different faiths daily, as there are plenty of people around the world who believe in something different. For example, on the internet, I often participate in small talk or discussion with others, as it helps me learn more about other people and their culture.
In my own experience, am example of when dialogue brings peace is when I participate in religious gatherings. This helps me to understand my own, and other people's faiths, which helps me understand others better.
Evidence
In my school, there are many others who attend there that are part of many different faiths. This allows me to learn more about people in my community, and their faith.