INTER RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE

The major religions of the world have a special responsibility to work together to address some of humanity’s common challenges such as poverty, disease, violence, environmental issues, war and peace, and terrorism. USHA promotes dialogue among the world religions so that we may find real solutions to our common challenges. Religion can and should play a positive role both for the adherents and the rest of humanity. While we support initiatives that are already underway to promote religious cooperation, we must also address issues that divide religions and cause frictions leading to unnecessary violence and destruction. While several global issues are creating spheres of cooperation, many other overlooked issues are generating spheres of conflict. Hence, there is an urgent need for all religions to take a serious look at those issues that divide us.

There are several issues which Hindus consider as very important and these issues must be addressed to the satisfaction of all if peace and harmony is to be achieved among major religions. Negation and neglect of these fundamental issues lead to mistrust, frictions and conflicts among adherents of various paths. Hindus feel that they are in a state of siege today. USHA believes that the ways to resolve inter religious conflicts are through dialogue and understanding. All religions are equally responsible for the protection of religious minorities, equal treatment of all religions in the public domain and developing a minimum degree of respect for the followers of other faiths. The first World Parliament of Religions held at Chicago in 1893 addressed the core issues which produce religious conflict, namely fundamentalism and fanaticism. We may now add a third one, their ugly descendent – terrorism.