religious harmony essay in english

You are viewing:

Archived Content

Information released online from January 20, 2009 to January 20, 2017. Note: Content in this archive site is not updated , and links may not function. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein.

Go to the current State.gov website for up-to-date information.

U.s. department of state, diplomacy in action.

• Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights
• Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

Living Together in Peace: The Importance of Interreligious Harmony for Religious Freedom

As delivered

Thank you for inviting me to celebrate this artistic commemoration of the UN International Day of Peace and to speak about the importance of inter-religious harmony. First, let me say how much I welcome Caravan’s initiative, and how impressed I am with Caravan founder Reverend Paul-Gordon Chandler, whom I had the honor to meet in July. I am also very impressed with Caravan’s creative and unique approach toward building religious harmony and peace through art using ancient symbols displayed in sacred spaces.

Using art to convey this message is so powerful because art is profoundly personal yet has a global impact. It is a shared expression that stimulates thought, provokes discussion, and conveys messages beyond words, as the artists of diverse faiths have done brilliantly in this exhibit. Their artistic expressions of the desire to unlock a more peaceful, tolerant world using the “Key of Life,” the Egyptian Ankh, an ancient symbol of harmony, illustrate that women and men of all faiths and non-faiths share a basic humanity, the human need to create and to express themselves freely and the human desire to live in peace. This is an important message that the world needs to hear more clearly, because achieving a world in which diversity of thought and belief is respected and not targeted requires tenacity, creativity, and vision.

And I particularly appreciate the significance of this art centering on an ancient symbol. Symbols, especially religious and ethnic symbols, are often used to tear people apart, to divide them into separate groups as “different” or “other,” or even to become targets for hatred, intolerance, or violence, as, for example, when Jewish children going to school in the aftermath of the terrorist attack at the HyperCacher Kosher supermarket in Paris refrained from wearing their symbols of faith, “Kippahs,” head coverings, or necklaces with Jewish stars were not worn on the way to school, for fear of being targeted for murder. Another example is of Muslim women removing their hijab on public transportation in Sydney, afraid of being targets after the Sydney terrorist attacks in 2014, which gave rise to the inspiring inter-religious social media campaign “#illridewithyou,” in which non-Muslims offered to keep hijab-wearing women riding to work company to reassure them of their safety. So accepting other people’s symbols of expression, of faith, of meaning, that is a critical component of interreligious harmony. And we know that the more people know about “the other,” the more open they are to them, which creates a more peaceful co-existence. And inter-faith dialogue, talking together, is a necessary step toward reducing “otherness,” and it’s the engagement on which we most often focus; but acting together is also a critical step, doing something together to benefit society, through arts, or sports, or community-restoration efforts, to create a better world—those endeavors unify us as people. So Reverend Chandler, Caravan artists and members, I commend your action through art. And I hope that your message is heard and replicated and expanded around the world, along with other artists of all faiths speaking out through art for peace. The timing of this exhibition during the high-level week of the United Nations General Assembly is very appropriate, as nations are coming together to work together toward a more peaceful, just and harmonious world.

As the United States Ambassador at Large for Religious Freedom, I spend a lot of my time talking about, as you might guess, religious freedom. And I am particularly honored to have this opportunity to highlight the critical and sometimes overlooked nexus between inter-religious harmony, especially as created through inter-religious efforts, and religious freedom. Without inter-religious harmony, freedom of religion is almost impossible to achieve in a society. If one faith group does not tolerate another group’s symbols or practices, how can the members of that group without fear feel free to practice? Or without fear choose to not practice? So aspiring to inter-religious harmony is a critical goal to achieve religious freedom, and it is an issue that the U.S. government actively supports and promotes, particularly through inter-religious initiatives. Inter-faith engagement unites people across faith and ideological lines and encourages mutual trust, shared values, and understanding.

Religious freedom and tolerance are instrumentally important in forging a better world. Four out of five people on Earth align themselves with one religious tradition or another. And being able to decide not to align with a tradition is an important freedom too. Religious teachings and beliefs affect the values, actions, choices, and views of people all over the world. The U.S. Government promotes freedom of religion and belief internationally as a human right that is a source of stability for all countries. In our office of International Religious Freedom at the State Department, we work with U.S. Missions all over the world to empower civil society, including religious leaders, religious communities, and human rights NGOs, to partner with us in promoting and protecting freedom of religion and belief for all. And we coordinate closely with the Secretary’s Office of Religion and Global Affairs, established to build our institutional capacity and our international partners’ capacity to engage religious leaders and religious communities on foreign policy priorities.

Today the U.S. government engages with religious leaders and organizations that are making significant contributions in fields ranging from human rights to economic justice, to climate change, to anti-corruption efforts and conflict mitigation. In building these relationships, we identify shared values that transcend geography and religious traditions. Despite restrictions on their activities in many countries, religious actors are deeply engaged in creating more peaceful, stable, and secure communities that can meet modern challenges with approaches that are grounded in local traditions and culture.

We believe that governments of nations around the world reap a clear benefit from promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and religious freedom. But this respect cannot just stem from the governments, it must come from the people themselves. And it is – all over the world, including in many countries where we see enormous challenges to religious freedom, we also see men and women of courage who are willing, sometimes at great cost to themselves, to stand up for their rights and for the rights of others. It is a source of great inspiration that my colleagues and I can work alongside such brave people around the world for the same goals.

Inter-religious cooperation today flourishes at a level unprecedented in human history, and religious communities contribute significantly to social welfare and can serve as a moral compass to their nations.

In the United States, inter-religious coalitions of religious leaders from every major religious group in the United States have confronted the rise of anti-Muslim sentiment, denounced threats of Qur’an burnings, opposed rhetoric calling for barring Muslims from America, and stood up to those who take a not-in-my-backyard view of mosques being built in their neighborhoods. As Southern Baptist leader Russell Moore said: “What it means to be a Baptist is to support soul freedom for everybody.” Now that’s a powerful message of solidarity in spirituality, one which Caravan is also conveying in this exhibition today.

Looking beyond our borders, we support and engage in multi-faith efforts through formal and informal international government exchanges, including parliamentary efforts. We support the work of the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPP), a global, multi-faith, cross-party platform of parliamentarians advocating for the individual right to freedom of religion or belief, as set forth in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. At a time of rising restrictions on freedom of religion and belief in many parts of the world, as well as an increase in violence attributed to sectarianism and religious differences, this effort is desperately needed.

The U.S. Government in April 2016 launched a “Days of Inter-religious Youth Action” (DIYA), which brings together young alumni of all U.S. Government programs to collaborate with peers to develop and implement community projects aimed at tackling important local issues while building intra and interreligious cooperation. Young leaders in Islamabad, Pakistan, have organized a DIYA Arts for Peace connecting members of the country’s Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and Baha’i communities to paint and share “Peace Messages” to the World. A group of Muslim, Hindu, and Christian young leaders from Rawalpindi, Pakistan, also joined forces to lead an interreligious DIYA Sports Gala aimed at teaching lessons in teamwork and sportsmanship to local children. Another youth group in Uganda participating in DIYA organized a job skills workshop to teach economically disadvantaged women of all faiths how to make soap and mats to help provide financial stability.

Like these examples, some of the most inspiring examples of inter-faith and inter-community engagement come from youth. I am particularly inspired by a transnational initiative called “Streams of Hope”, in which youth from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, and Vietnam rehabilitate polluted creeks and rivers in some 22 communities in five Southeast Asian countries. Religious communities played a vital role in the success of “Streams of Hope”.

And where are these creative inter-religious efforts and inter-religious harmony most critical? In places of sectarian conflict, where inter-religious cooperation eases diffuse tensions and can often make the difference between life and death.

Some inspiring examples include:

In Burma, the inter-religious coalition, including Buddhists monks, acted to curtail the communal violence that struck Mandalay, Burma in 2014.

Against daunting pressures the Interfaith Platform of the Central Africa Republic (CAR) has taken difficult but significant strides aimed at promoting peaceful coexistence of Christians and Muslims in CAR. Their encouraging messages of religious unity and tolerance helped stem some of the violence of 2013 leading to the ceasefire of 2014. Nevertheless, sectarian strains still exist. Progress needs to be made toward integrating Muslim and Christian areas of the country. Displaced citizens, whether Muslim or Christian should be able to return to their communities and all citizens should be able to move freely and have access to schools, hospitals, and work. I look forward to my trip to CAR next week to learn how to help facilitate this process, and how we can rebuild diversity and unity in communities.

In countries with a history of sectarian violence, blasphemy and apostasy laws make achieving inter-religious harmony an even more formidable task, as they are too often used by individuals to justify violence in the name of their religion or to settle personal grievances. But even under those constricted circumstances, courageous people standing up for those of other faiths can make a difference. For example, in July 2015 in Lahore, Pakistan, a group of people accused a Christian man of blasphemy for allegedly burning pages of the Qur’an. Three Muslim leaders reacted swiftly, physically standing between the angry mob and members of the local Christian community until the crowd dispersed. Civil society contacts have told us that interventions such as these have helped prevent violence in more than 40 cases in Pakistan recently.

On many occasions, it is not just religious leaders but ordinary folks who show extraordinary examples of interreligious harmony and cooperation sometimes at a moment of crisis. In Kenya, when al-Shabaab gunmen attacked a bus in December 2015 and demanded that Christians and Muslims be separated, the bus driver said that the Muslims on board refused to be separated from their fellow Christian travelers. They told the militants to kill them all or leave them all alone – and incredibly only two were killed. One of the men killed, Salah Farah, was shielding Christians from the attackers. His brother Rashid told media that he hoped Salah’s example would encourage Kenyans to live as one community and promote religious harmony.

After the February 2015 terrorist attacks in Denmark, thousands of people of different faiths formed a human ring of peace around the Copenhagen synagogue at which the attack took place, offering symbolic protection for the city's Jewish community and condemning the attacks. Similar events were held in Oslo, Norway, and throughout other Scandinavian countries to send strong messages of inter-religious solidarity.

In Liberia in 2003, Christian social worker Leymah Gbowee brought women from her Lutheran church to pray for an end to her country’s violent civil war. Calling themselves “the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace”, they using radio broadcasts to recruit followers, and they prayed and protested at the fish market, in full view of the Presidential palace. Muslim community member Asatu Bah Kenneth brought Muslim women to join, and together they persuaded then-President Charles Taylor and the rebel warlords to agree to peace talks. They then went to the site of the stalled peace talks in Ghana, where they physically barred the participants from leaving the meeting site until they came to a resolution. This intervention contributed to the end of their country’s civil war and facilitated the government’s transition to democracy, with Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf becoming Liberia’s first woman president in 2005 and Africa’s first elected female head of state. What a powerful illustration of how inter-religious unity helps to mitigate conflict.

And in Egypt, as we today celebrate the Ankh, the ancient Egyptian symbol of harmony, there are positive moves toward inter-religious harmony. The military has rebuilt a third of the 78 churches burned by Islamist-led mobs in 2013, and plans to complete the re-building in 2016. At a December 22 2015 event, President Sisi told Al-Azhar scholars to refute “malicious ideas and warped interpretation;” to teach “that tolerance does not contradict religion [Islam]; and that accepting the other does not oppose faith” but benefits all mankind. In response to President Sisi’s January 2015 call for a “religious revolution” to combat extremism, the Ministry of Education removed from school textbooks most language which it said “incites violence and extremism” against those of other faiths. Christian leaders interpret these developments as a signal that Christians are accepted as full members of Egyptian society.

On August 30, the Egyptian House of Representatives passed the Church Construction and Renovation Law affirming the right of Christians to build houses of worship, which had previously failed to pass. This law is a good first step, especially given the antipathy of some elements of society against church construction. But we are concerned by vague language that could impede implementation and could justify permit refusals, which could cause the law to fall short of fulfilling President Sisi’s affirmation of equality of Egypt’s Christians.

Although there are regular reports of incidents of societal violence and intolerance of Christians, some Egyptians are hard at work to promote tolerance and coexistence. The ‘Imam-Priest Exchange,’ an inter-religious initiative of the Episcopal/Anglican Diocese of Egypt, brings together Egyptian Muslim and Christian religious leaders to build relationships and facilitate understanding and peaceful co-existence. In Alexandria, Egypt, the Arkan [are KAHN] Center at St. Mark’s Cathedral is using artistic expression to bring Muslims and Christians together for cultural and artistic workshops and exhibits, building “bridges of peace and friendship” to replace “walls of intolerance and fear.”

Despite all the challenges many religious communities face, in the countries I have visited, churches, temples and mosques and other houses of worship are bursting with religious fervor, with prayer, with song, with young families. I have become even more convinced that without the promotion of religious freedom, without inter-religious dialogue, there can be no real democracy, no stability, and no lasting security for any country. But with it, anything is possible.

One of the most effective antidotes to hate, violence, and injustice is the power and effectiveness of different inter-religious communities of the world working together. The inter-religious unity promoted through these artistic expressions of the basic humanity of the Egyptian Key symbol—and indeed all cultural and religious symbols— is a critical piece of the puzzle. It helps us to understand that no matter what faith we are or are not, none of us are “the other.” Women and men of all belief systems, we are all the same in our humanity. We express that humanity through faith, art, poetry, speech, tradition, and other practices, as so clearly illustrated in these beautiful, unique pictures of the same symbol of peace.

In many parts of the world, the process of inter-religious engagement is robust, in others, nascent. But we have a long way to go.

The challenges we face are daunting. But when we can work together we can achieve things none of us can achieve alone. We enrich ourselves not only in learning about others, including those with whom our lack of understanding had long bred mistrust and alienation. Paradoxically, in our exchanges, where we must explain clearly our own traditions to others and test our long-held assumptions by the new perspectives we encounter in others, many of us can deepen our understanding of our own faith traditions. In the very act of meeting and sharing and talking and working together to bridge the divides and enhance the cooperation, we are modeling the kind of world of which we dream and which we strive to create.

So in that spirit I affirm that the goal of religious freedom for all of us is achievable. With the help of good people like you across the globe, it will become a reality. Until then, for the religiously oppressed in every land who live in fear, let us act with courage and determination that we will be a shining beacon of hope and light of freedom. Thank you.

You are entering the 2009-2017 Archive for the U.S. Department of State.

If you are looking for current information, visit www.state.gov ..

Bringing people of different faiths together to solve the world’s problems is a noble goal – but it’s hard to know what it achieves

Research Fellow at the Woolf Institute, University of Cambridge

Director of Research at the Woolf Institute, Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Islamic Studies, University of Cambridge, University of Cambridge

Disclosure statement

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

University of Cambridge provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK.

View all partners

An estimated 84% of the global population identifies with a religion . This is over 6.5 billion people. Among thousands of world religions, Christianity is the largest, with 2.3 billion followers. The second, and fastest growing, is Islam with 1.8 billion followers .

Religion is often seen as a major driver of conflict and, according to a 2018 report from the US-based Pew Research Center , religiously motivated violence is on the rise . Yet most religions, at their core, aim to build peace and foster reconciliation .

Bringing people from different faiths together is often seen as a way to tackle the world’s most pressing problems . This is what’s known as the interfaith movement and initiatives range from shared meals in local places of worship to high-level acts of international diplomacy.

Israel and Palestine, for example, have over 190 active interfaith organisations in operation. The All Nation Cafe is one such endeavour. Situated in a buffer zone between the Israeli Army checkpoint and the Palestinian Authority, the cafe is an easily accessible meeting place for Israelis and Palestinians. The cafe engages with young people on both sides of the conflict and provides a neutral space to foster dialogue and empowerment.

But despite the commendable intentions and enthusiasm of all involved, interfaith has its critics . For some, interfaith is no more than virtue signalling. For others less cynical, but no less sceptical, the goals of interfaith – such as world peace or the reconciliation of all religious differences – seem lofty and vague .

While conversations between people of different faiths appear to make a difference , and despite significant contributions made by faith communities, knowing if anything works remains a challenge, as the effectiveness of interfaith initiatives are rarely measured or evaluated.

This is what our latest project aims to address. We have spent two years listening to interfaith organisations and studying decades of psychological research on intergroup relations to find out what a successful interfaith project or collaboration looks like.

Global reach

The birth of modern interfaith can be traced back to the first Parliament of the World’s Religions, held in Chicago in 1893 . More recently, key events such as 9/11 have thrust interfaith onto the global stage.

The continued presence of religious conflict, extremism and prejudice in society has compelled many to seek solutions within interfaith practice. There are global projects such as the G20’s Interfaith Forum , national initiatives such as the UK government’s Near Neighbours programme – which aims to bring religiously and ethnically diverse communities together – and the Jewish Muslim women’s network Nisa Nashim , and myriad local groups engaging in arts, sports and scripture studies across religious divides.

Interfaith groups often have bold ambitions, whether for their local area or the world at large. How realistic these ambitions are is hard to assess. For some, success might be the cessation of hostilities between faith communities. For others, success could be an increased closeness to God or more engagement with people from different faiths. What came through in our research, was that for interfaith work to be successful, it has to lead to changes beyond the immediate project or initiative.

Wider change

Indeed, encounters between people of different faiths might lead to more positive attitudes towards other faith groups. But for interfaith to be truly successful, changes within individuals must spread, or be “transferred”, throughout whole communities and into wider society .

There are many examples of interfaith work at a community level – such as coordinated responses to COVID-19 or faith groups coming together to tackle knife crime . But many of these examples, as well-intentioned as they are, lack proper evidence to gauge the longer-term impact on wider community relations.

Another example is the ParliaMentors programme , an interfaith initiative that equips young students of all faiths with the skills, knowledge and networks needed to become leaders in their local communities . Students are mentored by an MP and contribute towards various initiatives.

Camden Cares , was set up as part of the ParliaMentors programme to address the lack of integration opportunities for young asylum seekers. Young leaders from different faith backgrounds came together and, in partnership with two local refugee charities, the project ran two sports events for young asylum seekers at Arsenal’s football ground, the Emirates Stadium in London. And again, while the project itself was considered a success, it is hard to know what the wider community impacts may have been.

While such examples demonstrate the good work of interfaith groups and faith communities across the world, knowing what works and what might work better would help groups design more effective programmes. This is why, as part of our work, we have created a resource that allows local interfaith groups to measure their effectiveness. Helping interfaith initiatives quantify their success will allow them to identify areas that are not working.

This is important because this knowledge will allow for initiatives to improve. And ultimately, this should help interfaith groups worldwide to more successfully tackle interreligious hostility and ease the heavy cost of religious conflict upon society.

• Israel-Palestine
• interfaith dialogue

Administration and Events Assistant

Head of Evidence to Action

Supply Chain - Assistant/Associate Professor (Tenure-Track)

OzGrav Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Casual Facilitator: GERRIC Student Programs - Arts, Design and Architecture

• About India Foundation
• Board of Trustees
• Governing Council
• Distinguished Fellows
• Deputy Directors
• Senior Research Fellows
• Research Fellows
• Visiting Fellows
• Publications
• India Foundation Journal
• Issue Briefs
• Annual Report
• Upcoming Events
• Event Reports

• Press Release
• LD linkedin [#161] Created with Sketch.

[email protected]

Religious Harmony: A Unifying Bond

Introduction

Harmony – In the context of music, it means “a pleasant musical sound made by different notes being played or sung simultaneously.” In a social context, it usually refers to “a situation in which people are peaceful and agree with each other, or when things seem right or suitable together.” However, an artist regards harmony as a combination of separate but interconnected parts in a way that employs their similarities to bring unity to a painting or any other object of art.

All the above definitions need to be recalled when discussing inter-religious harmony to see the underlying commonalities that bind various religions, primarily the spiritual seeker. In Indian religious traditions, harmony involves experiencing (anubhava) the Divinity that exists in every human being.

Bharat and Religious T raditions

Bharat has been a land of spiritual harmony since ancient times. Religious freedom, acceptance, and harmony are the very substratum of Bharatiya ethos. “Let noble thoughts come to me from all directions,” expresses the Vedas, and this indeed is an inherent nature of Bharatiyas. Sanatana Dharma teaches us to be reverential to life and nature around us.

Bharat has seen its share of a diversity of religions. Sanatana Dharma has allowed various schools/religions to spring from its essence and has accepted and accommodated many faiths. In the well-treaded path, significant turns were taken by many learned masters. New philosophies and practices were propounded by the leaders of these new religions. What reasons compelled them to develop and propagate a new belief system? In India, the reason was neither vanity nor self-seeking behaviour on the part of those who founded these religions, nor was it for practical conveniences. It stemmed from insightful investigations. For example, Nanak Dev, the first guru of the Sikh denomination, equipped his followers with an amalgam of social welfare and spiritual upliftment. In his time, this proved to be an effective method of bringing together many people who adhered to the path of devotion.

The religious and spiritual traditions of Bharat run more profound than mere faith. As noted by many commentators, Bharat’s religious, cultural, and spiritual practices are knowledge-based. Any interfaith dialogue needs to recognise this as it helps to outline, understand and communicate commonalities and differences. People who follow faith-based religions usually define the goal of human life as salvation through faith.

The oldest text of the world, the Rig Veda, proclaims, “The Truth is One, the wise express it in a variety of ways.” Sanatana Dharma recognises this maxim and constantly reiterates it through its literature to its society and people. The people of a country can remain united through the worst of times if there is a robust spiritual and cultural foundation.

Spiritual Oneness: The Vision that can lead to Harmony

Spiritual Oneness of the whole universe is India’s view on life, and Rishis of yore constantly strove to help people understand this idea. The Oneness expands from the individual to family, to society, to the nation, to existence, and to Ishvara. In light of this vision, all that is under our purview and that which lies beyond is Ishvara. This framework is ecologically sound and scientific in nature. We have borne the brunt of its after-effects whenever we have exploited nature.

Agriculture was adversely affected due to the indiscriminate use of pesticides that led to the death of earthworms, and it required a significant movement to impress upon farmers the need for vermicomposting. Research has suggested that wiping out the bee population will lead to humans’ extinction in about four years. Animals, birds, trees, plants, and all other beings are one with us, and nature is but an extension of humans. This is the basis of Sanatana Dharma. Most Indian religious traditions subscribe to this thought.

Those religions—or even some ideologies—that consider humans separate from nature and live with the assumption that nature is merely for the enjoyment of humans must mend their ways. Else, nature will continue to be exploited.

We face many life challenges, so we each need a solid support structure. Family, clans, community, religion, and society serve as this unwavering footing to successfully build our lives. But they are effective only if we can feel the connection with each one of these collectives – that feeling of Oneness. We are interconnected, interrelated, and interdependent. To emphasise this, Swami Vivekananda aptly declared, “One atom in this universe cannot move without dragging the whole world along with it.”

It is essential to record that Vedanta believes there are many paths to the one Truth. Each person on this planet has a unique mind and a distinct way thereof to reach the destination—the Truth. Depending on our individual nature, we need to approach this game of life. The Shiva Mahimna stotra voices: “As different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, O Lord, the different paths which people take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee.”

Culture – the Injection to I nfuse Doses of Oneness   

The grand vision of Oneness which emphasises that nothing and no one is separate from us, needs to be imparted not through lectures or posts but rather through shared practices. India has been a land where many such shared practices constantly highlight the unity underlying all diversity. Namaste (namaskar) is how we greet people in this land of Bharat. This seemingly simple greeting has a deeper meaning. We internally recognise the Divinity in another and offer our prostrations to the divine within whom we meet. Worshipping animals, rivers, trees, inanimate objects, and so on are all age-old cultural practices of the land. Pooja/Upasana, festivals, and rituals are all forms of experiencing this vision of life. The Sanskrit word for festival is “utsava,” meaning “that which elevates.” Every festival is a means of elevating us.

If Truth is One, why is there turmoil in the name of religion? This perhaps is because those religions that come together in brotherhood allow into their exclusive groups only those that belong to their particular sect. Consequently, fissures and turmoil within the society is created. Religious conversion too is a significant problem to religious harmony. Swami Vivekananda, in the final session of the Parliament of the World’s Religions said on 27 September 1893: “The Christian is not to become a Hindu or a Buddhist, nor a Hindu or a Buddhist to become a Christian. But each must assimilate the spirit of the others and yet preserve his individuality and grow according to his own law of growth”. Following such advice would constitute an important step forward to enhancing religious harmony.

An exclusionary religion is a significant threat to religious harmony. In “inter-faith” conferences, there are globally accepted ethical practices on which religions claim to share common ground. The religions profess that they teach their followers to be compassionate to other beings, not to kill, steal, lie, etc. Such universal ethical principles are appreciated by all, including atheists.

When the theological laws and principles of various religions are explored, some of these “common” ethical principles are outweighed and overrun. If the religion teaches a set of laws that justify violating these fundamental moral principles, then harmony is disturbed. The adherents of that religion kill or convert people of other faiths claiming a religious justification for the same. Now it culminates in a fight between believers and non-believers. And if religious law and religious injunction stand taller than all other laws of acceptable behaviour, then an inter-faith dialogue becomes a non-starter.

Exploring some pathways to harmony

The first step towards arriving at harmony is perhaps acceptance of the belief of others. Meaningful dialogue between different faiths is critical in our journey towards harmony. Interfaith gatherings have transpired for a long time. To ensure that significant progress is achieved in such congregations, it becomes vital to arrive at an agreement on specific concepts, the most necessary of which is to accept that all paths are valid. We have seen earlier how Indian religious traditions revert to the idea of recognising all courses of the land as being valid. Not stopping at merely proclaiming the One Truth, it is backed by various devoutly adhered-to customs that put this concept into practice. Every religious faith should delve into the source of their knowledge and bring out the wisdom of their religion that points to a logical starting point—this elemental acceptance that all paths are valid. A firm commitment by leaders towards this quintessential goal sets a positive foundation for a harmonious society and nation. Acceptance may serve to be more impactful than mere tolerance.

Views from I nter- Faith C onferences

When asked to briefly talk about Judaism and Torah, Rabbi Hillel said, “What is hurtful or hateful to yourself, do not do to your fellow men.” One of the world’s oldest organised religions, the fundamental principle of Judaism has its core belief in the Unity and Oneness of the universal creator.

Take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, say the Buddhists. In our current context of harmony, it is to rely on a state free from suffering, imbuing positive qualities and being beneficial to others. It is to rely on wisdom as the antidote to suffering. It is to associate with people of knowledge and understanding who are capable of guiding others in their spiritual journey.

Employing all available and impactful mediums of communication, be it social media, movies, books et al., to propagate this message of religious acceptance needs to be sketched as an essential activity for all religions. Today, more than ever, there is an irrefutable need for sensitivity towards our contemporary world. While interpreting the scriptures, there is a need to provide modern analogies. This requires a thorough internalisation of the faith’s core ideas. Many words in today’s context – like heathen, kafir, and mlechas – have acquired many hues for many reasons, including politics and irresponsible media. Religious influencers must ensure that using divisive language is strongly discouraged, which will, in turn, slowly begin to shift the minds of their followers.

Education – the best solution

Only when people in a society are educated about divergent faiths and beliefs can there be a shared understanding amongst them to plan a harmonious way of life. Does that mean the nation should shed its secular credentials and teach religion and moral values in school? While debates over this idea have been raging for many years, children and adults must understand the divergent faiths and beliefs that make Bharat.

A pressing concern for policymakers is what if the nation-state gets accused of promoting one religion over another. A variation to that concern is the fear of thrusting the nation’s majority religion that may lead to the oppression of minorities. Also, the interpretation of religion by teachers in school and parents at home may differ, and children may get confused with the inconsistency they encounter between what is taught at both ends.

Before addressing these concerns, it becomes essential to bring the focus of education upon the following:

• Character building
• Personality development
• Teach regional languages that hold the culture and traditions of the land. This will also enable us to unlock the treasure chest of literature in regional languages.
• Preserve nature, culture, and heritage.

There are consequences to not educating our children and adults on these issues. Consider a scenario where a religious minority in the country is unwilling to learn about other faiths. Typically, this has led to the nation conceding for religious or other institutions to be opened to impart spiritual and other forms of education. The child growing up in such a school/institution will not be exposed to other communities’ faiths. In numerical terms, this would mean that a minority percentage (significant or insignificant) of the population grows up in an excluded environment. This leads to them developing a sense of suspicion of people from other faiths. Having been brought up in such a setup, there is a greater likelihood of them falling prey to aggressive beliefs that may harm members of the rest of society.

A step in the direction of harmonization through educational policy

Education plays a primary role in creating a contemporary, integrated, harmonious India (and the world at large). It is an important step in the direction of harmonisation through educational policy. The new educational policy has tried to address many vital areas required to create a more integrated society. While many key aspects are addressed in the policy, some crucial areas relevant to our topic include:

• Recommendation for exposure to the rich literature in the various Indian languages by great Indian authors ranging from Tagore, Raghavanka to Kamban and Kabir.
• Recommendation for instruction in the local language of the area, learning of other Indian languages, and including a parallel instruction in English from Class 8.
• Recommendation of teaching history from a more native point of view.

Animals, plants, birds, water and celestial bodies, seasons, and even inanimate objects function in perfect synchronicity. In human relationships, we see sorrow and jealousy. To bring about harmony in human relationships, there is a need to develop thoughtfulness and respect between individuals.

As Swami Chinmayananda says, “To live a life of harmony is to recognise ourselves as members of an interdependent humanity, living in a composite universe. It is to merge our life with the resonant cadence of the whole and to bring about a beautiful melody of harmonious existence… Man has to be delivered from his own misconception of himself. When he develops respect for the Divinity in him, he develops a sense of holiness, and his reverence toward other human beings increases. Then alone can all economic, political, and social disturbances end. Religion or philosophy, whether reached through the church, mosque, or temple, cultivates in man this self-reverence. The seeker is taught to perceive a greater Reality, a greater and more divine Presence in one and all”.

Author Brief Bio: Swami Mitrananda is a Spiritual Teacher of Chinmaya Chennai. He is Director National Projects, All India Chinmaya Yuva Kendra (AICHYK) and Publisher of Chinmaya Udghosh – an international youth magazine. Swami Mitrananda is an inspiring tutor, daring adventurer, vibrant speaker, creative writer, vigilant administrator & a mentor for many youngsters across the world.

References:

• Swami Vivekananda’s Speeches (The World Parliament of Religions, Chicago) Sept 27, 1893
• Ethics in Vedanta – Harmony or Ekabhava, https://www.chinmayaupahar.in/blog/ethics-in-vedanta-harmony-or-ekabhava/

Latest News

Atma-Nirbhar Bharat: Navigating Self-Reliance in a Globalized World

Enforcement Mechanism for Foreign Arbitral Awards and Judgements in India: Identifying Challenges and Proposing Reforms

5th India Foundation Monograph Series

Leave a comment, cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Please enter an answer in digits: seventeen + 14 =

Adding {{itemName}} to cart

Added {{itemName}} to cart

Religious harmony for world peace

Follow Us :

Religion is an integral part of human existence. If a man likes to have peace of mind, then he must also construct defences of peace in his own mind. The world cannot have peace till countries and people begin to reduce their selfish desires for more and more material possessions. Differences in religious beliefs and practices should not hinder the progress of people working for world peace. They should work in harmony and cooperation in the true sprit of service. Indian society is pluralistic in nature. The diversity that exists in India in terms of religion, culture and languages is highly unique. We do not see such a diversity anywhere in the world. Despite this diversity, the people of this country have been living in peace and harmony from time immemorial. We are all one. We have many religions, but our country is one. Let us be proud of it.                                                                                                                                            Time and again, it has been pointed out by our elders that essential requirement for peace is to create a mindset to consider this world as a God’s unique creation to live in peace and harmony with one another. No religion preaches violence. Islam means peace acquired by submitting your will to God. Love and peace are central in Christian scheme of things. Compassion  holds an important position in Buddhism and ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbukam’ (The whole world is a family) is one among the well–known cardinal principles of Hinduism. Holy Quran says, “Oh mankind, we have created you from males and females. Develop sense of brotherhood.”  Prophet Muhammad taught his followers to make peace and not to hurt the religious sentiments of others. Swamy Vivekananda said, “We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true”. Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama says that there will be no peace among religions without dialogue.Therefore, religious leaders, political leaders and academic institutions should play a leading role in maintaining peace and harmony in the society. Inter-faith dialogue has immense significance in minimising differences among conflicting parties. Peace and humanity campaigns should be organised from time to time so that world can become an embodiment of unity, love, brotherhood, peace and prosperity.  

Follow us on :

• Analytical Tools
• Peace Index
• Publications

Irenees.net is a documentary website whose purpose is to promote an exchange of knowledge and know-how at the service of the construction of an Art of peace. This website is coordinated by Modus Operandi

• Festival Images migrantes "Du migrant au sujet politique"
• Universitat Internacional de la Pau
• Écoutes de créations radio et migrations
• Cameroun : Une approche critique de la notion de l’ethnie à partir de Baba Simon 1/3
• Aimé Césaire pour une pensée anti-coloniale autonome et contre l’indépendance étatique des Antilles
• Articulation entre le droit à la ville et la transition écologique à Grenoble

Bangalore, November 2006

Inter-religious Harmony and Religions for Peace and Transformation

India is a country of more than one billion people, the majority of whom are Hindus. But we also have large populations of minorities, with about 150 million Muslims, making this the second largest Muslim population in the world, after Indonesia. There are also many millions of Christians, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists. In recent decades, the conflict between religious communities (referred to as communalism in India) have grown substantially and thousands of people have been killed in these religious conflicts. The future of India is bleak if religious conflicts tear the democratic fabric away and create conditions of civil war.

Keywords: Print media and peace | Television and peace | | | Use of religion for war, use of religion for peace | Inter-religious dialogue for peace | Principle of active subsidiarity | | | India

Critical Concerns for inter-religious harmony in India

We are going through a period where fundamentalist forces in the country appear to have weakened. There is even a feeling that events such as Gujarat (2003) have cost the fundamentalist forces dearly in the eyes of the electorate. It is too early to say. If the economic situation deteriorates, then communal issues can be used once again to divide the nation, and divide the poor.

This present period is one of consolidation where the following issues need to be considered for reflection and action :

Religions for Pluralism, Social Justice and Environmental action

While a large number of religious figures within the Muslim and Christian communities have become active and self-critical the same cannot be said of Hindu religious leaders. Most of those from the Hindu community who courageously fought the communal onslaught of the past decade were secular activists. It is time to now draw in more Hindu religious leaders so that Hinduism once again stands for pluralism and respect for all traditions.

So, what needs to be urgently done is to create conditions for pro-active pluralistic interpretations from the different religions. An ongoing network of religious leaders and theologians from all over the country needs to come together to renew the different religions from the perspective of pluralism, social justice and environmental action.

Development goes hand in hand with inter-religious harmony

There are thousands of development organizations in the country doing much good work on structural and charitable issues. While most of them are ideologically in support of communal harmony and an « inclusive secularism », the approach to secularism which combines secular values and religious conviction (unlike exclusive secularism, which is anti-religious) they are still not programmatically combating fundamentalism and promoting pluralism.

The media and communal harmony

The media has by and large played a positive role in fighting fundamentalism. But there is a tendency to put the issue on the backburner when there is no overt fundamentalist conflict disrupting society. Much of the focus on newspapers these days is on entertainment, fashion, commercial films, consumer culture, and sports. Even politics gets less coverage than any of these other issues.

A creative campaign among publishers and editors of national and local newspapers and television channels can keep the enthusiasm upbeat by publishing stories where Hindus have helped Muslims in times of dire need or vice-versa, or cases where Christians have helped Muslims and Hindus. There can be more coverage of inter-religious events. Stories can be done on the problems of implementing anti-fundamentalist legislation that is now being proposed, or issues concerning the formulation of a inter-religious syllabus for schools and colleges.

Advocacy and Communication Programme

Monthly one page e-mail communiqué sharing information, experiences and networking with partners.

Articles written by journalists/action-researchers will be published in the local newspapers/websites/journal.

It is necessary to come out with a training manual for this and train the existing range of facilitators on how to use this manual.

One of the most important methods of conflict resolution is through effective communication channels between different religious communities so that rumours can be squashed and problems solved before they become too big. Communication with police, the media, religious and community leaders is also vital. We will maintain and strengthen our ongoing dialogue with them.

The time has come to play a pro-active role in schools and colleges and introduce inter-religious education that can promote communal harmony as part of the curriculum. We intend to work towards creating alternative curriculam material, which present a more balanced view of religious history, as well as promote respect for all religious traditions.

A creative campaign among publishers and editors of national and local print and electronic media can keep the enthusiasm upbeat by publishing stories where Hindus have helped Muslims in times of dire need or vice-versa, or cases where Christians have helped Muslims and Hindus.

Bringing together different actors on a platform to solve concrete problems.

Production and distribution of a film on Celebration and re-interpretation of festivals nationally.

Lobbying with the government officials, political leaders, police, etc

Key Stakeholders

Peace committee members

Local people and local leaders (Corporators, school principals, local religious leaders)

Politicians

NGOs such as COVA, Hyderbad, and CSSS, Mumbai, working specifically on these issues at local and national levels

Translation

Harmonie inter-religieuse et Religions pour la Paix et la Transformation

• Becoming an author
• Legal Notices
• Irenees is a member of Coredem
• Modus operandi

Home / Essay Samples / Life / Harmony / The Importance Of Interfaith Harmony

The Importance Of Interfaith Harmony

• Category: Religion , Life
• Topic: Faith , Harmony , Religious Tolerance

Pages: 3 (1315 words)

Views: 1753

• Downloads: -->

--> ⚠️ Remember: This essay was written and uploaded by an--> click here.

Found a great essay sample but want a unique one?

are ready to help you with your essay

You won’t be charged yet!

Suffering Essays

Pilgrimage Essays

Protestant Reformation Essays

Hinduism Essays

Hell Essays

Related Essays

We are glad that you like it, but you cannot copy from our website. Just insert your email and this sample will be sent to you.

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service  and  Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Your essay sample has been sent.

In fact, there is a way to get an original essay! Turn to our writers and order a plagiarism-free paper.

samplius.com uses cookies to offer you the best service possible.By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .--> -->