Acessibilidade / Reportar erro

SILENCE AS A STEP TOWARD THE PROCESS OF LISTENING AND ITS CENTRAL ROLE FOR INTERRELIGIOUS RELATIONS: A REFLECTION IN THE BACKGROUND OF THE PLURALITY OF INDONESIA

O silêncio como passo para o processo de escuta e seu papel central nas relações inter-religiosas: uma refl exão no contexto da pluraridade da Indonesia.

ABSTRACT

This article is developed by drawing from the Indonesian context. The country is characterized with its plurality, in terms of religion, belief, language, culture, and ethnicity. I start reflecting on the discourse of silence by exploring the rituals practiced by the Hindus in Bali and a number of Muslims in Java. An effort is then made to elaborate it from a philosophical perspective in which silence can be understood as the beginning of listening. The further elaboration, from a theological perspective, is worked out by focusing on the figure of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, through whom silence with listening can be regarded as a way to live out the faith that seeks for understanding and wisdom. Finally, I put it on the circumstances of interreligious relations. Here, being silent for listening can be considered as a sort of culture that requires certain conditions, some of which are the readiness to deal with internal tensions and the capability to listen through the inner ear of the heart by way of discernment.

KEYWORDS
Silence; Listening; Faith; Understanding and Wisdom; Interreligious Relation

Faculdade Jesuíta de Filosofia e Teologia (FAJE) Avenida Doutor Cristiano Guimarães, 2127 - Bairro Planalto, Minas Gerais - Belo Horizonte, Cep: 31720-300, Tel: 55 (31) 3115.7000 - Belo Horizonte - MG - Brazil
E-mail: editor.pt@faculdadejesuita.edu.br