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Achieving Harmony Between Religious and Ethnic Groups: Strategies for Dialog and Promoting Inter-religious Understanding

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Dr. George Wolfe Coordinator of Outreach Programs Center for Peace and Conflict Studies Ball State University

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Multiple Choice Question: 1.In which category would you place yourself? a. I identify myself with a major religious tradition (such as Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Bahai), b. I do not practice a specific religion but consider myself to be a spiritual person, c. I practice a form of earth-based religion, worship of nature d. I refer to myself as a secular humanist or nonbeliever

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Workshop objectives: When you are finished with this workshop, you should: 1.Understand the concept positive peace-building, 2.Know how to engage in interfaith conversations, 3.Be familiar with some themes, symbols and values that the great religions share, 4.Know how to organize and set up a student interfaith cooperation circle 5.Be familiar with ways to bring together believers and nonbelievers

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Harmony is achieved through peace-building. What is peace-building? Action that seeks to develop relationships based on mutual trust, respect and cooperation. Action that serves as a positive deterrent to violence

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Violence 3 definitions Physical violence action intended to cause physical or material harm; Psychological violence intimidation, emotional hostility, threats, name-calling, bullying, verbal abuse, offensive rhetoric, and forms of passive aggression. Structural violence any form of oppression or discrimination that deprives people of their basic needs or denies them equal opportunity.

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Achieving harmony requires the practice of nonviolence Practicing nonviolence means: 1.Abstaining from all three forms of violence. 2.Respecting the human dignity of all people and showing reverence for all life. 3.Understanding peace as a process

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Peace 3 definitions Personal peace feeling centered within oneself, inner contentment, being true to ones values. Negative peace the absence of violence but there is also an absence of cooperation. Positive peace characterized by collaborative relationships built on mutual trust, respect and cooperation. It is condition where people are working together for the common good.

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(Defining peace - continued) Peace is an unfolding process, not a static state or condition We should think of peace as a verb, not a noun

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Yin-Yang symbol

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Examples of core values shared among the great religions All of the great world religions embrace some form of the Golden Rule; Most associate light with God, divinity or wisdom, and darkness with ignorance or losing ones way; Each emphasizes forgiveness and has some form of penitential practice or season; Each encourages a form of reflective interior prayer or meditation; Each teaches that a person should be humble and not be egotistical or self-centered. Each religion calls upon its followers to share their wealth to help people in need.

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Examples of the great religions equating God or wisdom with Light From the Christian tradition: God is Light, in whom there is no darkness at all. (1 st John 1:5) From the Islamic tradition: God is the light of the heavens and the earth. (Quran 24:35) From the Jewish tradition: The Lord is my light and my salvation. (Psalm 27:1) From the Sikh tradition: God, being Truth, is the one light of all. (Adi Granth) From the Hindu tradition: the world of Brahman is light itself. (Chandogya Upanishad)

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Goal of interfaith dialog is to Move beyond tolerance to acceptance and appreciation tolerance > acceptance > appreciation It is possible to appreciate another persons religious tradition without converting to it.

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Organizing an Interfaith Cooperation Circle within the United Religions Initiative (URI) Muncie Interfaith Fellowship is a cooperation circle in the United Religions Initiative 10 minutes video on URI - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT7jWa5eazk

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Guidelines for Interfaith Dialog 1.Speak in terms of what you believe in, not what you do not believe in; 2.Understand that faith is not blind acceptance; rather it means to trust. We have faith in that in which we place our trust. Faith is also compatible with reason in that it is though reason and experience that we determine what we can trust or have faith in. A good definition of faith is reasoned surrender. 3.Respect the spiritual experience of everyone. Their journey is as meaningful to them as yours has been to you.

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Four categories of teachings within cultural and religious Groups Historical teachings: explanations of where a group came from and how it was formed. Laws and ceremonial practices: daily observances such as dietary rules, rituals and when to say prayers. Wisdom teachings: sayings that serve as guidelines for living a successful and honorable life. Prophetic teachings: teachings that expose injustice and warn against what will happen in the future.

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To achieve harmony between religious and cultural groups - Learn to appreciate their history and ceremonial practices Emphasize the inclusive wisdom teachings Learn about the values, themes and symbols that are common among religions and belief systems

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Exercise no. 1 Wisdom teachings can be expressed as sayings, or proverbs, or as stories or parables On a piece of paper, write down one or more examples of a wisdom teaching from your own religion or philosophical belief system

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Suggested topics for interfaith conversations 1. Focus on one specific Religious tradition and explore it with someone who is knowledgeable and lives according to that tradition 2. Choose a theme that the wisdom traditions share, and ask someone from each tradition to speak on how their religion addresses that particular theme. 3. Organize interfaith events that include food, music, dance or art from multiple religious traditions

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Peace-building in Action: Jewish-Muslim carry-in dinner at Temple Beth-el

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Examples of shared themes that can serve as topics for conversation Prayer and meditation, Humility Service Welcoming the guest or stranger Forgiveness Pilgrimage Religious calendars The metaphors of light and darkness Peace, i.e., inner peace and living at peace with the world Different versions of the golden rule Tithing What constitutes a sacred space Ceremonial rites of passage from youth to adulthood Stories that contain a moral or philosophical teaching from each tradition Honoring a person who has died

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Exercise no. 2 On your paper, answer the following question: Choose one of the topics below. What does your own cultural, philosophical or religious belief system have to say about it? Helping the poor and contributing to charities Practicing Forgiveness Humility Honoring your ancestors

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Bringing together believers and nonbelievers Believers and nonbelievers can be brought together using any of the following three discussion topics: 1.Understanding the concept of mystery in science and contemplative spirituality 2.Meditation - certain forms of meditation do not require the belief in a deity and have been shown to have many health benefits related to the release of stress. 3.Focusing on social justice issues, community service and improving the environment.

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Carl Sagan on the relationship between Science and Spirituality Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality. When we recognize our place in an immensity of lightyears and in the passage of ages, when we grasp the intricacy, beauty, and subtlety of life, then that soaring feeling, that sense of elation and humility combined, is surely spiritual. So are our emotions in the presence of great art or music or literature, or acts of exemplary selfless courage such as those of Mohandas Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr. The notion that science and spirituality are somehow mutually exclusive does a disservice to both. Sagan, Carl. The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark. New York: Ballantine Books. 1997.

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The concept of mystery in contemplative spirituality Christian contemplative Fr. Thomas Keating speaks of God as Ultimate Mystery, using words that sound very much like Carl Sagens. All who seek to participate in the experience of Ultimate Mystery that is, the meaning of the Reality underlying the cosmos through the practice of religion, love of nature, science, art, dedicated service of others, deep friendship are united in the same fundamental search. They can remain in their own chosen path or religious tradition and still contribute to the unprecedented awakening of trans-cultural values that has begun to take place throughout the world. The most significant contribution they can make is to cultivate the experience of oneness with Ultimate Mystery, oneness with all other human beings, and oneness with the cosmos.

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Fr. Richard Rohr, Franciscan Friar One of religions main tasks was to give us that eye for paradox and mystery. From The Naked Now by Richard Rohr. New York: Crossroads Publishing, 2009, p. 146.

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Concluding quote from the Islamic Sufi poet Rumi The real work of religion is permanent astonishment. Rumi (trans. Helminski). The Rumi Collection. Boston: Shambala Classics, 2000, p. 32.

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Questions? On peace-building On Formats or guidelines for designing programs On Shared themes