Interreligious Dialogue

Malaysia is a multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious country. Yet the citizens and people at large do not often engage in or fight shy of engaging in interreligious dialogue.

There are many reasons for this state of affairs. Some of which include the following:

1) Inadequate knowledge of one's religion and teaching;

2) Afraid of being influenced and converted into embracing another faith;

3) Lack of confidence in partaking in interreligious dialogue;

4) Discouragement from religious teachers.

From my own observations and experience, many people tend to forget that they are firstly human beings and secondly their religions. For examples, Christians and Christianity; Hindus and Hinduism; Buddhists and Buddism; Muslims and Islam; Jews and Judaism etc. Here we can see the difference - Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims are all human beings but they are unfortunately divided by their respective religions.

As human beings, we must remember that God made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on the face of the earth. He has determined their preappointed times and boundaries of their dwellings so that they might find Him one day. He is near and is in each and everyone of us since we are all His creatures.

As fellow human beings, we must recognise the love and purposes of God for humankind; in so doing, it has the effect of shaping our attitudes towards adherents of other religions and faiths.

Faiths are not mere systems. Majority of us however tend to see and assume that our faiths and religions are one and the same.

One thing we fail to realise is the important aspect of relationships that are associated with people of faiths.

In order to live in harmony, peace and harmony, we need to relate and share with one another our faiths and religious teachings so that we can appreciate that we are in the first instance children of the Almighty God.

We need to appreciate this basic fact of life. With this attitude of mind, it will help many to engage in dialoguing with one another. Interreligious diaolgue helps strengthen the faiths of our fellowmen.

There was one famous poet from Persia named Saadi who wrote:

All men are members of the same body
Created from one essence.
If fate brings suffering to one member
The others cannot stay at rest
You who remain indifferent to the burden of pain of others
Do not deserve to be called humans

Interrreligious dialogue helps strengthen our own faiths and it has the positive effect of edifying our spirituality and relationship with our fellowmen.