International Conference, Strasbourg, June 3-5, 2008
"The Regulation of Pluralism in the Religions of the Book:
Socio-historical and Theological Approaches"
Contrary to popular wisdom and mass media stereotypes, Judaism,
Christianity and Islam are not monoliths, which make undivided and mutually exclusive claims to truth. Each of these religious traditions is undeniably plural, having given rise to many theological tendencies, denominations, brotherhoods and hermeneutical schools in a variety of regional, ethnic and cultural settings; each one has produced a number of representations, interpretations and evaluations of its own internal plurality; moreover, these monotheisms have, through the course of their existence, sought to grasp the signification of the existence of other religions, to weigh the validity of external religious pluralism and to consider the possibility of coexistence with other religions. We cannot hope to understand the dynamics of contemporary religion if we do not investigate the regulatory means of internal and external religious pluralism, the theological presuppositions and the hermeneutical procedures that underlie them, as well as historical examples of such regulation is different social contexts. Such are the goals of the Strasbourg Colloquium on The Regulation of Pluralism in the Religions
of the Book.
The description of these representations and regulatory practices should enable us to better understand the strategies used by different groups within a given scriptural tradition to respond to the challenge of religious plurality. The question is therefore one of identifying the resources that these traditions can draw on in order to give meaning to religious alterity. How does Judaism interpret its status as a religious minority? How do different Christian Churches perceive the ecumenical dialogue? What is the state of the Sunni-Shia dialogue in the wake of the current Middle East crisis?
The theme of the conference will be subdivided into three topics:
1) Philosophical and Anthropological Approaches to the Religions of the Book.
Terms such as “Religions of the Book”, “Religion of Abraham” and “Revealed Religion” are often
indiscriminately used to designate Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Is the perception of a common
origin and destiny to these religions founded on an historical and scientific basis? What
characteristics justify speaking of these religious traditions as a group. More specifically,
what relationships exist between these religions, on the one hand, and the concepts of pluralism
and exclusivism, on the other?
2) The Regulation of Religious Pluralism within each of the religious traditions of the Book.
The religious traditions of the Book have consistently shown evidence of internal plurality.
Historically, they have had to reconcile the desire for demographic and geographic expansion
with the need to maintain doctrinal and organizational unity. What sacrifices has this entailed?
Has the loss of authority of major religious institutions in the latter half of the 20th century
favored ad intra pluralization or, on the contrary, has it enhanced the need for community identity,
thus limiting internal diversity?
3) The Regulation of External Religious Pluralism.
In the past, the religious traditions of the Book anathematized each other. In the light of this,
how can we understand historical examples of pacific coexistence? What were the motivating forces
behind these experiences? What were their limits? Today, how have globalization and the development
of information technology changed the way these religions interact with each other? What strategies
are at work in inter-religious dialogue? In what ways do these strategies affect the representations
and practices of each religious tradition?
It is our hope that this Conference will contribute to open new perspectives
in a field of great current interest.
Centre
de Sociologie des Religions et d'Ethique Sociale (CSRES) | Université
Marc Bloch, Strasbourg
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