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Interfaith Dialogue Quotes

Browse 66 quotes about Interfaith Dialogue.

Interfaith Dialogue Quotes

“More muslims die from Islamist extremism than any other people. So don't you dare tell me, Islam is the same as Islamism! Islam is a people, Islamism is a sickness, just like Christianity is a people, Christian nationalism is a sickness - Hinduism is a people, Hindutva is a sickness - Atheism is a people, militant atheism is a sickness. And unless the peaceloving humans from each of these communities reach out to one another with a hand of integration, the nutcases from each of these communities will drag us all down the road of death and despair.”

“Islamophobia doesn't disappear simply because you choose to close your eyes. Can you stand by a dehumanized muslim, against the bigoted barbarians of your own culture, and speak out at the top of your voice and conviction - I am a muslim, just as much as I am a christian - I am a muslim, just as much as I am a jew - I am a muslim, just as much as I am a buddhist - hindu - or atheist? Can you? Because, until every threat to the welfare of the dehumanized humans actually, genuinely, internally feels like a threat to your own family, no phobia will ever come to an end - no hatred will ever face demise. Till every culture, every country, every corner of the planet, becomes our own culture, our own country, our own home, there is no peace, there will never be peace. And this, my friend, is called practical divinity, practical sufism, practical nondualism, and practical humanism. Or better yet, this is the ism beyond all isms - this is the ism that concerns the life, laughter and loveliness of the entire humankind - this - is humanity.”

“Interfaith Sonnet Not every christian is a good human, But every good human is a christian. Not every muslim is a good human, But every good human is a muslim. Not every jew is a good human, But every good human is a jew. Not every hindu is a good human, But every good human is a hindu. Not every buddhist is a good human, But every good human is a buddhist. Not every humanist is a good human, But every good human is a humanist. Goodness is universal, vessels may vary. Some call it water, some agua, some pani.”

“It doesn't matter whether you are muslim, christian, jew or atheist. It doesn't matter whether you are black, white, brown or martian. If you have love in your heart and kindness in your hands, then you are human. But if your existence is anemic of love and kindness, then no matter how human you look, and how many Sundays and Fridays you spend at the church or the mosque, you ain't no human.”

“Thus Speaks God (The Sonnet) Ik onkar, satnaam, Porque, yo soy insan. Aham bismillahsmi, Çünkü, benim adım vicdan. Sarva dharman parityajya, Giving up all national grave, Nos haremos vessels of verdad, Rise we shall as sapiens brave. Divinidad está en cada cultura, But no culture is pure divinity. Human divided is human undivine, Hatelessness is civilized divinity. Thus speaks God in tongue beyond tongues. One vessel isn't enough to contain my neurons.”

“If you believe, God is the supreme creator of everything, then God is also the one who gave you a brain. Use it. Likewise, if you know that we have evolved from the apes through natural selection, then you should also know about the fascinating mental faculty we developed alongside reason, called empathy. Use it. Some might say, it is cowardly of me to not pick any side with confidence. Well, I am a behaviorist after all. You don't expect me to peddle the same old dualistic ideologies that philosophers and theologians have been peddling for centuries, do you - that too with a complete disregard for the necessities of the everyday mind! I want to induce integration in the world, not conversion. So I say, if you believe in God, make it a reason for assimilation, not segregation. If you prefer reason, use it for warm ascension, not cold and fancy descension.”

“Science, Religion & Superstition (The Sonnet) Religion is all evil, is the superstition, That half-cocked rationalists suffer from. Science is devil's work, is the superstition, That bookish religionists suffer from. Take the I and cross it out, Lo, you have a living Christ! Take the self and set it on fire, Lo, you have a timeless light! Yes, I want to convert the world, I want to convert all cussing into hugging. Yes, I want to convert the people, all of them, I want to convert mindless mocking into mending. I am no preacher, I am no scholar, I am no thinker. But, without some basic humanity, we shall all wither.”

“The Humanity Festival (Interfaith Anthem, 2598-2599) Humanity is the festival, occasions are garments. Beyond the void of us and them, join the circle, break the chains. Festivals are not dates on a calendar, cultures are not places on a map. No festival is sin for no one, there is no culture where we do not belong. Ramadan is the remedy for apathy, Christmas is the cure for animosity, Hanukkah is the antithesis of tyranny, Diwali is the antidote to atrocity. Mercy is no mercy that's reserved for a few, mercy is the light we carry in all we do. The spirit of godliness that we hold inside, is meant to light the world, far and wide. Fasting and feasting turn to futile noise, if life drifts from life, trampling human joys. Candles and fireworks become childish pranks, if underneath them all the kernel is blank. Kindness in our soul, courage in our skin - every person is my people, every stranger is kin. Humanity is the festival, occasions are garments, love is my homeland, heart is my parliament.”

“English is my work language, Turkish is my love language, Spanish is my play language, Telugu is my leisure language. This would probably be different for you - perhaps for you, it all happens in one language - English, and that's perfectly fine. Different people are inspired in different ways - it's alright - as long as all our inspirations converge into one result - a better world for all - where there is no interracial dialogue, there is no intercultural communication, there is no interreligious relations - because - there is but one race, humanity - there is but one culture, humanity - there is but one religion, humanity.”

“Individual cultures and ideologies have their appropriate uses but none of them erase or replace the universal experiences, like love and weeping and laughter, common to all human beings.”

“If you believe, God is the supreme creator of everything, then God is also the one who gave you a brain. Use it. Likewise, if you know that we have evolved from the apes through natural selection, then you should also know about the fascinating mental faculty we developed alongside reason, called empathy. Use it.”

“Let's start a tradition - a tangible tradition of integration. Instead of celebrating our own culture, let's dedicate each festival of ours to our sisters and brothers from another culture - let's celebrate their goodness, their laughter, their wisdom - so that one day, our children may wake up to a world where there is no "our culture and their culture", just "human culture".”

“I am not east, I am not west, I am the whole world. I have absorbed the good from every single culture of planet earth, and now the entire world courses through my veins as lifeblood. That is why, I am a human being - that is why, I am a whole human being.”

“Aum Amen Assalaam (The Interfaith Sonnet) Jo bole so nihal - honest, brave 'n nondual! Ain't no human run by divisionism. You may say Merhaba, or Hallelujah, Smiling I respond, Walaikum Assalam. Every human greeting is an act of peace, Language differs, not the emotion. Yet we keep bickering over language, Overlooking all loving unison. Chag sameach say some of us, Some say happy holidays! Across the words, into the heart, We'll find the flame of happiness. Underneath every version of felicidad, there is a sense of illumination. Aim of all Aum and Amen - is unification.”

“One who has integration in their heart, will find integration everywhere, but those who have nothing but hate in their heart, will remain hateful no matter how many messengers of love come and go.”

“The Being is The Bridge (The Sonnet) I came to life at Dakshineswar, At Kapadokya I got my sight. I found my might at Shaolin, At Liberty Island I came to light. In Pernik I bathed in love, By the Volga I tasted sapience. Lika taught me the role of innovation, Sudbury gave me the sail of science. Streets of Calcutta showed me suffering, Streets of Chicago reminded, I'm the answer. It's not the place but people who hold magic, Revolution rose when all of them came together. You won't know me as the father of a nation. You'll know me as the maker of amalgamation.”

“In 762, to symbolize and propel the new order, Al-Mansur decided to build the grand new capital of Baghdad as a massive round city. The caliph assembled an elite team of the empire’s top engineers, architects, and visionaries—notably including Zoroastrians, Christians, and Jews, such as Mashallah Ibnul-Athari.”

“One of the biggest challenges for people involved in interfaith dialogue is to break down the stereotypes of the "other" that exist within their own religious traditions and groups. Religious groups need to first acknowledge and confess their own role in fostering and contributing to injustice and conflict. (by Cilliers, Ch. 3, p. 49)”

“The process of reconciliation implies that people who want to engage in interfaith cooperation should be prepared to reflect critically on their own religious tradition. They should also contemplate what place their own religious tradition assigns to people of other faith traditions. (by Cilliers, Ch. 3, p. 52)”

“I strongly feel that it is only when there is a deep understanding of one's own religious beliefs and commitments that progress can be made in achieving true understanding and respect for the religious values and beliefs of others. Engaging in interfaith dialogue does not in any way mean undermining one's own faith or religious tradition. Indeed, interfaith dialogue is constructive only when people become firmly grounded in their own religious traditions and through that process gain a willingness to listen and respect the beliefs of other religions. (by Cilliers, Ch. 3, p. 48-49)”

“Many of the traditional approaches to interfaith dialogue have assumed that it can be successful only if agreements are reached about amorphous concepts and themes that various traditions may have in common. These approaches have also assumed that participants have to "weaken" or "compromise" elements of their own faith... this is not necessarily constructive for engaging in interfaith understanding and dialogue. It is only when participants have a deep understanding of their own religious traditions and are willing to learn and recognize the richness of other religious traditions that constructive cooperation can take place between groups from different faiths. (by Cilliers, Ch. 3, p. 57-58)”