Problem with Interreligious Dialogue, The
Book Description
In a world where religious dialogue is often celebrated as the path to understanding, scholar Muthuraj Swamy presents a provocative challenge to conventional wisdom. Drawing from extensive fieldwork in southern Indian villages, he reveals how the very framework we use to discuss religion may be creating the divisions it seeks to heal.
Swamy questions the fundamental assumption that world religions exist as distinct, separate entities, arguing instead that this perspective distorts the lived reality of spiritual practitioners. Through careful observation of Hindu, Muslim, and Christian communities, he demonstrates how people naturally integrate their religious beliefs with political, economic, and social aspects of daily life, defying the neat categories that scholars and religious leaders often impose.
The author exposes what he sees as an elite-driven approach to interfaith conversation, one that inadvertently reinforces the very boundaries it claims to transcend. Rather than finding natural harmony, Swamy discovers that ordinary people already engage across religious lines in ways that challenge our preconceptions about conflict and separation.
This groundbreaking work combines theoretical insight with ethnographic research to offer a fresh lens for understanding religious plurality. For readers seeking to move beyond surface-level discussions of faith and explore the deeper complexities of spiritual community, Swamy provides both critique and revelation about how we might approach religious difference with greater authenticity and wisdom.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~7 hours)
📄 Length: 248 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore India, religion
- ✓ Explore Islam, relations, christianity
- ✓ Explore Religion
- ✓ Explore Islam, india
- ✓ Understand Hindu philosophy and traditions
- ✓ Explore Hinduism
- ✓ Explore Hinduism, relations, islam
- ✓ Explore Christianity and other religions, hinduism
