Interfaith

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The terms interfaith or interfaith dialogue refer to cooperative and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions, (ie. "faiths") at both the individual and institutional level, leading to tolerance and mutual respect. It is distinct from syncretism or alternative religion, in that dialogue often involves promoting understanding between different religions to increase "tolerance" towards others, rather than to synthesize new beliefs. The history of religion shows that conflict has been more the state of affairs than dialogue.

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

The 1893 Parliament of the World's Religions is seen by some as the birth of formal inter-religious dialogue.

Contents

[edit] History of Interfaith dialogue

Interfaith Dialogue (JAMIE) is a very beneficial scheme.[citation needed]

[edit] Interfaith and different religions

[edit] Sikhism

Main article: Sikhism

Sikhism is seen to be founded on principles of interfaith, its founders have since 1469 defined and preached the rule of dialogue and respect. A Sikh by definition must respect and accept all other world religions.

The SGGS states [1]

“Without the Lord’s Name, life is worthless.

Through doubt, the people are being destroyed.
One who recognizes that all spiritual paths lead to the One shall be emancipated.
One who speaks lies shall fall into hell and burn.
In the entire world, the most blessed and sanctified are those who remain absorbed in Truth.
One who eliminates selfishness and conceit is redeemed in the Court of the Lord. ((9))"
SGGS page 142


[edit] Guru Tegh Bahadur

Main article: Guru Tegh Bahadur

The ninth Guru or Prophet of the Sikhs, Guru Teg Bahadur sacrificed his own life to protect the well-being of the Kashmiri Pundits or Hindus. In 1675, the Sikh’s beloved Guru was publicly beheaded in Delhi by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb for not changing his faith. Before Guru Ji’s demise, Guru Ji said “Hinduism may not be my faith, and I may not believe in various Hindu traditions like idol worship, caste system, pilgrimages and other rituals, but I will fight for the right of all Hindus and all other peoples of the world to live with honour and to practice their faith according to their own beliefs.”

This has set a precedent and Sikhs are bound by the Guru’s teaching to respect and protect the rights of all other faiths – The principle of Interfaith dialogue was thus established by the Ten Gurus of Sikhism. It is also important to note that the Sikh Gurus were helped and assisted throughout history by people of other faiths. These associates on the whole have kept their original religions and in some cases, the Gurus have carried out the last rites according to the original faiths of these associates. Obviously, many of these associates have frequently made the decision to choose Sikhism as their new faith.

As an example, Bhai Mardana (Muslim) and Bhai Bala (Hindu), were two associates of Guru Nanak. Both of them observed their own faiths and continued to practice their respective religions while accompanying Guruji on his travels spanning several decades. In case of Baba Mardana, on his death, Gurus performed the last rites as per the Muslim custom.

The foundation stone of the Golden Temple was laid by Hazrat Mian Mir Ji, a Muslim and an associate of Guru Arjan Dev. The pool adjoining the Golden Temple complex is named after a Muslim devotee called Mata Kaulan, who had given assistance to the Sikh Gurus.

[edit] Bhai Kanhaiya

Main article: Bhai Kanhaiya

Further, Bhai Kanhaiya-ji was a Sikh of Guru Tegh Bahadur who established the institute of ‘Sevapanthi’ (later called ‘Addanshahi’) sect of the Sikhs. He was born in Sodhara near Wazirabad in Sialkot District (now in Pakistan) of a wealthy family and left home when still young and travelled with yogis and other religious groups. When he met Guru Ji, he became a Sikh and settled down. Bhai Kanhaiya set up a religious centre at Kavha village, Attock District (now in Pakistan) from where he spread the Guru’s message and preached Sikhism to the local people. His special mission was the performance of selfless service (Sewa) to humanity with no distinction of nationality, caste or creed. In 1705 CE when on a visit to Anandpur he found the area entrenched in battle with a combination of hill troops of Hindu Rajas and the Mughal imperial army soldiers ‘littering’ the countryside with wounded and dying people. After the frequent skirmishes, Bhai Kanhaiya used to roam around serving water to the wounded and the dying without distinction of friend and foe.

This upset some Sikhs who complained to Guru Gobind Singh that Bhai Kanhaiya had been resuscitating the fallen enemy soldiers. Guru Gobind Singh summoned Bhai Kanhaiya and explained that he had received a complaint about his actions on the battlefield. Guruji said, “These brave Sikhs are saying that you go and feed water to the enemy and they recover to fight them again – Is this true?” Bhai Kanhaiya Ji replied "Yes, my Guru, what they said is true. But Maharaj, I saw no Mughal or Sikh in the battlefield. I only saw human beings and they all have the same God’s Spirit – Guruji have you not taught us to treat all Gods people as the same?" The Guru was very pleased with the reply. He blessed him and told the Sikhs that Bhai Kanhaiya had understood his teachings correctly. Guru also gave him medical Balm and said “From, now also put this on the wounds of all who need it”.

Sadly, Bhai Kanhaiya died in 1718 CE after retiring to Sodhara. His example, as a forerunner of the present day Red Cross, is a tribute to the universal message of compassion and kindness to all.

[edit] Pearl S. Buck

Main article: Pearl S. Buck

Pearl S. Buck, a Nobel laureate, gives the following comment on receiving the first English translation of the Guru Granth Sahib (The Sikh Holy Book):

I have studied the scriptures of the great religions, but I do not find elsewhere the same power of appeal to the heart and mind as I find here in these volumes. They are compact in spite of their length, and are a revelation of the vast reach of the human heart, varying from the most noble concept of God, to the recognition and indeed the insistence upon the practical needs of the human body. There is something strangely modern about these scriptures and this puzzles me until I learned that they are in fact comparatively modern, compiled as late as the 16th century, when explorers were beginning to discover the globe, upon which we all live is a single entity divided only by arbitrary lines of our own making. Perhaps this sense of unity is the source of power I find in these volumes. They speak to a person of any religion or of none. They speak for the human heart and the searching mind.[2]

[edit] Dialogue between Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Main article: Abrahamic religions

There are many common points for dialogue among Muslims, Christians, and Jews who take their religion seriously. As pointed out by Michael Wyschogrod, an American professor of philosophy, there are just as many theoretical or creedal reasons for Muslims and Jews drawing closer to one another as there are for Jews and Christians coming together.

[edit] Judaism

Judasim has a long history of Interfaith relations, and while this has been less so during times of persecution, from prophetic times on through Jewish history there have been Jews who vehemently oppose as well as those fervently in favor of relations and dialogue.

We are currently experiencing a rennaissance in Jewish interreligious relations, probably for two reasons. First, Jews from western countries are more secure and successful than ever before. Second, Jews in Israel are in the midst of a serious political conflict which takes the form of a political conflict. The former reason allows Jews the luxury of pouring resources into building interreligious relations, while the second makes the need for dialogue all the more pressing. Rabbi David Rosen, current president of the International Jewish Coalition on Interreligious Consultations, the group that represents world Jewry to other world religions, states, "If we do not want religion to be part of the world's problems, then we must involve religion in building the solutions."

While Jews vary in their theological stances on pluralism and interfaith dialogue, many Jews from every major denomination support building interreligious partnerships.

Most recently, the Chief Rabbinate of the State of Israel has become increasingly involved in interreligious relaitons, and now has formal relationships with the Vatican, the Anglican Communion, several Muslim organizations within Israel and world Hindu leadership as well.

Relevant links: American Jewish Committee (AJC); AJC Dept. of Interreligious Affairs; Intergroup affairs from a Jewish perspective;

[edit] Christianity

Main article: Christianity

Christianity was often antagonistic to other religions; there has been strong sence of exclusivism in christian church´s teaching leading to long missionary tradition, but also to things like the crusades and the pogroms against believers of other faiths, especially Jews and Moslems. More recently, many churches have taught religious tolerance (e.g.Vatican II), but aceptance of the alleged complete divine truth in other faiths is unlikely, since it would contradict several key teachings of the New Testament. The Vatican has stated that faiths around the world all hold certain truths in keeping with those of the Catholic Church, but the complete truth is only to be found in Jesus Christ.

Cooperation between different denominations is a much stronger movement within Christianity. Perhaps since it is strongly founded in doctrine:

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
John 17:20-21.

However, since different Christian denominations remain within the same religion, many working in the ecumenical movement do not accept the term Interfaith, but rather Christian ecumenism. There in an important distinction between those of the same faith, but different traditions working together, and those of different faiths working together.

However, since 1993, William E. Swing, Episcopal Bishop of California, has been a primary catalyst for the creation of a 'United Religions', along the lines of the United Nations. Part One of this book, The Coming United Religions, is the story of his vision, travels, and consultations with religious and spiritual leaders. Bishop Swing's inspiring message serves as an open and hopeful introduction to the movement for the general reader. Part Two, reflecting the work of many others, includes drafts of the United Religions Charter, proposals for its unique organizational design, action agendas, and opportunities for reader feedback and participation.

[edit] Islam

Main article: Islam

Muslims claim to believe in the prophethood of Moses, Jesus, and all of the prophets in Judaism and Christianity, as well as the prophethood of Muhammad. However Muslims also believe that the Christian and Jewish traditions of belief have been corrupted over time. Thus it is that Muslim conceptions of Christian and Jewish prophets can be very different from those held by Christian and Jewish believers. They regard belief in them, as well as belief in the Qur'an, the Bible, and the Torah in their original forms as essential principles of being Muslim. Thus, Muslims acknowledge the oneness and basic unity existent between the primary three Abrahamic religions. They also believe that Islam is a system of belief that embraces all races and all beliefs.[citation needed]

Islam teaches that Jesus will return when the end of the world is near. They do not known whether he will actually reappear physically, but what is understood is that, according to Islamic beliefs, near the end of time values like love, peace, brotherhood, forgiveness, altruism, mercy, and spiritual purification will have precedence, as they did during Jesus' ministry.[citation needed]

[edit] Hinduism

Main article: Hinduism

Hinduism is a religion of organic unity, syncretistically incorporating peoples and their faiths:

"May there be welfare to all beings; may there be fullness and wholeness to all people; may there be constant good and auspicious life to everyone; may there be peace everywhere.... May all be full of happiness and abundance; may everyone in the world enjoy complete health, free from diseases; may all see and experience good things in their lives, may not even a single person experience sorrow and misery. Om! Peace! Peace! Peace!"
-- Daily prayers of Hindus
O Mother! Let all my speech be your prayer; let all my crafts and technology be your worship and be the mystic gestures of my hands, adoring you. May all my movements become your devotional circumambulations. May everything I eat or drink be oblations to you. Let my lying down in rest and sleep be prostrations to you. Mother! Whatever I do, may all that become a sacramental service and worship for you.
-- Adi Shankara, Hymn to the Divine Mother

Adi Sankara of the eighth century CE here worships God as the Divine Mother, exemplifying the experience of Hindus who relate to God, the supreme Person, equally in male and female orientations, both as Father and as Mother. This has profound implications for the vision of equality towards and between the sexes.

[edit] Taoism

Main article: Taoism

[edit] Bahá'í Faith

Main article: Bahá'í Faith and the unity of religion

Interfaith and multi-faith interactivity is integral to the teachings of the Bahá'í Faith. Its founder Bahá'u'lláh enjoined his followers to "consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship."[3] Bahá'ís are often at the forefront of local inter-faith activities and efforts. Through the Bahá'í International Community agency, the Bahá'ís also participate at a global level in inter-religious dialogue both through and outside of the United Nations processes.

In 2002 the Universal House of Justice, the global governing body of the Bahá'ís issued a letter[4] to the religious leadership of all faiths in which it identified religious prejudice as one of the last remaining "isms" to be overcome, enjoining such leaders to unite in an effort to root out extreme and divisive religious intolerance. It later released a booklet called One Common Faith,[5] primarily intended for a Bahá'í audience, in which it identifies as a major challenge for the Bahá'í community the inculcation of the principle of the oneness of religion and the overcoming of religious prejudices.

[edit] Interfaith organisations

While there are many basically religious organizations geared to working on interfaith issues (see Interreligious organisations) there is also a less common attempt by some governmental institutions to specifically address the diversity of religions (see Australasian Police Multicultural Advisory Bureau for one award winning example.)

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ SGGS page 142
  2. ^ From the foreword to the English translation of the Guru Granth Sahib by Gopal Singh M.A. Ph.D. 1960
  3. ^ Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, page 22, Bahá'u'lláh, From the "Bishárát" (Glad-Tidings).
  4. ^ *Universal House of Justice (2002). Letter to the World's Religious Leaders. Bahá'í World Centre. 
  5. ^ Universal House of Justice (2005). One Common Faith. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0-87743-315-1. 

[edit] External links

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