Aims and Objectives of Inter- Faith Forum
- Inter-Faith Forum, Patna is an association of people of good will from different religions who are inter-religious dialogue and collaborative action with a view to promote harmony and enrich human life in Bihar. Those who do not profess any particular religious faith and yet are committed to the ideals of the Inter-Faith Forum are also welcome to join the Forum as full-fledged members.
- The Forum aims at promoting better understanding and relationship between religions so that we may be able to work in collaboration. This will involve minimizing the misunderstandings that exist among us regarding other religions, such as, wrong stereotyping of religions, identifying a particular religion with terrorism etc. We also come closer by sharing the rich religious traditions, values and spiritual experiences of each other.
- Our conversation and dialogue are to be centred more on issues that affect society such as poverty, illiteracy, dowry, communalism, negative impact of globalization, ecological imbalance etc. By raising these common issues we strive together to find ways and means to overcome the problems arising from these. Our dialogue would move gradually from the level of discussion to the level of action.
- Educating our children to have a better understanding of one another’s religion and thereby shed misunderstandings and grow in harmony with others is an important objective of the Forum. Developing Inter-Faith units in the schools and organizing programmes for children could be one way of involving the children in achieving the objectives of the Forum.
- Inclusive celebration of religious festivals can promote harmony. At the same time, we need to go beyond the stereotype ways of celebrating the festivals. Instead of limiting the celebrations to centralized places in the cities, we need to move the Inter-religious celebration of festivals to mohallas where people live.
- The Forum aims at taking steps to prevent communal violence. It is not sufficient to put out the flames of hatred when communal violence occurs, but rather we need to take active steps to prevent communal clashes from occurring by organizing activities in areas where tension is most likely to develop between communities.
- The Forum is not to limit itself to the elite and intellectual circles, but it aims to involve the common people.
- Networking with other organizations to bring about a just and more humane society is an important objective of the Form.
Let us live happily, then, not hating those who hate us! Among men who hate, let us dwell free from hatred.
– Dhammapada XV.1
A common purpose do I lay before you. Let your aims be common, and your hearts be of one accord, and all of you be of one mind, so you may all live well together.
– Rig Veda 10.191.2-4
Let us love one another, because love comes from God. Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love…. This, then is the command that Christ gave us: he who loves God must love his brother also.
– The Holy Bible: 1 John 4
Let there arise out of you one community, inviting to what is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong. Be not like those who are divided among themselves and fall into disputations.
– The Holy Quran 3.103-105
Have benevolence toward all living beings, joy at the sight of the virtuous, compassion and sympathy for the afflicted, and tolerance toward the indolent and the ill-behaved.
– Tatvarthasutra 7.11
See the brotherhood of all mankind as the highest order of Yogis; conquer your own mind, and conquer the world.. let spiritual wisdom be your food, and compassion your attendant. The Sound-current of the Naad vibrates in each and every heart.
-Guru Granth Sahib 1. Jub.6. 28