Religion Dialogue...宗教对话

             

You can have your own religion but also have to respect others believe.

In the UK, I do a lot of conversation with other religion societies. Here, the religion topic is not as sensitive as Malaysia, people can discuss it openly and we all can work together. Before that University Interfaith group has had hold an interfaith dinner. Why the religion can discussed peacefully here but become a sensitive issues in Malaysia?? Actually, religion in Malaysia have been politicized, or many people not understand religion well; Indeed, respecting people is the most basic essential for us to start up any kind of conversation. Good religion can also become a bad thing if without any respectful on people. So before we promo any religion, let us promo respect people in the first place.

在英国这样一个高度自由的国家里，讨论宗教绝对不是一件很敏感的课题。这里我曾进入回教堂听讲座，曾进教堂做礼拜，我本身是一位佛教徒也正在担任大学佛学会主席。昨天我就跟了一位马来西亚的基督的朋友讨论起宗教的课题来，有一段对答相当精彩：

朋友：Do you believe or not you're in the God's hand?

我答：Do you believe or not I'm on the ground?

朋友：Ground is belong to God.

我答：But we have to pay money to buy it.

哈哈。。。其实宗教对话并不是带着‘改变’别人信仰的态度而是以尊重为大前提，这样的对话并不会造成暴力，反而是激发大家的创意和思考；宗教对话不是要让我们怀疑自己的宗教，而是对自己的宗教有更深一层的认识。历史告诉我们宗教可以是很多战争的源头，但本宗教是源头呢，还是我们人自己本身的利益是源头呢？是宗教分化人类，还是人自己本身的分别心呢？在全球化的大趋势下，宗教之间对话是避免不了的。