Discourse analytical investigations of the paradigms of Trinitarianism and Tawhidism in Christian-Muslim relations

• Main Author: Nnabugwu, Joseph Ikenna
• Published: University of Aberdeen 2010
• Subjects: 200; Christianity and other religions : Islam : Monotheism : Trinity : God (Islam)
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.521343

This study is purposed to show how the Christian and Islamic concepts of monotheism are paradigms and thus, argues that the concept of paradigm, as a method of inquiry, can be a basis for analysing and exposing the conflictive differences and seeming similarities between the paradigms of Trinitarianism and Tawhidism.  Taking its ideas of the paradigms of Trinitarianism and Tawhidism from the Christian Trinity and Islamic Tawhid respectively, this study argues that the Christians and Muslims construct their identities from these paradigms as Trinitarian faith and Tawhidic faith respectively.  It investigates the fundamental principles of Islam and Christianity as constituting the <i>belief formulae</i> wrapped in the paradigms of Trinitarianism and Tawhidism. Therefore, analysing the issues of identity and alterity, the ideological oppositions, and orthodoxy claims intertwined in the paradigms of Trinitarianism and Tawhidism, this study examines the conflict of interpretations with reference to the nature of God, Christology/<i>’Isalogy</i>, Maryology and the lines of defining Christians and Muslims as ‘binary opposites’.  It further argues for a transformational intersubjectivity as a necessary condition to authentic communication between Christians and Muslims by analysing the paradigms of Trinitarianism and Tawhidism from the philosophies of dialogue. Using in places the framework of critical discourse analysis (CDA), this study analyses the empirical data of  <i>A Common Word</i> and reavels the underlying problems of ideologies, dichotomies, identity constructions and orthodoxy claims that are associated with the paradigms of Trinitarianism and Tawhidism.  This study observes that groups of Christians and Muslims, through various conferences and workshops were able to reach some compromise on interfaith matters.