|
The first step to interfaith co-existence is the separation of church and state. When the concept of the separation of church and state was created to introduce some semblance of toleration because the founding fathers came from many denominations number of whom were very secular or deistic and just a century earlier the Thirty Years War. When we have a separation of church and state/or other polity then we can understand that we have something in common other than religion, before your can can have an interfaith conversation you need to know about people other than yourself. Empathy and the natural world first, once you recognize the human you can have a civil discussion where you can be assured your rights will be tolerated. From this point it is important that there is a difference between your right to be X and the person tolerating the idea that X holds because not all ideas are suited for others, part of being civil is being able to be defensive to ideas adverse to yourself. First step is secularization.
Interfaith in this view is then relative because you will always disagree with someone on something.
|