TRIALOGUE AND TERROR:
RELIGION AND ITS RESPONSE TO 9/11

Alan Berger

DESCRIPTION: This one-time lecture deals with two major issues; the response of the Abrahamic traditions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - to the post-9/11 world, and the role played by religion as a possible catalyst toward achieving recognition of the other, without either demonizing the other or compromising one’s own belief. Ideally, authentic dialogue and trialogue lead to a richer understanding of another’s religion and one’s own. Dialogue does not mean that everyone must be on the same theological page. It does however, mean that we keep asking questions, talking, and enquiring. We take seriously Elie Wiesel’s assertion that “questions are more important than answers.” Question contains the word “quest.” Answers, however, can frequently be fatal. The Nazis had an answer - they called it the “final solution.” The Abrahamic trialogue is a new phenomenon. There are, and will be, many bumps along the road. It is imperative to learn how to listen, and to learn how to speak. Nevertheless, we should heed the prophet Zechariah’s injunction to become “prisoners of hope.”

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Dr. Alan Berger is a Professor at Florida Atlantic University (FAU), where he is also Raddock Family Eminent Scholar Chair of Holocaust Studies, and Director of the Center for the Study of Values and Violence. Among his many publications are: Second Generation Voices; Jewish/Christian Relations; and Trialogue and Terror.