In 2010 the UN declared the first week in February World Interfaith Harmony Week. Its aim is to promote harmony between all people regardless of their faith.
Here is the UN resolution that was unanimously passed:
The General Assembly,
Recalling its resolutions 53/243 of 13 September 1999 on the declaration and programme of action relating to a culture of peace, 57/6 of 4 November 2002 concerning the promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, 58/128 of 19 December 2003 on the promotion of religious and cultural understanding, harmony and cooperation, 60/4 of 20 October 2005 on a global agenda for dialogue among civilizations, 64/14 of 10 November 2009 on the Alliance of Civilizations, 64/81 of 7 December 2009 on the promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peace and 64/164 of 18 December 2009 on the elimination of all forms of intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief,
Recognizing the imperative need for dialogue among different faiths and religions in enhancing mutual understanding, harmony and cooperation among people,
Recalling with appreciation various global, regional and subregional initiatives on mutual understanding and interfaith harmony including the Tripartite Forum on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace, and the initiative “A Common Word”,
Recognizing that the moral imperatives of all religions, convictions and beliefs call for peace, tolerance and mutual understanding,
1. Reaffirms that mutual understanding and interreligious dialogue constitute important dimensions of a culture of peace;
2. Proclaims the first week of February of every year the World Interfaith Harmony Week between all religions, faiths and beliefs;
3. Encourages all States to support, on a voluntary basis, the spread of the message of interfaith harmony and goodwill in the world’s churches, mosques, synagogues, temples and other places of worship during that week, based on love of God and love of one’s neighbour or on love of the good and love of one’s neighbour, each according to their own religious traditions or convictions;
4. Requests the Secretary-General to keep the General Assembly informed of the implementation of the present resolution.
The New Zealand Prayer Book draws from Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu sources.
Here is the facebook page
Here is the website
Online Chapel where you can pray for harmony between all people regardless of their faith, including lighting a virtual candle.
Sorry to be a doomsayer, but I don’t think Christians, Jews and Muslims are going to start living in harmony just because the UN has made a resolution; the good people of Srebrenica saw first-hand how that organisation’s resolve translates into action.
Bosco;
Whilst I am sure that they have only good in mind, yet I am somewhat worried that the UN feels that telling churches what to teach or when to teach it is in any way part of their remission – however ‘voluntary’ they make it.
The other thing which worries me here is the creating of false expectations. The Bible promises us not harmony but strife with non-Christians – and that with no remission until the end of the age. I suggest that if there is ‘full interfaith harmony’ then it is a warning sign that we have lost Christ and the offence of the cross from our Christianity.
Vincent
I cannot subscribe to what Ed and Vincent have said. I believe that we are called by the act of our redemption, and through our baptismal covenant, to the mission of Christ called out by the Prophet in Isaiah, the bringing of the Good News of the in-breaking of the Commonwealth of God, sight to the blind, freedom to the captives, and food, water, clothing and shelter through the exorbitant generosity of unconditional lovingkindness to the poor, orphans, widows and the imprisoned.
The New Zealand Prayer Book draws from Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu sources.
I am now sure that ACANZ&P has rent the fabric of communion with your heretical syncretism!
David – the Primates’ Meeting never used to pass motions; but it couldn’t stop itself from passing a motion to try and stop our province from developing our three Tikanga system. At the latest Primates’ Meeting, our three Tikanga system is being held up as part of the solution. What looks to rend the communion one year is regarded as central to it not long later.
What could not have been the guidance of the Holy Spirit today is heralded as indeed her work tomorrow!
FAO Bosco:- I have fleshed out my thoughts here: http://www.vincevincevince.com/443/the-interfaith-question
It seems apparent to me Vincent that you are arguing against something in the concept of a call to InterFaith Harmony that is not there. Nowhere in the resolution reproduced here by Bosco does it say anything about not sharing one’s faith with folks of other faiths. The resolution calls for mutual respect and speaks against discrimination and violence by the people of one faith against the people of other faiths.
That is a simple request and you want to look for reasons to make it complicated.
David;
I’m not sure where you live, but I am in a country where I see firsthand these issues being played out. I hoped that my fuller post would have shown first that this ‘interfaith harmony’ is impossible to achieve; and secondly, that the reason it is impossible to achieve is because the preaching of the Gospel always brings with it persecution of various forms.
When the resolution calls for mutual respect, this is very easily (and very commonly) put into practice as a ban on preaching the Gospel. What more basic way to show ‘mutual respect’ is there than to leave them to their own religion and not tell them they are engaged in idolatry and need to turn to Christ to escape hell?
Indeed, it is the case where I live that to preach the Gospel to a person of the majority religion is illegal under civil law. It is entirely true that the preaching of the Gospel to these persons leads to civil unrest, riots, violence and other serious problems – and many, the UN and even some “Christian” groups, would have us respect their faith by not offending them in this way, that they would not have cause to persecute.
I hope that sheds some light on where I am coming from on this;
Vincent
they are engaged in idolatry and need to turn to Christ to escape hell
Why is that the only way that you know how to share the Gospel?
BTW, I live in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. We have complete freedom of religion. But we also have folks like you here who feel the need to express such an offensive form of evangelism.
A question; if you were one of the first missionaries to one of the few remaining indigenous tribes with little contact with modern humans, say in the Amazon Basin, would you be inclined to teach them that all of their ancestors who had lived and died prior to your salvific advent with the redeeming Gospel of Christ Jesus were eternally bound for the fires of an everlasting hell? Do you believe that?
David; no matter how it is presented, once it is understood, the Gospel directly implied what I have said. It’s not the words which I would choose, nor counsel to be chosen. However, if a person does not understand from the presentation of the Gospel both what Christ saves them from, or the fact that they are not saved without Christ – do you think they have really heard the Gospel?
My answer to my question regarding the Amazon tribe is no, I would not tell them that, nor do I believe it to be true.
I do not believe that would be a loving God’s behavior toward God’s creation. That would be the behavior of a cold heartless creature. As the 1st Century Christians, represented by Paul in whatever was going on in 1 Cor 15:29, I have faith in provision for all.
SUB : INTER FAITH HARMONY FOR GLOBAL CIVILIZATION
with respect to above mentioned subject i would like to share that to bring interfaith harmony for global civilization , if, we think without prejudice from Advait principle of upnishads and from other human scriptures ( Known as hindu scriptures ) like vedas and bhagavad gita we can spread this message than i think it is not possible for us to achieve the said goal but for that we have to reach the human mind of each and every people of world by totally selfless work and selfless love which are basic principles of SHRIMAD BHAGAVAD GEETA.moreover i would like to share that if we can spread message of bhagavad geeta up to the last human mind than world peace can be possible even if there are large number of people believing in different religion. This can no be done overnight but for that we have to continue over work on the basis of devotion for olarge number of decades.