The origin of prejudice in Allport as an obstacle to inter-religious dialogue

Abstract

We will discuss in this article prejudice as an obstacle to interreligious dialogue, for which, Allport, American psychologist, points us a way. According to him, prejudice has its sources in the passionate defense of personal values that raise walls of protection and see others as a threat. The convenience of generalizations and simplistic categories impel the formation of stereotypes, which make natural ideas and hostile attitudes, which, in fact, have no foundation because they belong to the subjective universe. In this sense, we will also use Bachelard's theory about the importance of affective detachment for the better understanding of an object of study. Conscious of the fact that prejudice is also influenced by the historical period and by cultural and religious differences, we will intersect Allport's concepts with the models used by the theology of religious pluralism, in order to verify if there is really an approximation that clarifies the difficulties and challenges imposed on the interreligious relations, and even personal relations, so that progress can be made in understanding and accepting differences.