I. INTERFAITH DIALOGUES
IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD’S PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION
Due to the same end, true
religions have come into being in order to offer their ways of liberation to
humans. Depending on historical, geographical, and cultural features of each
religion’s cradle, each founder has paved his own path to lead his countrymen
before leading other peoples.
Dao is the way. Before being represented by a religious
institution, that way of salvation is embodied by the founder, as Jesus said, “I’m the way…” (John 14:6)
No matter how different paths or religions are, they will
ultimately lead humans to the same end. Many centuries B.C., this verity was
affirmed in the Book of Change (the
Great Treatise II), “They all come to the
same destination, though by different paths.” 天下同歸而殊途.
Living in Giao Châu in the late 2nd and early 3rd centuries,
Mou Bo 牟博 (Mou Zi 牟子), author of Lihoulun
理惑論 (Treatise Settling Doubts), said likewise, “Both boats and carriages carry humans to the same destination though
by different routes.” 舟輿異路俱致行 旅.)
In the Occident, “different paths to the same destination” is
not ignored. For instance, a French poet and theologian named Alain de Lille
(circa 1128-1202/1203) affirmed, “A
thousand roads lead men forever to Rome Rome
In the Orient, while advocating that different paths lead to
the same destination, the Book of Change does not point out where the exact
place might be. Conversely, the two said Occidental authors specified that it
was nowhere else than Rome
Nonetheless, the real causes of religious conflicts which resulted
in such wars might not be simple. Amongst them there must be misunderstanding
between religions. If so, in order to avoid religious wars, believers of
different faiths necessarily understand, sympathise with, and respect one
another. Interfaith dialogues are
consequently inevitable so as to build a bridge of better understanding, friendly
relationships, and mutual respect amongst religions.
The goodwill for interfaith dialogues began hundreds of years
ago though it was originally not designated as what we Vietnamese get used to
hearing these days.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as a matter of
fact, numerous philosophers, scholars, theologians, etc. created good occasions
to gather religious delegates who could share and exchange the values of their
own faiths with one another. In this way, believers of various beliefs could
grow closer in the spirit of great harmony, neglecting trivial differences so
as to avoid regrettable misunderstanding and conflicts. At the end of the 19th century
occurred two remarkable events:
- In 1893, the World’s Parliament of Religions
was first held in Chicago (Illinois ,
America United States
- In 1900, the
International Congress for the History of Religions was first organised in
Paris (France
In the subsequent decades of the 20th century, these two said
events paved the way for activities which aimed at supporting the ideal of
harmonising religions. For instance:
- In 1904, the Second
International Congress for the History of Religions was held in Basel (Switzerland
- In 1908, the Third
International Congress for the History of Religions was held at the Oxford University
(England
- In 1939, Professor Radhakrishnan (Indian, 1888-1975) began
lecturing Comparative Religion at the Oxford
- In 1955, the
Conference of World Religionists was held in Tokyo
(Japan Caodai Missionary
Church
- In 1959, the French Cultural Institute and the University of Paris
- In 1960, the Tenth
International Congress for the History of Religions was held at the Marburg University
(Germany
- In 1961, the University
of Chicago and the Yale University
- In 1963, the Sorbonne
University
- The Second Vatican Council, which Pope John XXIII opened on
11 October 1962 and which Pope Paul VI closed on 08 December 1965, should be
considered the most significant event because it invited interfaith dialogues
between Catholicism and other religions in the world.[3]
In Vatican on 28 October 1965, Pope Paul VI proclaimed Nostra Aetate (In our Times), also known as the
Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on the Relations of the Church with
Non-Christian Religions.
- On Pentecost Sunday, 17 May 1964, Pope Paul VI instituted a
special department of the Roman Curia for relations with the people of other
religions. Known at first as the
Secretariat for Non Christians, it was renamed the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID) in 1988.[4]
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, both international
and multinational, numerous similar events of interfaith dialogues can be
mentioned. To end the list, we should refer to two more events as follows:
- The 34th World
Religions Conference was held on 28 September 2014 in Guelph ,
a city southwest of Ontario ,
Canada
In Canada ,
the World Religions Conference (WRC) is annually organised by
the Canadian branch of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, an Islamic religious movement
founded in British India near the end of the 19th
century. The 35th Conference is to be held on 01 November 2015.
- As mentioned above, the
World’s Parliament of Religions
was first held in Chicago (Illinois, America) in 1893, and since then has taken
place several times. To name a few: Cape Town
(South Africa, 1999); Barcelona (Spain , 2004); Melbourne
(Australia , 2009); Salt Lake (Utah , America
The World’s Parliament of Religions judges: Religions are too
often misused as an instrument for division and injustice, betraying the very
ideals and teachings of each religion. However, religions can gather people to
share beliefs and practices. When diverse communities of religions work in
harmony for the common good, there is hope that the world can be transformed.
The self-committed mission of this Parliament is as follows:
Cultivating harmony among the world’s religious and spiritual communities in
order to achieve a just, peaceful and sustainable world. They expect:
(a) Religious and spiritual communities live in harmony and
contribute to a better world; (b) Religious and cultural fears and hatreds are
replaced with understanding and respect; (c) The richness of human and
religious diversity is woven into the fabric of communal, civil, societal and
global life, etc.[5]
HUỆ KHẢI
