by Bea Sting

Created on: November 22, 2009   Last Updated: November 23, 2009

Normally, people think it is very hard to have meaningful inter-religious dialogue with persons who believe in different religions. But it is not that hard if they have a skillful method or way. It is very important to have that method or way and it totally depends on how the debate is handled.

Before you start a dialogue, you should have an open mind. You may agree or not agree with every concept the other party put forth, but you should respect everything they have said. Be a good listener and have a good attitude.

You need to know yourself and others, and both sides' beliefs. It is hard to know yourself completely, but you can try. You can use the 1 to 10 scale to evaluate yourself. Having a deep thinking process is also a good thing to have to know you. If you think you know yourself pretty good, you should know how to evaluate thoughts of yours and others. After you have prepared freely enough, you can have the discussion.

During the discussion, keep in mind that what you have in common with that person. Even though, two religions are rarely different, they still have truth areas that over-lapped or inter-related. Every two religions have some similarities, although they are extremely different. And it's good to have qualified, valuable questions and worthy answers.

An attention grabbing question is short which is about ten words or less. It requires higher level of thinking and meaningful (significant to the answerer), so it is not just simple recall. It has open ended answers that contain more than one right answer. The question connects the topic to the real world, others, and me.

Also during the discussion, remember it is a discussion not contest. There is no winning in the discussion, but it is just different in thoughts. And the goal is to discover the truth to understand. From the discussion, you can also learn more and change your original thoughts which found to be not true. Sometimes, you will be shocked by the other's thoughts, but don't be offended by them and when someone disagrees.

Lastly, during the discussion, it is efficient if you attend to connect everything together, and have some stories, examples, and illustrations.

Remember the bill of rights; I personally recommend that you read "The Williamsburg Charter" once if you really want to have a meaningful inter-religious dialogue with different believers.

I think it's good to know the rest of the passage in The Williamsburg Charter.

III. A time for reconstruction

3. The Compact Must Be Mutual

First, those who claim the right to dissent should assume the responsibility to debate

Second, those who claim the right to criticize should assume the responsibility to comprehend

Third, those who claim the right to influence should accept the responsibility not to inflame

Fourth, those who claim the right to participate should accept the responsibility to persuade

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