Interfaith

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The terms interfaith or interfaith dialogue refer to cooperative and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions (i.e., "faiths") and spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional level with the aim of deriving a common ground in belief through a concentration on similarities between faiths, understanding of values, and commitment to the world.

It is distinct from syncretism or alternative religion, in that dialogue often involves promoting understanding between different religions to increase acceptance of others, rather than to synthesize new beliefs. There is a view that the history of religion shows conflict has been more the state of affairs than dialogue.

Throughout the world there are local, regional and international interfaith initiatives; many are formally or informally linked and constitute larger networks or federations. The often quoted ["There will be no peace among the nations without peace among the religions. There will be no peace among the religions without dialogue among the religions" was formulated by Dr Hans Küng, a Professor of Ecumenical Theology and President of the Foundation for a Global Ethic.

The term interreligious relations refers to relationships between religions (rel. comparative religion).

History of Interfaith dialogue

The history of interfaith dialogue is as ancient as the religions since men and women when not at war with their neighbours have always made an effort to understand them (not least because understanding is a strategy for defense, but also because for as long as there is dialogue wars are delayed). History records many examples of interfaith initiatives and dialogue throughout the ages.

  • Interfaith dialogue and action have taken place for many centuries. The Emperor Akbar the Great for example, encouraged tolerance in Mughal India, a diverse nation with people of various faith backgrounds, including Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Christianity.[1] Muslim Spain is an additional historical example of great religious pluralism.
  • Another example of historical coexistence between people of different faiths has been in the Balkans under the administration of the Ottoman Turks from 15th to 19th centuries. Catholic and Orthodox Christians as well as Muslims, Jews and Sufis have dwelled in harmony for hundreds of years in this region (despite some small incidents). Today the region is shaky and very sensitive. Especially following the dissolution of former Yugoslavia, ethnic and religious wars have been waged, massacres and other horrors have been recorded in the last decade in 1990's. The UN peacekeeping forces are in the region today to ensure the safety of the general population against attacks.
  • Early 20th Century - dialogue started to take place between the Abrahamic faiths - Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Bahá'í
The 1960s - Interfaith movement gathered interest.[citation needed]
1965 - the Roman Catholic Church issued the Vatican II document Nostra Aetate, instituting major policy changes in the Catholic Church's policy towards non-Christian religions.
Late 1960s Interfaith groups joined around Civil Rights issues for African-Americans and later were often vocal in their opposition to the Vietnam War.[citation needed]
July 2008 - Historic Interfaith dialogue initiated by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to solve world problems through concord and not conflict. The conference attended by religious leaders of different faiths like Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism etc was hosted by King Juan Carlos of Spain in Madrid.[citation needed
January 2009, at Gujarat’s Mahuva, the Dalai Lama inaugurated an interfaith "World Religions-Dialogue and Symphony" conference convened by Hindu preacher Morari Bapu from January 6 to 11th 2009. This conference explore « ways and means to deal with the discord among major religions », according to Morari Bapu. Participants include Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, Prime Minister of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile on Buddhism, Diwan Saiyad Zainul Abedin Ali Sahib (Ajmer Sharif) on Islam, Dr. Prabalkant Dutt on non-Catholic Christianity, Swami Jayendra Saraswathi on Hinduism and Dastur Dr. Peshtan Hormazadiar Mirza on Zoroastrian.[3],[4]
July 2009, Vancouver School of Theology opened Iona Pacific: Inter-Religious Centre for Social Action, Research, and Contemplative Practice under the leadership of Principal and Dean, Dr. Wendy Fletcher, and Director, Rabbi Dr. Robert Daum.

Interfaith organizations

The Institute of Interfaith Dialog has been very active in the different states of the US. With about 15 branches in several states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi and Kansas, the IID organizes interfaith dinners, inter-cultural trips, conferences and panel discussions.

While there are many basically religious organizations geared to working on interfaith issues, there is also a less common attempt by some governmental institutions to specifically address the diversity of religions

In India, many organizations have been involved in interfaith activities because of the diversity of religion in the nation.

Minhaj-ul-Quran International is a non-sectarian and a non-governmental organization (NGO) working in over 81 countries around the globe. Its main aims and objectives are to promote interfaith dialogue and to live peacefully within society. Minhaj ul Quran was founded by Shaykh ul Islam Prof. Dr. Muhammed Tahir ul Qadri

International Council for Inter-Religious Cooperation is an International Multi Faith Think Tank working for deleting the vacuum between different faiths and creating an understanding and working cooperation, their main area of focus is with the religious on the ground. Their main thrust of focus is to create harmony and understanding between Muslim-Jews-Christians.

Iona Pacific: Inter-Religious Centre for Social Action, Research, and Contemplative Practice [==United Nations support== On December 2, 2008, Anwarul Karim Chowdhury said:

  • "Interfaith dialogue is absolutely essential, relevant, and necessary. ... If 2009 is to truly be the Year of Interfaith Cooperation, the U.N. urgently needs to appoint an interfaith representativeat a senior level in the Secretariat."

External links

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