Panel: ENTANGLED ENCOUNTERS: MATERIAL AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATIONS OF RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES IN EUROPE



647.3 - KIRCHENKAFFEE AS A SPACE FOR INSPIRING ENCOUNTERS: INTERRELIGIOUS REFLECTIONS ON INTEGRATION IN EUROPE

AUTHORS:
Colak M. (Eurotürk ~ Aachen ~ Germany)
Text:
This paper proposes a shift from "identity-based" to "heritage-based" religious understanding in the context of integration, a process which is often hindered when religion is used as a defensive identity marker. Redefining religious traditions as a "Common Human Heritage," and placing the emphasis on shared values, can facilitate integration processes. This model does not suggest the abandonment of faith but its evolution into a broader awareness. The theoretical framework of this paper is the result of a personal philosophical journey that intensified during my transition from Türkiye to Germany in 2019. This migration process opened a new avenue for a profound re-evaluation of my background, a process that evolved into what I describe as a "rebirth" through learning a new language and culture. During the 2020 pandemic isolation, my daily walks became a meditative laboratory where I immersed myself in German radio programs focused on religion and society. This curiosity led to a pivotal encounter with a Free Evangelical Church community. Over the past six years, the post-service coffee hours (Kirchenkaffee) have become a space for deep existential dialogue, where I shared my perspective with the members of the community from a different religious tradition. This experience has led me to consider different religions as different languages to declare our shared love for the Divine. In this sense, each religion functions as a school dedicated to the betterment of the human soul; one can learn from multiple schools to broaden their perspective. This has meant, for example, incorporating abstractions from sermons to build an understanding of Christianity without losing integrity with my roots. This process has provided a chance to rethink my origins from a new perspective, through a reflection on shared values across different religions.