Interfaith

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The term interfaith or interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions (ie. "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 committment 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. 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).

Contents

[edit] History of Interfaith dialogue

[edit] Interfaith and different religions

[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."[2] 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 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.[3]

[edit] Judaism

Main article: Jewish views of religious pluralism

Reform Judaism, Reconstructionist Judaism and Conservative Judaism encourage interfaith dialogue. Interfaith dialogue is a controversial issue within the Orthodox Jewish community. Some Orthodox Jews refuse to participate in interfaith dialogues because they believe that Judaism's prohibition of proselytism, combined with other religions' "missionary zeal",[4] creates an unbalanced power dynamic such that the "dialogue" effectively becomes a monologue.[5] However, some Modern Orthodox Jews participate in interfaith dialogue.

[edit] Islam

Islam has long encouraged Interfaith dialogue and action, with historical examples coming from Muslim Spain, Mughal India, and even starting as far back as the Prophet Muhammad's time, where people of the Abrahamic Faiths loved in harmony.

Many traditional and religious texts and customs of the faith have encouraged this, inclduing specfic verses in the Quran, such as: "O people! Behold, we have created you from a male and a female and have made you into nations and tribes so that you might come to know one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him. Behold, God is all-knowing, all-aware." [Qur'an 49:13]

Muslims all over the world today engage in Interfaith action and dialogue through organizations, within their communities, and institutions, such as Eboo Patel, founder of the Interfaith Youth Core in Chicago, Illinois.

[edit] Interfaith organizations

Among the several organizations interested in interfaith dialog, the Temple of Understanding is the oldest interfaith organization, founded in 1960, in the United States. The TOU was the brainchild of a New York housewife Juliet Hollister. As she recalled it, she was sitting in her kitchen when, over peanut butter sandwiches, she told a like-minded friend, "The world is in a mess." Her prescription, for a starter, was to promote dialogue and understanding among the world's religions. The TOU is a leader in interfaith education and is an active NGO at the United Nations.

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 (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 example.)

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. [6] Minhaj ul Quran was founded by Shaykh ul Islam Prof. Dr. Muhammed Tahir ul Qadri

The Interfaith Youth Core in North America, based out of Chicago, builds mutual respect and pluralism among young people from different religious traditions by empowering them to work together to serve others. Their mission statement reads, "There are millions of religious young people in the world interacting with greater frequency. That interaction tends either toward conflict or cooperation. Where so many of these interactions tend towards conflict, the Interfaith Youth Core aims to introduce a new relationship, one that is about mutual respect and religious pluralism. Instead of focusing a dialogue on political or theological differences, we build relationships on the values that we share, such as hospitality and caring for the Earth, and how we can live out those values together to contribute to the betterment of our community. The Interfaith Youth Core is creating these relationships across the world by inspiring, networking, and resourcing young people, who are the leaders of this movement. We provide young people and the institutions that support them with leadership training, project resources and a connection to a broader movement."

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://progressivescottishmuslims.blogspot.com/2008/04/learning-interfaith-from-mughals-akbar.html
  2. ^ Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, page 22, Bahá'u'lláh, From the "Bishárát" (Glad-Tidings).
  3. ^ *Universal House of Justice (2002). Letter to the World's Religious Leaders. Bahá'í World Centre. 
  4. ^ [1]
  5. ^ [2]
  6. ^ Merry Christmas Interfaith Festival

[edit] External links