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The Lutheran World Federation
Lutheran World Information |
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| 06.09.2004 |
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| FEATURE: ‘Diapraxis’ an Important Tool in Diffusing Fundamentalism |
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LWF Council Meeting, Geneva, 1 – 7 September 2004
PRESS RELEASE NO. 13-2004
Inter-religious Dialogue in India, Sierra Leone a Basis for Other Forms of Mutual Cooperation
GENEVA, 6 September 2004 (LWI) - “It is no longer sufficient for religious communities to merely talk about their respective faith traditions. We need to act on matters of common concern, key among them being peace and conflict. If ever inter-religious dialogue could have been described as an academic exercise that is clearly no longer the case.” With these remarks Mr Peter Prove, LWF Assistant to the General Secretary for International Affairs and Human Rights introduced a press briefing on inter-faith dialogue at the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Council Meeting being held at Chavannes-de-Bogis near Geneva, September 1-7. Prove is responsible for supporting the LWF general secretary’s initiative in bringing together religious leaders in Africa across the geographical and faith spectrums of the continent.
Prove said inter-religious dialogue was one of the key challenges today. Conflicts between religious groups were causing social and economic disruption in several parts of the world and were a pressing daily concern for an increasing number of people. Inter-religious dialogue has had a long history and there were many documents and declarations that expressed commitments in this area, Prove explained. But the LWF has rearticulated the objective, referring not so much any more to ‘dialogue’ but to ‘diapraxis’ – the practical reality of living and working together – which is an important tool in diffusing fundamentalism.
As an example of diapraxis, Prove noted that the majority of staff in the LWF’s field programs were local employees. Christians and Muslims or Christians and Buddhists are living and working together for a common cause, in this case, humanitarian relief and development. Through these sorts of experiences, Prove noted, the negative implications of fundamentalism could be overcome. “We need to be in contact with each other and to experience each other as human beings. If we do not, we will be all-too-easy prey for those who seek to manipulate us by framing the other as the enemy,” he said. “We must resist the temptation to retreat into our respective camps and exclude those of other faiths from our conversation.”
Prove said Africa could be a model of diapraxis for other parts of the world. In many parts of Africa there has been a long tradition of Christians and Muslims living together in harmony, even within the same families. The region has not until more recent years been involved in the same sort of conflicts between Christians and Muslims that had developed in other parts of the world.
Religious Tolerance in Sierra Leone Played Key Role in National, Regional Peace Process
Rev. Marie Jilo Barnett, representing the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone, and chairperson of the Program Committee for World Service, said her country was a good example of how religious tolerance could be a major contributing factor in attaining peace. Barnett has served for several years as the West African regional coordinator of the LWF Women in Church and Society desk. She has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for six years and a member of an inter-religious program for women, which focuses particularly on issues relating to HIV-AIDS.
Barnett said when the war in Sierra Leone escalated and the conflict intensified in West Africa, Muslim and Christian leaders came together to form an inter-religious council. Together they visited other countries within the region, promoting peace initiatives and lobbying governments to take action to support inter-religious harmony. Part of the council’s strategy was the formation of an inter-religious council for women, in order to address issues regarding peace, family and health, especially HIV-AIDS. As an MP, Barnett was able to act as a link between the government and inter-religious council. “This has helped in the conflicts in both Sierra Leone and Liberia,” she said.
Fight for Dalits’ Human Rights ‘Problematic’ from an Inter-Religious Perspective
Rev. Chandran Paul Martin, executive secretary of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India (UELCI) said religious fundamentalism in India was evident on several fronts, with sections of the “huge majority of Hindus” clashing with minority groups including Christians and Muslims. Since religious fundamentalism was “the agenda” of the previous government, leaders of minority religions were drawn together to protect each other’s rights and to work against violation of other people’s rights. He said the country did not have many permanent inter-faith platforms, but “we do come together on specific issues.” As an example, in 2002 the riots and massacres in Gujarat - a Hindu nationalist-ruled state - provided the catalyst for inter-faith dialogue, drawing together minority faiths against a common threat. There is growing interest in working together with other common issues of concern, including HIV-AIDS, said Martin, who heads the body of 11 Lutheran churches in India, nine of which belong to the LWF.
One area proving problematic from an inter-religious perspective is the fight against discrimination against Dalits. “Human rights for Dalits was certainly an issue for an inter-faith platform,” according to Martin. “But when we speak of addressing the Dalit issue from the Hindu paradigm of a caste structure, it becomes very problematic. We are touching the raw nerves of Hinduism, one of which is caste.” Martin said that it is very easy for Christians, Muslims and Buddhists, as minority religions, to advocate on behalf of Dalits, but beyond that “it is difficult to push the paradigm through a Hindu prism.” Hindus make up about 80 percent of India’s population of 1 billion people, followed by Muslims with 11 percent, Christians 2.3 percent and other faiths.
Whenever inter-religious dialogue is discussed it is inevitable that the war on terror will be brought into the conversation, Prove said. “Fundamentalism in any religious tradition will take us in this direction if we allow it to.” Referring to the position of the LWF General Secretary, Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko on this matter, Prove affirmed there was “no such thing as a religious war” but in conflict situations there was invariably some interested party manipulating religious diversity for its own ends. By way of example he cited the conflict in Sudan which had for much of its history been seen as a religious conflict between Christians and Muslims. But the Darfur conflict is between Muslims and Muslims. “So it can be seen that the root of the conflict is political and racial, not religious,” Prove said. “It is in the interests of all communities and religious leaders that represent them to work for mutual awareness of people of all religious groups as fellow human beings. At the most basic level we have the same interests: a safe and better world for our children.”
In India, the Christian community has sought to dialogue with Muslims, who have been stereotyped as terrorists as a result of the war on terror. Martin said that Christians have been striving to diffuse the tensions through local community-based inter-religious initiatives. Barnett said that in western Africa programs designed to increase awareness of other religions have been developed as a way to counter the negative effects of the war on terror. The initiatives, which are undertaken by the communities themselves – Muslims and Christians working together, have yielded fruit. An important element in the success of these programs is the gaining of mutual respect, said Barnett. “Participants are learning to relate to each other as human beings, and dialogue together without looking down on other religions.” (1,174 words)
(Written for LWI by Linda Macqueen, Editor, The Lutheran, Australia. Macqueen is working with the LWF communication team at this year’s Council meeting.)
There are around 100 church representatives including the 49-member Council attending this year’s meeting at Chavannes-de-Bogis near Geneva. In addition there are 70 participants consisting of invited guests, LWF staff persons, interpreters, stewards and journalists. The Council is the LWF’s governing body between Assemblies, normally held every six years. The current Council was elected at the July 2003 Tenth Assembly in Winnipeg, Canada, where it held its first meeting. The Council comprises the President, the Treasurer and ordained as well as lay persons drawn from the LWF member churches. The LWF currently has 136 member churches in 76 countries all over the world, representing 62.3 million of the estimated 66 million Lutherans worldwide.
During the Council meeting, the LWF Office for Communication Services can be reached by telephone at +41 22 960 8282, or at (mobile) +41 (0)76-396 2863.
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