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Document Details : Title: Religions and the Dialogue among Cultures Subtitle: The Brazilian Challenge Author(s): LUCHETTI BINGEMER, Maria Clara Journal: Studies in Interreligious Dialogue Volume: 16 Issue: 1 Date: 2006 Pages: 72-88 DOI: 10.2143/SID.16.1.2013492 Abstract : This article explores what it means concretely for religions to coexist in mutual respect and to grow together in dialogue, drawing on the rich plurality of the religious situation in Brazil. The religious cults of African origin represent the clearest remaining link of the Afro-Brazilians to African culture, made possible through the flexibility of these religions in adapting to the Brazilian situation. More important, these cults adjusted their distinctively African content to and syncretized it with the very different sociohistorical conditions of Brazil, resulting in a new black identity with a more or less African quality (africanidade). Color, however, remains a barrier: a reminder not only of different racial origins but of the slave-trade that first brought them to Brazil. Against this background the Christian (predominantly Catholic) culture encounters Afro-Brazilian religions. More than simply a matter of finding a way to coexist amicably, it is a challenge to inaugurate dialogue between different civilizations. This article focuses on a number of positive attempts to meet this challenge and at the same time highlights the suffering caused by exclusivism and violence. In conclusion, some paths for dialogue open to religions with different civilizations are indicated: listening, interchange, and spirituality. |
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