Interfaith dialogue
Increasingly the Christian community world-wide is entering into dialogue with people of other faiths. Interfaith dialogue has become vital for peace-building. Interfaith dialogue is both a challenge and a gift. It is a great challenge to formulate what we believe in a way that is authentic and intelligible for someone of a different faith, though they may not share our conviction. It is a challenge to do so without confronting or showing disrespect for that person's own tradition and faith. It is a challenge to stick with interfaith dialogue at times when we feel that for every three steps forward we are taking two backward. And yet interfaith dialogue is a precious gift. It enables us to discover the common humanity in the "other" and even to forge relationships that enrich all of our lives. It is a wonderful experience to undertake a project together for the good of the whole community. And it is a great gift to learn about each other's faith, discovering the richness of other traditions, the compassion of people of a different conviction, and common ground, e.g. in striving for peace. QCT is involved in interfaith dialogue in various ways.
The Queensland Forum for Christians, Jews and Muslims
In the Queensland Forum for Christians, Jews and Muslims ("The Forum") representatives of QCT meet with representatives of the Jewish Board of Deputies and the Islamic Council of Queensland. This forum was set up approximately six years ago, while a Jewish-Christian dialogue had been taking place for longer. Taking inspiration from the Australian National Dialogue of Christians, Muslims, and Jews, the Forum has given itself a set of purposes and objectives which clearly position it as a bridge-building and peace-making body of the Abrahamic Faiths in Queensland. One project of the Forum was to compile three short brochures, "On Entering a Church" , "On Entering a Synagogue" , "On Entering a Mosque" . These contain