Communication and Religious Differences

Communication and Religious Differences
Our traditional perspective of religion is often based on our cognitive beliefs, and to maintain quality communications it is important to keep in mind the differences that exist: Our world is far different from the experience of others from different cultures, heritages and religious experiences. Most of the people in the world fall into one of several categories:
• Believe in God or gods.
• Believe in a Supernatural Force, sentient or non-sentiment.
• Believe it is not possible to have “knowledge of God” or that we do or that a Supernatural Force in any respect based on accepted proof or is provable.
It is important to realize our traditional beliefs are in a world with vast choices and an emphasis on immediate response and gratification. This difference in perspectives creates a different reality for us of today, and the difference can add to our interactions or can become a barrier to quality communication. To understand someone else’s perspective if it is quantitatively different, we have to make the effort to actively listen and ask questions.

The two listening styles that can help us get at the other person's perspective are deconstructive listening and explicative listening. Deconstructive listening allows the acceptance and understanding of another's story without emphasizing any powerless or pathological aspects. Explicative listening pays close attention to the other's story while seeking themes, possible inconsistencies, and opportunities to be empathetic (not sympathetic).

When listening to another person's "story" you must encourage him/her to elaborate in order to help you access his/her experience through quality questioning. The goal of your questions should be to help the person distance him/herself from the problem of explanation, and thereby increase objectivity. This will allow evaluation of the situation from a more rational perspective. Invite the person to see his/her story from a different perspective and discover other possible narratives; this will create a dialogue between the two of you. Search for gaps or contradictions in the story, which might provide room for an alternative explanation to the situation or issue. This allows you to gain a perspective that will put their explanations into concepts you can understand.