Why Interfaith?

'The evil forces try to say to us that everything is hopeless. Why do you waste our time on this? But we believe in the power of the word of Life and we are convinced interfaith relations are part of God's ongoing healing of this world.'

Why Interfaith? is a timely book. 2015 has seen a spate of terrorist violence across the Middle East, Africa and in Europe claimed by Islamic State, or seemingly involving religious factors. Indeed, it is now apparent to all in the wake of the latest mass shooting in Paris that what happens in Northern Europe cannot be insulated from what happens in the wider world, and vice versa.

Meanwhile, new right-wing-populist parties have gained increasing support in many countries in Europe, some with seats in parliament. An important agenda for these parties is to save Christian societies from Islam and immigrants. At the same time there are a growing number of anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents and hate crimes reported. The dominating picture reported in the media on religion is that religion causes lots of problems and that especially Islam and Muslims are a threat to the open, democratic societies in Europe.

Religion is not a phenomenon living its own life. Religion is part of people's lives.

This book wants to share the stories of how the churches in the Porvoo Communion in different ways are engaged in interfaith work.