How do religion and a religious dialogue foster social cohesion? : A study of the Inter-religious Council of Stockholm

Europe has in recent years recognized the need of the inclusion of religions in the dialogue on social cohesion and building of its future. Analysts of the interreligious dialogue suggest that understanding the process of it may be helpful to both the initiators of such conversations as well as all the participants. The idea of different religions working together raises some questions. One of the first questions asked is whether interreligious dialogue really works. How can diverse religions dialogue when there are disputes even within the same religions and within their branches? The understanding of the process offers a better chance of such dialogue being successful and useful for the building of the world we live in. This thesis explores interreligious dialogue by looking into the interreligious council of Stockholm, which currently includes eighteen different religions, representing some of the city’s diversity, its thoughts and culture. For the analysis, we will use Orton’s discussion and recommendations. In his “Interfaith dialogue: seven key questions for theory, policy and practice” (2016), Orton considers many of the nuances involved in such dialogue. Questioning and reflections allow for the observations and insight into the complexities of interreligious dialogue which provides for better understanding of the process included. Theories and angles consider social and psychological elements, as well as religious concerns. Using qualitative research, coming from the interpretive paradigm, this thesis analyses how interreligious dialogue works within a local interreligious council. Analysing the reflections and answers of the respondents, we find the answers to some of the questions given by Orton and reflect over the practical understanding of the theories we looked at.