Combining Interfaith and Service to bring Diverse faiths together

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ABSTRACT

In this research, we try to focus on the Interfaith and Service. The purpose of this research is to focus on bringing diverse faith together. The paper also highlights the interfaith engagements with a Civic Focus. The research is on its faith leaders from diverse faith traditions to be able to come together under a 'civic focus' to address moral issues in society. The platform will not address religious traditions or theologies, but the common base elements that major faith traditions have in common, like living for the sake of others, the life of each other is important, values, morals and ethics that must be held up to be the moral compass for society. The focus will be in two parts. The first working with faith leaders in the USA, and the second will have an international connection with a final analysis on the differences between the international works compared to that within the USA. The paper is divided in to six chapters; each chapter has its own importance and discussion. The research also observe social and cultural phenomenon of the interfaith center as an intentional response to religious diversity in the United States. The interfaith center is an effort of multiple religious and secular organizations and individuals with missions of social action, education, dialogue and relationship building. The civic focus are formed within the context of a local community, but include interactions on a regional, national or international scale and intersections into public, private, civic and religious spheres of influence. The interfaith center is a growing force in religious pluralism, playing a constructive role in the social and cultural processes of a community, the attitudes and perceptions of religious groups and the production of interfaith space. The interfaith center is producing physical and social space to act as a mechanism for social cohesion and a focal point for addressing social issues and building community relationships. This research is also going the examination of both the construction and the consequence of this place. A final analysis will view civic collaboration amongst faith traditions and can this become a new paradigm in interfaith.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACTii

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION1

1.1 Background1

1.2 Problems statement2

1.3 Purpose and Significance3

1.4 Research justification3

1.5 Research aims3

1.6 Research Objectives4

1.7 Research questions4

1.8 Scope of the Study4

1.9 Limitations5

1.9 (a) Unavailability of recent researches5

1.9 (b) Unavailability of recent researches and data5

1.9 (c) Biases in the prior researches5

1.10Structure of the Thesis6

Chapter I: Introduction6

Chapter II: Literature Review6

Chapter III: Methodology7

Chapter IV: Data analysis and Discussion7

Chapter V: Biblical/Theological Reflection7

Chapter VI: Conclusion8

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW9

2.1 The Word Faith9

2.2 Interfaith10

2.3 Inquiring More Deeply12

2.4 Interreligious/Interfaith Dialogue as Christian Practice13

2.5 Interrelationship between Christian Beliefs and Practices18

2.6 Correlations between Theologies of Religions and Christian Practices19

2.7 Interreligious/Interfaith Dialogue & Liberation Praxis22

2.8 An Interfaith Exegesis28

2.9 The Relationship between Geography and Religion39

2.10 Geography of Religion from the 16th to 18th Centuries42

2.11 The Geography of Religion into the 19th Century to the Present44

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY54

3.1 The Research Process55

3.2 Research Methods55

3.3 Qualitative Research55

3.4 Quantitative Research56

3.5 Research ...