The initiative seeks to establish an “archeology of religious knowledge” in the sense of basic research with the aim of exploring the common roots and values with the help of comparative research but also to clearly identify the differences between the three monotheistic religions in order to prevent and counteract prejudice and misunderstanding. The project is supported by an academic advisory board with renowned members and could win the University of Balamand in Lebanon as cooperation partner.
“In the face of an increase in religiously motivated violence worldwide and the influx of mainly Muslim refugees to Europe, interreligious dialog nowadays is of existential significance for peaceful coexistence in large parts of the world”, explain Tamer and Böttigheimer. Knowing about the central ideas of the respective religions is paramount for the success of an objective and effective interreligious understanding.
The scientists have planned several specialist conferences over the next three years in order to bring together experts in the field and subsequently publish the results in a series of books. By examining the three monotheistic religions in their historical mutual interaction instead of taking an isolated look at the individual denominations, the researchers take up core questions of current interreligious research. The aim is to explore core concepts of the three related monotheistic religions to discursively identify connecting points as well as individual particularities of every one of the denominations and to make the results accessible to the general public. “This sharing of in-depth knowledge serves the purpose of strengthening the acceptance of respectively different cultural and religious approaches”, say Böttigheimer and Tamer.