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Dennis R. Hoover

February 17th, 2023, in search of religious freedom and social harmony.

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Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Sharing some of the conversations within his new edited volumes, Exploring Religious Diversity and Covenantal Pluralism in Asia , Dennis R. Hoover compares global instances of religious diversity and religious uniformity and their respective impacts upon social harmony.

In many societies throughout history, lack of religious uniformity has often been feared as a source of social unrest. “Stability” is a rationale that states and empires have long used to justify officially establishing one religion (or ideology) while disfavouring or even outlawing all others. Dissent and diversity have often been met with repression—all in the name of order.

The Enlightenment philosophe Voltaire famously argued that such logic has it precisely backward. Voltaire held that it is not religious diversity but rather the attempt to enforce uniformity that leads to instability and war. In his Lettres Philosophiques touting the growing religious tolerance he observed among the English middle class, Voltaire quipped: “If there were only one religion in England, there would be danger of tyranny; if there were two, they would cut each other’s throats; but there are thirty, and they live happily together in peace.”

This theory of the relationship between religious liberty, diversity, and societal benefit has been influential in virtually all of the Western liberal democratic world, but nowhere more so than in the United States. In the American tradition, religious freedom is not just an abstract individual right but also a natural and necessary feature of any truly healthy society.

Indeed, this belief has been woven into American national identity from the beginning. Consider for example the iconic place that the Pilgrims—more specifically, the harvest meals that the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag shared in Plymouth in the fall of 1621—hold in the American national narrative/mythology. The meanings that Americans have derived from this event are celebrated annually at the Thanksgiving holiday. While the actual history of colonial settlement and its aftermath is of course extremely complicated and violent, in the “first Thanksgiving” encounter itself Americans celebrate the precedent of a people seeking religious freedom and living peacefully and constructively with the religious “other.” It is a story of religious liberty and diversity and pluralism.

The question today for the liberal democratic West in general, and the U.S. specifically, is this: how is Voltaire’s theory holding up? And how does it compare to the experience outside the West? Western societies are assumed to have a high degree of religious freedom, which is thought to in turn foster religious diversity. However, religious diversity—often involving deep theological/worldview difference—is even more prevalent in many non-Western societies, particularly Asia .

Unfortunately, in many such contexts religious diversity is not met with religious freedom but rather discrimination and restriction . This contrast raises important questions regarding the practical societal effects of religious freedom (and lack thereof). Are there national contexts combining religious freedom (i.e. a low level of restrictions on religion) with inter-religious peace (i.e. a low degree of social hostility related to religion)? Are such societies only found in the West (as Westerners themselves might self-flatteringly assume)? And is the United States—the country that champions religious freedom more vocally than any other—an exceptionally strong example of this happy combination?

These are of course complex questions with no easy answers. But empirical light is shed on these issues by the Pew Research Center’s global comparative studies of government restrictions on religion and of social hostilities involving religion. Pew produces two key global indices on religion—a Government Restrictions Index (GRI) and a Social Hostilities Index (SHI). For each, Pew also categorises each country’s index score into one of four standard ranges, labeled “Very High,” “High,” “Moderate,” and “Low.”

Table 1 compares Western and Asian countries on the GRI for 2019.

Table 1: Government Restrictions Index (GRI) 2019

Source: Pew Research Center 2019

Table 1 does show a stark contrast at the “Very High” range of GRI scores. No Western countries had “Very High” levels of government restrictions on religion, whereas 11 countries in Asia did. However, the picture is more muddled at lower levels of the table. Most countries in the West, including the United States , ranked in Pew’s “Moderate” category, not “Low.” Also, three European Union (EU) member states ranked “High.” Six Asian states (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Timor-Leste, and Japan) ranked “Low,” and another three (Cambodia, Mongolia, and South Korea) ranked “Moderate.”

Table 2 compares Western and Asian countries on the SHI for 2019.

Table 2: Social Hostilities Index (SHI)

Table 2 also shows an obvious contrast in the “Very High” category, which includes three countries in Asia (India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) but no countries in the West. However, there is much less of a contrast at lower levels. Most countries in the West were “Moderate” or “Low,” but six were in the “High” category. (Note that again the United States falls in the “Moderate” category, not “Low.”) Ten countries in Asia ranked “Low,” and another eight ranked “Moderate.”

Finally, what about the “ideal” combination of low GRI and low SHI? Interestingly, as shown in Table 3, this ideal combination is (a) not found in very many countries, but to the extent it occurs, it is (b) found in both the West and Asia. Croatia, Malta, Liechtenstein, Slovenia, Estonia, and Portugal boasted this combination. But so did Hong Kong, Taiwan, Timor-Leste, and Japan. Further, if we relax the “ideal” to include countries that have either low or moderate GRI combined with either low or moderate SHI, three more countries in Asia met the threshold in the 2019 data: Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, and Cambodia. Countries in the West that featured this combination in the 2019 data were: Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Greece, Netherlands, Iceland, Poland, Cyprus, Norway, United States, Slovakia, Italy, Luxembourg, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, and Czech Republic.

Table 3: GRI and SHI (“Low” and “Moderate” combinations)

There are lessons in these findings for both the West and Asia. As for the West, in contexts of religious diversity the combination of individual liberty and social solidarity does not materialize automatically from clauses in constitutions promising religious liberty. Rather, it also requires voluntary social norms and practices for living constructively and cooperatively with deep religious diversity. As for Asia, those who insist that religious freedom is somehow inevitably incompatible with Asian culture are wrong. Several Asian countries rank in the ideal or moderately good categories. However, it is also true that under the more relaxed (moderately good) standard, many more Western countries than Asian ones meet the threshold.

Both the West and Asia have ample precedents and potentialities for consolidating an approach to religion that brings religious freedom and religious harmony together in a virtuous feedback loop. But it won’t “just happen.” It requires patient and vigilant effort, both from the “top-down” (robust religious freedom protections) and the “bottom-up” (a culture of religious literacy and virtues of principled engagement across lines of religious difference).

Portions of this essay are excerpted and adapted from the introductory chapters of my new edited books, Exploring Religious Diversity and Covenantal Pluralism in Asia, Volume I and Volume II (Routledge 2023).

About the author

Dennis R. Hoover (D.Phil., University of Oxford) is Editor of The Review of Faith and International Affairs, Research Advisor to the Templeton Religion Trust’s Covenantal Pluralism Initiative, and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Global Engagement. He is co-editor with Chris Seiple of the Routledge Handbook of Religious Literacy, Pluralism, and Global Engagement.

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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/

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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.

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

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The Importance of Inter-Religious Harmony

Something written for an Inter-religious magazine…

It is a common and idealistically beautiful notion, that all the religions of the world essentially practise and preach the same teachings for the betterment of the world. In fact, this forms part of the spirit that makes harmonious inter-religious dialogue possible – when we choose to focus on the similarities of compassion and wisdom. If we are to harp on the differences to one another instead, there would be inter-religious conflict.

But are all religions exactly the same upon closer look? Realistically, of course not – this is why there are different religions in the first place, even though there might be certain teachings which overlap in between. If we truly wish to deeply comprehend various religions, we need to not only look at the similarities, which many tend to prefer to stop at, but to look at the differences too. However, this should be done for greater understanding and acceptance, not for debate.

In this ever-shrinking global village called the world, there is increasing interaction between adherents of various faiths. Depending on how this happens, it can be for better or worse. Rub shoulders in a friendly way and mutual understanding is fostered. Rubbed the wrong way, enmity is stirred up instead.

The most common problem in inter-religious dialogue is disagreement on perspectives of Truth. But disagreement is not the real problem if there is mutual agreement to disagree. The true problems arise from insisting to others that one’s disparaging view of their religion is correct, and the imposing upon them that one’s own religion is the only true one worth following.

There is nothing wrong though, with sincere personal belief that one’s faith is the best. That would be “making peace” with oneself. However, when one insists others to agree likewise, that would be “making war” with others. Asoka, the great Buddhist emperor (circa 304 B.C.) had this to say –

“Growth in essentials can be done in different ways, but all of them have as their root restraint in speech, that is, not praising one’s own religion, or condemning the religion of others without good cause. And if there is cause for criticism, it should be done in a mild way. But it is better to honor other religions for this [or that] reason. By so doing, one’s own religion benefits, and so do other religions, while doing otherwise harms one’s own religion and the religions of others.”

There is a diversity of religious beliefs in our world simply because there is a corresponding diversity of mindsets. Even two random adherents of the same faith are unlikely to have totally identical views. We need to respect this worldly reality – before arguing on any spiritual reality. If not, there would be no harmony but only conflict. Surely, a religion that is pro-conflict is not one we need. What if it is a central tenet of a religion that it cannot agree to disagree with others? Thankfully, there is no such religion in practice today, or there would be inter-religious chaos. With all orthodox religions advocating peace, this implies that those who cannot agree to disagree might not really be religious at heart.

When any inter-religious dialogue is not so much to learn, but to be preachy, there is no true dialogue. One will notice that those truly interested in understanding others ask and listen more than they speak. Sadly, those uninterested in dialogue are usually the close-minded ones too sure and proud of themselves, while belittling others’ religions. This itself is potential for conflict.

During inter-religious dialogues, it is wise to discuss in a “monkly” manner – in a way calm, kindly, harmonious, rational and gentlemanly – a manner similar to the Buddha’s, as opposed to rude and impatient name-calling or ridicule – which often happens anonymously in cyberspace. We need to be mindful that this virtual tension can spill over into the real world.

When we lose our compassion and wisdom while sharing or defending the beliefs we profess to represent, surely, we are misrepresenting our faiths with our very loss of compassion and wisdom – which are undoubtedly virtues universal to all respectable religions, and even to free-thinkers. The basic ethics of free speech (or any other form of expression) with responsibility should be followed both offline and online, by sticking to the so-called golden rule found in many religions – to not do to others what you do not want others to do to you.

In sincere dialogue, there is gentle nudging to reflect, instead of proselytising with threats of spiritual damnation. Real dialogue never insists on acceptance of one’s beliefs, but merely offers them respectfully for rational consideration.

When learning about a certain faith, we need to be wary of its misrepresentations by those not of that faith – since outsiders often generalise other faiths in inaccurate ways, albeit accidentally. While being open-minded to hear outsiders’ views, the insiders’ should be heard too – for balanced and right understanding.

The Buddha himself actively engaged in much skilful inter-religious dialogue with great compassion and wisdom. As there were more than 60 different stems of religious thought in his time, the feat of being able to engage in harmonious dialogue is most remarkable. His is the example that Buddhists aspire to follow.

The Buddha’s timeless advice on critical-thinking is still valid. Buddhists are first and foremost encouraged to self-reflect, to be critical and even doubtful about their own faith before accepting it, and to always balance faith with sound reason.

Which makes more sense on the path to Truth? To engage in harmonious dialogue with an open heart and mind, or to refuse dialogue, while insisting others are totally wrong, that only oneself is totally correct? We all already know the answers. Since religions exist to benefit humankind, may all religions co-exist harmoniously in the light of true mutual-understanding!

Related Article: Are All Religions the Same? http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=70,2019,0,0,1,0

2 thoughts on “ The Importance of Inter-Religious Harmony ”

Dear fellow Buddhists:

I have created a website to promote the Cundi Mantra and would like to share it with you. The address is as follows:

http://cundimantra.weebly.com

With Metta, Yueheng

that is a very marvelous work . carry on. i am a student of world religion and culture dept of the university of Dhaka.the motive of this dept of promoting inter religious harmony.

The Importance Of Interfaith Harmony

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