Field and river

20th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies (ICES20)
Mekelle University, Ethiopia

"Regional and Global Ethiopia - Interconnections and Identities"
1-5 October, 2018

ICES20 logo

Use the "back" button of your browser to return to the list of abstracts.

THE ROLE OF REASON IN RELIGIONS AND ITS INFLUENCE ON INTER AND INTRA-FAITH DIALOGUE: A CLOSE ANALYSIS OF ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX TRADITIONAL PEDAGOGY AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON INTERFAITH DIALOGUE [Abstract ID: 1305-03]

ZETSEAT Fekadu Mulugeta, SIL-AIM Ethiopia

The research examines how Ethiopian Orthodox pedagogy settles the tension between faith and reason which further influences inter and intra-faith dialogue. It will closely examine what contributed to the development of thinkers who were involved in the 19th century debate over the person of Christ, and who also interacted with Catholic and Muslim believers. The first section of the paper will briefly discuss the interrelation between reason and inter and intra-faith dialogue. After this, it discusses the role of reason in the traditional pedagogy of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church by closely analyzing major incidents of the 19th century, i.e. the debate over the person of Christ and Orthodox believers’ relations with Catholic and Muslim believers. The third section analyses how traditional pedagogy influenced students’ inter and intra-faith dialogue. Finally, based on the analysis, the paper attempts to give recommendations for today’s religious pedagogy for better inter and intra-faith dialogue.