Believers, Be in Harmony with Other Faiths

 

World Interfaith Harmony Week / 1-7 February 2021

Believers, Be in Harmony with Other Faiths

 Fr Dr M. D. Thomas

Director, Institute of Harmony and Peace Studies, New Delhi

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1-7 February is observed in the entire world as ‘World Interfaith Harmony Week’. This observance is as per the deliberation of the United Nations on 20 October 2010. This declaration was in response to the proposal of King Abdullah of Jordon in the UN General Assembly on 23 September 2010.

The backdrop of the decision on the ‘World Interfaith Harmony Week’ was a series of reflections in the UN General Assembly, between 1999 and 2009. The world direly requires faiths, traditions, ideologies and cultures to stay tuned to each other. This was the great realization that paved the way for a ‘new way of being religious’ in the modern world. 

The above ‘Interfaith Harmony Week’ was pioneered by the most powerful Christian-Muslim Dialogue in history, called ‘A Common Word’. ‘A Common Word’, ‘between us and you’, was processed by hundreds of scholars, leaders and intellectuals from the Muslim and Christian communities across the nations.   

Two fundamental ‘religious commandments’, namely ‘Love of God’ and ‘Love of Neighbour’ are at the heart of this Christian-Muslim dialogue. These two commandments are common to the three monotheistic religions of the world. Therefore, they provide a solid ground for dialogue among all the religious traditions of the world, as well.

Further, the ‘World Interfaith Harmony Week’ has re-defined the two commandments as ‘Love of the Good and Love of the Neighbour’. This was the way of broadening the boundaries of dialogue towards people of all backgrounds, convictions, ideologies and cultures. In other words, ‘dialogue includes ‘people of goodwill’ across the campuses of all faiths, social traditions and nationalities.

The ‘World Interfaith Harmony Week’ is a platform for pooling the ‘goodwill’ of all well-meaning and concerned groups beyond the communities. It is an opportunity for the entire world to be aware of the presence of groups of diverse perceptions and affiliations across the globe. It is also an occasion for committed individuals and groups to motivate and mobilize goodwill, in view of strengthening the noble efforts for spreading harmony, all over.

Furthermore, the ‘World Interfaith Harmony Week’ is a golden stretch of time for recognizing ‘common values’ within the different traditions of the world, religious and other. Realizing and accepting the ‘common origin, common existence and common destiny’ of the humans crosswise the traditions of faith is the sublime fruit of this campaign. Making ‘difference’ a source of ‘enrichment’ is the secret of being agents of ‘harmony and peace’ for all the communities of the world.

‘Loving Neighbour as well as God or Good’ is the sum and substance of life, for all the humans on earth. ‘God and Good’, as the spelling of the words suggest, are similar, close to each other and could even be synonymous to each other. They could certainly be a shared goal for people of all affiliations. Again, ‘God or Good and Neighbour’ are not poles apart. They are like ‘two sides of the same coin’. To have seen one side is to have seen the other, as well. They are a single whole together, as far as the essence of life is concerned.

Therefore, leaders of religions and traditions have to make their ‘places of worship’ radiate ‘love of the good or God and the love of the neighbour’, in one shot. In other words, churches, mazjids, synagogues, gurudwaras and temples of all traditions have to become active and effective centres of goodwill and love for one and all. Making the respective ‘believers’ sociable, relaxed and at home with people of other faiths and cultures is the sublime job of any faith that is worth the name.     

In addition, heads of States at various levels could be powerful agents of the ‘harmony mission’ initiated by the United Nations, too. Get-togethers of citizens on various occasions are sure to promote icebreaking, interaction and friendliness across the groups of languages, ideologies, regions, parties, professions, sectors and the like. Promoting goodwill and unity in their respective area of operation will be a living proof of ‘good governance’, too. Such exercises will positively contribute very much to making an ‘inclusive’ neighbourhood, village, town, city, state, nation and the society at large.

The ‘World Interfaith Harmony Week’ is geared towards accelerating a ‘culture of love and sharing, interaction and understanding, collaboration and fellowship’ among communities of all faiths and ideologies. It has been too obvious that the world has been terribly struggling through the corona times. To say the least, Covid 19 has left substantial lessons of cooperation and unity among the humans. Now, the year 2021 is inviting all those who claim to have a faith to be real agents of generating good will and fellowship among one and all. ‘Loving God and Good through loving every human being one meets in life as one’s neighbbour’ is the way to fulfill this sublime mission of harmony, positively so.

Believers of diverse faiths, in India and world over, need to grow as adults in the faith they have inherited. They have to further broaden their faith towards acquiring a ‘circle of all faiths and ideologies’ in life, as they keep growing up. Celebrating the spirit of interfaith harmony is the heavenly destination that is awaiting the believers, well, here and now, in this life itself. Recognizing one’s ‘neighbour’ in every human being one meets in life and loving him or her is the way to love ‘God or the Good’ that is always beyond. ‘Being in harmony with all faiths’ is the road ahead of believers, in favour of having a faith that is worth the name.     

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The author is Director, Institute of Harmony and Peace Studies, New Delhi, and has been committed to interfaith relations, national integration and social harmony, for the past over 40 years. He contributes to the above cause through lectures, articles, video messages, conferences, social interactions, views at TV channels, and the like.

He could be viewed, listened to and contacted at the following portals – websites ‘www.mdthomas.in’ (p), ‘https://mdthomas.academia.edu’ (p), ‘https://drmdthomas.blogspot.com’ (p) and ‘www.ihpsindia.org’ (o); social media ‘https://www.youtube.com/InstituteofHarmonyandPeaceStudies’ (o), ‘https://twitter.com/mdthomas53’(p), ‘https://www.facebook.com/mdthomas53’ (p); email ‘mdthomas53@gmail.com’  (p) and telephone 9810535378 (p).

 


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