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Document Details : Title: The Analysis of Norms in Statements on Interfaith Relations Author(s): HAAS, Simon M. Journal: Studies in Interreligious Dialogue Volume: 20 Issue: 1 Date: 2010 Pages: 5-23 DOI: 10.2143/SID.20.1.2050492 Abstract : What makes for an effective and enduring statement on interfaith relations? What principles should one apply in formulating such a text? This article identifies the overriding need to focus on norms in the drafting and critical assessment of such formal documents. It demonstrates how norms form the basis of every functional statement on interfaith relations. Neglect of the normative dimension in the creation of such a document, the author argues, diminishes the value of the document correspondingly, and gives birth to a formal text that has less than complete integrity. The author then illustrates how a normative analysis tends to expose internal pressures, ambiguities, and contradictions in a formal text. Attention to norms therefore helps tighten drafting and offers a compelling, if not a necessary, approach for the critical analysis of statements on interfaith relations. |
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