Kajang holds Inter-Religious Dialogue

The Kajang Inter-Religious group of Baha'i, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Sikhism decided to hold their first organized activity by introducing what each faith constitute. This is done to promote greater understanding, enlightenment and unity amongst the various religous denominations.

According to records from YB Cikgu Lee Kim Sin's office, the then protem committee of Kajang's Inter-religious group organized two previous activities cumulating on this successful dialogue. The first activity was held in 2008, where the ADUN office organized on World Peace Day; ritual prayers and a heritage hunt. This activity was aimed at getting the diverse groups together on a common platform for discussion and interface between the different faiths.

Subsequent to the first activity, the Holy Family Church took the initiative to organize the 1st Inter-religious dialogue. The Chairperson was Dr. Doris.

From the favorable response from the 1st Inter-religious dialogue, the Church of the Holy Family Kajang again hosted this current dialogue and 2nd Inter-religious dialogue. Organizing the event was the Parish Ministry of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. The event was held on Labour Day, 1st May 2010 from 9.00am to 5.00pm.







The session started at 9.30am. Doreen, the organizing Chairperson, called upon the host, Rev. Fr. William Michaels to welcome the attendees and to state the purpose of this dialogue. It was learned that the previous first dialogue brought about much goodwill and the realization for such dialogue, reported Rev. Fr. Willian Michaels. And everyone applauded this common success.





Next, YB Cikgu Lee officiated the opening and addressed the crowd. The core message Cikgu Lee drove at was "Unity in diversity through greater spirituality as opposed to uniformity through religiousity". It is universally known that peace is achieved through spirituality and not by just being religious. We have witnessed that religion without spirituality has caused more war and suffering in the course of history. The emphasis should be to enhance spirituality through religious teachings minus the naunces. Dogmatic views are to be avoided at all cost. Spirituality is key, emphasized YB Cikgu Lee.

Subsequent to the opening, each presenter from the respective faith had 45 minutes to present and introduce their religious viewpoint.



Mr. Zohran from the Baha'i faith was first to present. It was made know that the Baha'i fellowship is a recognized NGO in the World Summit. The Baha'i faith generally is ritual free and allow followers to practice any religious faith of choice. The requirement is to follow the common practices of services to mankind in terms of education, fellowship and good works.

Mr. T. Umasenam presented on Hinduism perspective. According to him, Hinduism has evolved through time & cultures in comparison to what it was when the belief was first brought into the Indus civilation bordering present day Pakistan and India by the Persians. Hindu religious practices centres on 5 dieties that resemble archetypal guidances to life and living. Hinduism also emphasizes on rituals and ceremonies and believers endeavor to live according to the Vedas written in Sanskrit.



Mr. Vidyananda, K V Soon expounded on the practice of Buddhism. The emphasis is life solutions stems from questioning rigously the insatiable sufferance on human living. Most of life's burden stems from the thought process and the human psyche and mind blueprint is what determine one's destiny. The ability to seek answers from within will finally bring a person into the full cycle of karma.

The other presentation on Islam, Christianity and Sikhism was presented in the afternoon after lunch.

After each session, questions were asked. It was indeed a very lively Q&A session given the many 'difficult' questions asked. The fact that the answers were interesting was more important than being right. There was a spirit of give and take and there was indeed great learning from each other. The most interesting aspect of the whole dialogue was that all religions have a common source - a place call Persia (present day Iran). All presenters directly or indirectly points to this common denominator and it was comforting to learn the human race is one despite its diversity.





In conclusion, from the feedback gathered during breaks and lunch indicated all seek more understanding from each other and every one agreed that the dialogue should not just remain academic but should be put to practice in everyday lives. The Kajang inter-faith group now looks forward to consolidate this common objective by putting this practice into a written policy over time. We pray for God's blessings for this matter of importance to come to fruition.