THE EROSION OF DIALOGUE AND THE AESTHETICIZATION OF CONFLICT: THE INSTRUMENTALIZATION OF THE CONTEMPORARY RELIGIOUS FIELD AND THE CURTAILMENT OF THE BELIEVER'S AUTONOMY

Abstract

This article analyzes the dynamics behind the emptying of interreligious and sociocultural dialogue in contemporary society, problematizing how constructing the other as an executioner works to vilify the believer’s genuine power of choice. Grounded in a sociological and theological-critical approach, it articulates Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of the religious field with Peter Berger’s theory of the sacred canopy, demonstrating how competition for symbolic capital instrumentalizes moral panic amidst the liquidity of human relations described by Zygmunt Bauman. Within this ecosystem, Ricardo Mariano’s analysis of the commodification of faith highlights the use of persuasive techniques that alienate the believer under the illusion of free choice, while Paul Tillich’s critique of the "absolutization of the relative" unveils an institutional idolatry that destroys alterity. Subsequently, the contribution of Axel Honneth’s ethics of recognition is mobilized to project a path toward overcoming sectarianism. It concludes that the intensification of conflict is not merely an ethical deviation, but a cognitive framing technology that curtails individual autonomy and undermines pluralistic democratic coexistence.