Module 5

Religion and Peacebuilding

Overview
This lesson looks at the relationship between religion and peacebuilding. It
examines the commonalities among the world's major religions in terms of
peacebuilding. Students will identify the role of religion in promoting peace and
will be able to engage in interreligious dialogue to enrich and appreciate religious
diversity.

Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, the students are expected to:
1. discuss the commonalities of the major religions and their relation to
peace-building.

2. share how one’s religion contributes to peace-building.

3. participate in interfaith dialogue to enhance and celebrate religious

diversity.

Activity 1: Human Fraternity

1. Read the document on human fraternity.

Faith leads a believer to see in the other a brother or sister to be supported and loved. Through
faith in God, who has created the universe, creatures and all human beings (equal on account of
his mercy), believers are called to express this human fraternity by safeguarding creation and the
entire universe and supporting all persons, especially the poorest and those most in need.

This transcendental value served as the starting point for several meetings characterized by a
friendly and fraternal atmosphere where we shared the joys, sorrows and problems of our
contemporary world. We did this by considering scientific and technical progress, therapeutic
achievements, the digital era, the mass media and communications. We reflected also on the level
of poverty, conflict and suffering of so many brothers and sisters in different parts of the world as a
consequence of the arms race, social injustice, corruption, inequality, moral decline, terrorism,
discrimination, extremism and many other causes.
From our fraternal and open discussions, and from the meeting that expressed
profound hope in a bright future for all human beings, the idea of this Document on
Human Fraternity was conceived. It is a text that has been given honest and serious
thought so as to be a joint declaration of good and heartfelt aspirations. It is a document
that invites all persons who have faith in God and faith in human fraternity to unite and
work together so that it may serve as a guide for future generations to advance a culture
of mutual respect in the awareness of the great divine grace that makes all human
beings brothers and sisters.

In the name of God who has created all human beings equal in rights, duties and
dignity, and who has called them to live together as brothers and sisters, to fill the earth
and make known the values of goodness, love and peace;

In the name of innocent human life that God has forbidden to kill, affirming that whoever
kills a person is like one who kills the whole of humanity, and that whoever saves a
person is like one who saves the whole of humanity;

In the name of the poor, the destitute, the marginalized and those most in need whom
God has commanded us to help as a duty required of all persons, especially the wealthy
and of means;

In the name of orphans, widows, refugees and those exiled from their homes and their
countries; in the name of all victims of wars, persecution and injustice; in the name of
the weak, those who live in fear, prisoners of war and those tortured in any part of the
world, without distinction;

In the name of peoples who have lost their security, peace, and the possibility of living
together, becoming victims of destruction, calamity and war;

In the name of human fraternity that embraces all human beings, unites them and
renders them equal;

In the name of this fraternity torn apart by policies of extremism and division, by
systems of unrestrained profit or by hateful ideological tendencies that manipulate the
actions and the future of men and women;

In the name of freedom, that God has given to all human beings creating them free and
distinguishing them by this gift;

In the name of justice and mercy, the foundations of prosperity and the cornerstone of
faith;

In the name of all persons of good will present in every part of the world;

In the name of God and of everything stated thus far; Al-Azhar al-Sharif and the
Muslims of the East and West, together with the Catholic Church and the Catholics of
the East and West, declare the adoption of a culture of dialogue as the path; mutual
cooperation as the code of conduct; reciprocal understanding as the method and
standard.
We, who believe in God and in the final meeting with Him and His judgment, on the basis
of our religious and moral responsibility, and through this Document, call upon ourselves,
upon the leaders of the world as well as the architects of international policy and world
economy, to work strenuously to spread the culture of tolerance and of living together in
peace; to intervene at the earliest opportunity to stop the shedding of innocent blood and
bring an end to wars, conflicts, environmental decay and the moral and cultural decline
that the world is presently experiencing.

We call upon intellectuals, philosophers, religious figures, artists, media professionals and
men and women of culture in every part of the world, to rediscover the values of peace,
justice, goodness, beauty, human fraternity and coexistence in order to confirm the
importance of these values as anchors of salvation for all, and to promote them
everywhere.

This Declaration, setting out from a profound consideration of our contemporary reality,
valuing its successes and in solidarity with its suffering, disasters and calamities, believes
firmly that among the most important causes of the crises of the modern world are a
desensitized human conscience, a distancing from religious values and a prevailing
individualism accompanied by materialistic philosophies that deify the human person and
introduce worldly and material values in place of supreme and transcendental principles.

While recognizing the positive steps taken by our modern civilization in the fields of
science, technology, medicine, industry and welfare, especially in developed countries,
we wish to emphasize that, associated with such historic advancements, great and valued
as they are, there exists both a moral deterioration that influences international action and
a weakening of spiritual values and responsibility. All this contributes to a general feeling
of frustration, isolation and desperation leading many to fall either into a vortex of atheistic,
agnostic or religious extremism, or into blind and fanatic extremism, which ultimately
encourage forms of dependency and individual or collective self-destruction.

History shows that religious extremism, national extremism and also intolerance have
produced in the world, be it in the East or West, what might be referred to as signs of a
“third world war being fought piecemeal”. In several parts of the world and in many tragic
circumstances these signs have begun to be painfully apparent, as in those situations
where the precise number of victims, widows and orphans is unknown. We see, in
addition, other regions preparing to become theatres of new conflicts, with outbreaks of
tension and a build-up of arms and ammunition, and all this in a global context
overshadowed by uncertainty, disillusionment, fear of the future, and controlled by narrow-
minded economic interests.

We likewise affirm that major political crises, situations of injustice and lack of equitable
distribution of natural resources – which only a rich minority benefit from, to the detriment
of the majority of the peoples of the earth – have generated, and continue to generate,
vast numbers of poor, infirm and deceased persons. This leads to catastrophic crises that
various countries have fallen victim to despite their natural resources and the
resourcefulness of young people which characterize these nations. In the face of such
crises that result in the deaths of millions of children – wasted away from poverty and
hunger – there is an unacceptable silence on the international level.

It is clear in this context how the family as the fundamental nucleus of society and
humanity is essential in bringing children into the world, raising them, educating them, and
providing them with solid moral formation and domestic security. To attack the institution
of the family, to regard it with contempt or to doubt its important role, is one of the most
We affirm also the importance of awakening religious awareness and the need to revive
this awareness in the hearts of new generations through sound education and an
adherence to moral values and upright religious teachings. In this way we can confront
tendencies that are individualistic, selfish, conflicting, and also address radicalism and
blind extremism in all its forms and expressions.

The first and most important aim of religions is to believe in God, to honour Him and to
invite all men and women to believe that this universe depends on a God who governs it.
He is the Creator who has formed us with His divine wisdom and has granted us the gift
of life to protect it. It is a gift that no one has the right to take away, threaten or manipulate
to suit oneself. Indeed, everyone must safeguard this gift of life from its beginning up to
its natural end. We therefore condemn all those practices that are a threat to life such as
genocide, acts of terrorism, forced displacement, human organ trafficking, abortion and
euthanasia. We likewise condemn the policies that promote these practices.

Moreover, we resolutely declare that religions must never incite war, hateful attitudes,
hostility and extremism, nor must they incite violence or the shedding of blood. These
tragic realities are the consequence of a deviation from religious teachings. They result
from a political manipulation of religions and from interpretations made by religious groups
who, in the course of history, have taken advantage of the power of religious sentiment in
the hearts of men and women in order to make them act in a way that has nothing to do
with the truth of religion. This is done for the purpose of achieving objectives that are
political, economic, worldly and short-sighted. We thus call upon all concerned to stop
using religions to incite hatred, violence, extremism and blind fanaticism, and to refrain
from using the name of God to justify acts of murder, exile, terrorism and oppression. We
ask this on the basis of our common belief in God who did not create men and women to
be killed or to fight one another, nor to be tortured or humiliated in their lives and
circumstances. God, the Almighty, has no need to be defended by anyone and does not
want His name to be used to terrorize people.

This Document, in accordance with previous International Documents that have

emphasized the importance of the role of religions in the construction of world peace,
upholds the following:

- The firm conviction that authentic teachings of religions invite us to remain rooted in the
values of peace; to defend the values of mutual understanding, human fraternity and
harmonious coexistence; to re-establish wisdom, justice and love; and to reawaken
religious awareness among young people so that future generations may be protected
from the realm of materialistic thinking and from dangerous policies of unbridled greed
and indifference that are based on the law of force and not on the force of law;

- Freedom is a right of every person: each individual enjoys the freedom of belief, thought,
expression and action. The pluralism and the diversity of religions, colour, sex, race and
language are willed by God in His wisdom, through which He created human beings. This
divine wisdom is the source from which the right to freedom of belief and the freedom to
be different derives. Therefore, the fact that people are forced to adhere to a certain
religion or culture must be rejected, as too the imposition of a cultural way of life that others
do not accept;

- Justice based on mercy is the path to follow in order to achieve a dignified life to which
every human being has a right;
- Justice based on mercy is the path to follow in order to achieve a dignified life to which every
human being has a right;

- Dialogue, understanding and the widespread promotion of a culture of tolerance, acceptance of

others and of living together peacefully would contribute significantly to reducing many economic,
social, political and environmental problems that weigh so heavily on a large part of humanity;

- Dialogue among believers means coming together in the vast space of spiritual, human and
shared social values and, from here, transmitting the highest moral virtues that religions aim for. It
also means avoiding unproductive discussions;

- The protection of places of worship – synagogues, churches and mosques – is a duty guaranteed
by religions, human values, laws and international agreements. Every attempt to attack places of
worship or threaten them by violent assaults, bombings or destruction, is a deviation from the
teachings of religions as well as a clear violation of international law;

- Terrorism is deplorable and threatens the security of people, be they in the East or the West, the
North or the South, and disseminates panic, terror and pessimism, but this is not due to religion,
even when terrorists instrumentalize it. It is due, rather, to an accumulation of incorrect
interpretations of religious texts and to policies linked to hunger, poverty, injustice, oppression and
pride. This is why it is so necessary to stop supporting terrorist movements fuelled by financing,
the provision of weapons and strategy, and by attempts to justify these movements even using the
media. All these must be regarded as international crimes that threaten security and world peace.
Such terrorism must be condemned in all its forms and expressions;

- The concept of citizenship is based on the equality of rights and duties, under which all enjoy
justice. It is therefore crucial to establish in our societies the concept of full citizenship and reject
the discriminatory use of the term minorities which engenders feelings of isolation and inferiority.
Its misuse paves the way for hostility and discord; it undoes any successes and takes away the
religious and civil rights of some citizens who are thus discriminated against;

- Good relations between East and West are indisputably necessary for both. They must not be
neglected, so that each can be enriched by the other’s culture through fruitful exchange and
dialogue. The West can discover in the East remedies for those spiritual and religious maladies
that are caused by a prevailing materialism. And the East can find in the West many elements that
can help free it from weakness, division, conflict and scientific, technical and cultural decline. It is
important to pay attention to religious, cultural and historical differences that are a vital component
in shaping the character, culture and civilization of the East. It is likewise important to reinforce the
bond of fundamental human rights in order to help ensure a dignified life for all the men and women
of East and West, avoiding the politics of double standards;

- It is an essential requirement to recognize the right of women to education and employment, and
to recognize their freedom to exercise their own political rights. Moreover, efforts must be made to
free women from historical and social conditioning that runs contrary to the principles of their faith
and dignity. It is also necessary to protect women from sexual exploitation and from being treated
as merchandise or objects of pleasure or financial gain. Accordingly, an end must be brought to all
those inhuman and vulgar practices that denigrate the dignity of women. Efforts must be made to
modify those laws that prevent women from fully enjoying their rights;
- The protection of the fundamental rights of children to grow up in a family environment, to receive
nutrition, education and support, are duties of the family and society. Such duties must be
guaranteed and protected so that they are not overlooked or denied to any child in any part of the
world. All those practices that violate the dignity and rights of children must be denounced. It is
equally important to be vigilant against the dangers that they are exposed to, particularly in the
digital world, and to consider as a crime the trafficking of their innocence and all violations of their
youth;

- The protection of the rights of the elderly, the weak, the disabled, and the oppressed is a religious
and social obligation that must be guaranteed and defended through strict legislation and the
implementation of the relevant international agreements.

To this end, by mutual cooperation, the Catholic Church and Al-Azhar announce and pledge to
convey this Document to authorities, influential leaders, persons of religion all over the world,
appropriate regional and international organizations, organizations within civil society, religious
institutions and leading thinkers. They further pledge to make known the principles contained in this
Declaration at all regional and international levels, while requesting that these principles be
translated into policies, decisions, legislative texts, courses of study and materials to be circulated.

Al-Azhar and the Catholic Church ask that this Document become the object of research and
reflection in all schools, universities and institutes of formation, thus helping to educate new
generations to bring goodness and peace to others, and to be defenders everywhere of the rights
of the oppressed and of the least of our brothers and sisters.

In conclusion, our aspiration is that:

this Declaration may constitute an invitation to reconciliation and fraternity among all believers,
indeed among believers and non-believers, and among all people of good will;

this Declaration may be an appeal to every upright conscience that rejects deplorable violence and
blind extremism; an appeal to those who cherish the values of tolerance and fraternity that are
promoted and encouraged by religions;

this Declaration may be a witness to the greatness of faith in God that unites divided hearts and
elevates the human soul;

this Declaration may be a sign of the closeness between East and West, between North and South,
and between all who believe that God has created us to understand one another, cooperate with
one another and live as brothers and sisters who love one another.

This is what we hope and seek to achieve with the aim of finding a universal peace that all can enjoy
in this life.

Abu Dhabi, 4 February 2019

His Holiness The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar

Pope Francis Ahmad Al-Tayyeb

 2. After reading the document, share your insights in the VLE Forum on Human
Fraternity.
3. Interact with your classmates by giving your perspectives about their insights.

Contribution of Religion to Peacebuilding

Religion has often been associated with conflict rather than with peace. This view
could be rooted on religious interactions which are based on philosophical,
theological or intellectual exercise rather than based on sharing of lived
experiences to promote commonalities and appreciation of religious uniqueness.
When religious discourses are done purposely to defend one’s religion, religious
walls are built. However, to Garred and Abu-Nimer (2018), there is a growing
recognition of religion being a rich source of peace, and peacebuilders draw out
inspiration from faith teachings and traditions within religion as tools helpful in
preventing and resolving conflicts. Current trends in peace work and
peacebuilding now employ faith-focused programs, and peace-supportive religion-
related paradigms are worth discovering.

While religion is perceived by some as basis of some leaders for waging conflict,
in many instances, religion finds expression as a tool for unity rather than
divisiveness, although much effort still needs to be done in local communities
around the world. Spreading messages and mechanisms for people's eventual
realization that, while religious deities are known in many names, and tenets
differ in their nature of expression, the notion that we were all created in the image
of the Divine demonstrates that religion can be a potent tool towards harmony to
thrive in all humanity’s midst.

Conflict between religious communities and dangers of religious extremism have

been threatening the communities today. Historically, the world seizes this danger
after the historical 9/11 deadliest terrorist attack. This traumatic incident has left
the world with threats of comfort and safety and has yielded questions among
people about the connectivity of this event to religion. Grasping the many
dimensions of the attack, it cannot be denied that it has religious implications.
Major religions all over the world have felt the consequences. The attack has
nevertheless obstructed the building of social cohesion among the people in plural
society.

It cannot be denied that the Philippines as a nation characterized by religious

pluralism has reaped the fruit of this attack. For example, remnants of the Al-
Qaeda and ISIS continue to influence extremist groups in some communities of
Mindanao and has been using religion as entry point for devastating the
communities. Because of historical antecedents, people have the tendency to be
influenced. In fact, violent extremists have been recruiting followers in Mindanao
universities and schools and recruitment was carried out from among dropouts.
Recent development in peace and development acknowledges the significant role
of religious peacemaking. Through the years, this field has been reflected to
mature and its possible contribution to promoting peace is huge. Scholars have
identified factors that constrain and facilitate the link of religion and
peacebuilding and these factors include the state and society nexus (Brewer,
Higgins & Tenney, 2010).

Activity 2: Interfaith Dialogue

1. Attend the MSU System Interfaith Dialogue via Facebook Live.
2. During the Interfaith Dialogue, engage in the online dialogue and take
note important points and insights.
3. After the interfaith dialogue, answer the following questions:
a. What are the commonalities of different religions in terms of
promoting peace?
b. In what ways do you think can we promote peace together
despite religious pluralism in everyday life?
4. Share your answers in the synchronous discussion via Zoom/Gmeet to
your class.

Interfaith and Interreligious Dialogue

Religion has been one of the often averted topics in people’s conversations. This
is often due to the belief that talking about religions particularly on dissimilarities
lead to intense discussions which can heighten divisions rather than build bridges
towards harmony. It is in this contention that spirit of inter-religious dialogues
need to be fostered. To Abu Nimer (2013) religion-based conflicts happen when
groups tend to put their religious differences at the core of conversations. making
one group distinct from the other. At any rate, conversation among individuals
from dissimilar religious backgrounds is encouraged to discover similarities,
appreciate uniqueness and realize shared responsibility to a common. There are
many things that we can work together to promote a different way of life and make
developmental change. Sociologists of religion affirm the value of conversation
because they argue that it could probably be in the avoidance of talking out beliefs
where problem lies (Steffen, 2013). Recent peace and development efforts have
started to conceive and put premium on interfaith conversations and dialogues
as tools in peace building.

Where emphasis is not on defending one’s religion but on sharing one’s lived
religious experiences, people tend to realize their commonalities rather than
differences thereby breaking the walls of religions.

According to Swidler, there are three goals of Interreligious Dialogue. The first goal
is to know oneself ever more profoundly and enrich and round out one’s
appreciation of one’s own faith tradition. Second is to know the other ever more
authentically and gain a friendly understanding of others as they are and not in
caricature and third is to live ever more fully accordingly and to establish a more
solid foundation for community of life and action among persons of various
traditions.

Interreligious dialogue follows principles. In the classic dialogue decalogue written

by Dr. Swidler, there are ten principles. These principles are enumerated below:

DIALOGUE DECALOGUE

Adapted from Dr. Leonard Swidler

FIRST PRINCIPLE

The essential purpose of a dialogue is to learn, which entails change. At the very
least, to learn that one’s dialogue partner views the world differently is to effect a
change in oneself. Reciprocally, change happens for one’s partner as she/he
learns about oneself.

SECOND PRINCIPLE

Dialogue must be a two-sided project: both between religious/ideological groups

(Inter- and Intra-). Intra-religious/ideological dialogue is vital for moving one’s
community toward an increasingly perceptive insight into reality.

THIRD PRINCIPLE

It is imperative that each participant comes to the dialogue with complete honesty
and sincerity. This means not only describing the major and minor thrusts as
well as potential future shifts of one’s tradition, but also possible difficulties that
she/he has with it.

FOURTH PRINCIPLE

One must compare only her/his ideals with their partner’s ideals, and her/his
practice with their partner’s practice. Not their ideals with their partner’s
practice.

FIFTH PRINCIPLE

Each participant needs to describe her/himself. For example, only a Muslim can
describe what it really means to be an authentic member of the Muslim
community. At the same time, when one’s partner in dialogue attempts to
describe back to them what they have understood of their partner’s self-
description, then such a description must be recognizable to the described party.
 SIXTH PRINCIPLE

Participants must not come to the dialogue with any preconceptions as to where
the points of disagreement lie. A process of agreeing with their partner as much
as possible,
Check without violating the integrity of their own tradition, will reveal where
Yourself
the real boundaries between the traditions lie; the point where she / he cannot
agreeTrue
Write without
if thegoing againstabout
statement the principle of their
interreligious own tradition.
dialogue principle is correct and
False if it is incorrect.
SEVENTH PRINCIPLE
______1. Mutual trust is required for dialogue to take place.
Dialogue can only take place between equals, which means that partners learn
from each
______2. other – par
A dialogue's cum pari
primary goal according
is to learn,towhich
the Second Vatican
necessitates Council – and
change.
do not merely seek to teach one another.
______3. Each participant must come to a dialogue with complete honesty and
EIGHTH PRINCIPLE
sincerity.
Dialogue can only take place on the basis of mutual trust. Because it is persons,
and notParticipants
______4. entire communities, that should
in a dialogue enter into dialogue,
be critical it is essential
of their for personal
own traditions in a
trust to be established. To encourage this it is important that less controversial
mattershealthy
are discussed
way. before dealing with the more controversial ones.

NINTH Participants
______5. PRINCIPLE of the dialogue must arrive to the discussion without any

Participants in dialogue
preconceived should
notions have
about a healthy
where level ofofcriticism
the points toward
contention are. their own
traditions. A lack of such criticism implies that one’s tradition has all the
answers, thus making dialogue not only unnecessary, but unfeasible. The
primary purpose of dialogue is to learn, which is impossible if one’s tradition is
seen as having all the answers.

TENTH PRINCIPLE
Five Types
To truly of Interreligious
understand anotherDialogue
religion or ideology one must try to experience it
from within, which requires a “passing over”, even if only momentarily, into
another’s religious or ideological experience.
In 1999, Thangaraj posited the five types of interreligious dialogue. These are
informational, confessional, experiential, relational and practical. Each of these
types is discussed below:

1. Informational. This type stresses on learning about the religious history,

founding, basic beliefs, scriptures, and other aspects of the faith partner's
religion.

2. Confessional. In this type of dialogue, faith partners are allowed to speak for
themselves and explain what it means to be a follower of the faith.

3. Experiential. This pertains to the dialogue with faith partners from within the
partner's tradition, worship, and ritual — going into one's partner's feelings and
allowing the symbols and tales of that person to guide.

4. Relational. The purpose of this dialogue is to develop friendships with

individual persons beyond the “business” of dialogue.

5. Practical. The aim of this type of dialogue is to collaborate to promote peace

and justice.

Check Yourself
Match the purposes in Column A with the type of interreligious dialogue in
Column B.

A B

____1. Learn about religious history A. confessional

and basic beliefs

____2. Work together in the promotion B. experiential

of peace and justice

____3. Allow faith partners to explain what C. informational

it means to be a follower of the faith.

____4. Develop friendships with individual D. practical

persons beyond the “business” of dialogue

____5. Go into one's partner's feelings and E. relational

allow the symbols and tales of that
person to guide.
 Commonalities of Major Religions of the World
Religion is often linked with pluralism and diversity because there are multitudes
of religions around the world. Nevertheless, religions around the globe have things
in common such as love and respect because all people recognize the value of
human dignity and the common humanity for all. All people acknowledge love as
the overall governing value for societal perpetuation.

Heck (2009) wrote that in 2007, there was a presentation of a group of Muslims
about the Christian world imbued with a message titled, “ A common world
between Us and You,” expressive of a shared Christian-Muslim commitment to
interreligious solidarity where both groups spoke of shared religious pledge to love
of God and love of neighbor. This is just one among the stories of recognizing basic
religious differences, and dwelling on commonalities.

Indeed, religious differences and contestations proliferate; however, Beaman

(2017) argued that in order to achieve harmony, religious similarities need to be
on the foreground of people’s thoughts, and religious differences recede into the
background. This can be realized through persistent dialogues as earlier
discussed. To reiterate, dialogues are characterized by open and polite
communication which allows accommodation and tolerance frames to govern
relationships. Healthy conversations lead to different religious groups’ working
out of differences, and discover and focus on what works rather than what does
not work between and among them. Beaman (2017) emphatically opined that
while religious groups vary in their claims of ‘truth,” which usually ignite heated
debates, a shift to stories of negotiation and respect tends to leave spaces of deep
equality.

Here are some examples of commonalities between Islam and Christianity as 2

among major religions of the world.

Islam Christianity
According to Islam, peace should imply justice and security for At Bethlehem, announcing the Savior’s birth: “…glory to God in the
all people. highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom He favors!”
(Luke 2:14)

Islam imbues peace in the individual’s conscience, then his Proclaiming the Beatitudes as the Constitution of the Kingdom of
family, then the community and finally in the international God: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children
relations. of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

Islam requires that there be peace between the individual and Towards the end of His life, during the Last Supper: “Peace I leave
his creator, between the individual and his conscience, and with you, my peace give to you.” (John 14:27)
between him and his community.

Islam can be established in the inter-relationship of groups, in As a Resurrection greeting: “Peace be with you. AS the father has
the relation between individuals and their governments, and sent Me, so I send you.” (John 20:21)
finally between one state and another.
In order to achieve this end, Islam extends from the peace of
conscience, to peace in the home, to peace in society and ends St. Paul’s summary description of the Kingdom: “for the Kingdom
in world peace. of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy
in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17)