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03.07.2009. WITH HOPE, FAITH AND LOVE
KAZAKHSTANSKAYA PRAVDA
¹ 160-162 (25904-25906) 03.07.2009
WITH HOPE, FAITH AND LOVE
Yesterday, on the final day of III congress of leaders of world and traditional religions the world spiritual elite and prominent politicians came together to the Independence Palace to decide: on what laws should man live in our time, what is the ethical code and how should we build a dialogue between different confessions in the modern world?
Spiritual renaissance
Opening the first workshop on moral and spiritual values, world ethic Kazakhstan’s supreme mufti Absattar Derbisali, its moderator said:
-The world will be developing in harmony only if we live on the laws of love, justice, faith, charity… These profoundly humanistic values underlie all the world and traditional religions. And we must talk of them in the time of financial crisis that exacerbated such global problems as terrorism, nuclear hazard, poverty.
Religious dialogue is a most constructive tool in countering these challenges.
In their subsequent reactions the participants admitted presence of values common to all the people irrespective of race, faith and geography. We know them very well: kindness, love, charity. And these should become connecting links in the dialogue between religions, said Jean-Lui Toran, chair of the Papal council on inter-religious dialogue.
Sue Chen – Association of Chinese Buddhists - believes that mono-civilization is dangerous and there should be a cultural diversity on the planet.
Ali Bardakoglu, department for religion with the Turkish government, said the humanity must turn to spiritual and ethic values to recover from the crisis, and everyone should start with himself.
-It is bad that at times no one is made responsible for the vices and conflicts corroding the world. And it is we, religious and state leaders that have to answer for that in the first place.
Kahlan ben Nabhan al-Harusi, supreme mufti, Oman Sultanate said the global themes should not push into the background no less important issues demanding urgent settlement, like for example inciting nationalism, encroachment on holy shrines, consumerism, avarice. The assertion was supported by Majid Abdulaziz az-Turki, Saudi Arabian adviser of the minister on Islamic affairs.
Presentations were made on the principles of mutual understanding, countering confrontation, acknowledgement of common values by Supreme imam of Al-Azhar sheikh Muhammad Said Tantawi, chair of UNESCO executive council Olaby Babalola Joseph Jai, director of the applied research center of Hindu Aksharam temple D.M. Devi and many others.
It was concluded in the end: “we are all created different by the Almighty in order to enrich each other spiritually, and mutual assistance will aim support to anyone in need of it at this no easy time”
Peace-loving impulse
At this workshop it was said that different religions should be a kind of bridges, connecting, but not dividing civilizations, and the aim of any religion is to be preaching eternal values.
The head of Asian Buddhist center Biambajava Khunkhurma stressed that we shared one planet and each of us is entitled for peace and happiness, a simple, but often unattainable dream.
-Religion alone is able to put out pernicious passions. Peaceful religions contain one and the same message, we all preach love, compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, modesty.
-Peace cannot be achieved through economic and political mechanisms alone. According to him in the modern world the Holy Scripture is frequently exploited by extremists in their own destructive interests.
On behalf of Mongolian Buddhists B.Khunkhurm appealed to people of all religions to refuse from the reversed theological theories and work together at global security instead.
It was repeatedly mentioned at the forum that the current world financial crisis was spawned by something else apart from the laws of economy - slight of ethic values underlies it in the first place. That is what Paul B.Piper of Jesus Christ Church (US) said.
Another stride to consolidation is a permanent dialogue, for which the forum in Astana offers a good opportunity, said William Wendly, secretary-general of the “World conference of religions for peace”, moderator of the workshop.
Dialogue under transformation
At the second workshop the discussion concerned enhancement of dialogue and cooperation between religions. Its moderator- secretary-general of the World Lutheran federation Ishmael Noco said interest in the topic was so big, that not all the volunteers to talk could be given the floor.
The Spanish foreign minister Miguel Anhel Moratinos shared on progress of the Turkish and Spanish governments’ initiative in creating the Alliance of civilizations under UN aegis.
His account was complemented by director of the Alliance’s secretariat Mark Shoer, who shared on the technicalities of the process, interaction in it with religious organizations, NGO, media.
Tallying up all the speeches and opinions at the workshop it could be said: the culture of mutual respect should reveal itself in the differences emerging in discussions.
It was marked that the conception of dialogue between religions had overstepped the borders. -First of all the political leaders, women and youth organizations should support it and join in.
Secondly, religious hierarchs ought to develop common conceptions, a single language, comprehensible to ordinary people.
Contingence of religions should not be viewed as a way of converting people to other confessions, but as a course towards each other.
Tallying up discussions I.Noco, participant of all the three religious forums in Astana, marked colossal progress made since the first meeting. The main thing is that the religious leaders have learnt to hear and understand each other better.
Besides Astana forum is undergoing transformation, coming up to a practical plane.
Mariam Turezhanova, Laura Tusupbekova, Maxim Shimanskyi
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