The Conflict of Religions and the Mission of a Philosophy of the World Religions

Abstract

Many conflicts in the world have religious motives and are justified by the mutually-contradictory statements and claims of the various religions. It appears that behind the “clash of civilizations” there stands the “clash of religions.” For this reason, a discourse of the world religions runs the risk of being drawn into such conflicts. At the same time, however, it is also a means of opposing such conflicts, of hindering them, or at least of toning them down. A Discourse of the World Religions within the context of the world exposition EXPO 2000 Hanover in the year 2000 had to accept this challenging mission of promoting a discussion between the world religions and of defusing the conflicts between them. Therefore, this discourse of religions contributed at the same time a dimension of depth to the mission of a world exposition: promoting the encounter of persons from the entire world and from different religions.