Peaceful Interfaith Dialogue

they come from religion. For millions of people, religion is a principal source of these values. It is a mistake to believe that the world would be a more peaceful place if there were just one culture or just one language. This will never happen because people will likely still misuse their God-given free will, even if there is just one culture or language. Q. Does Religion Produce Hardliners? A. Hardliners are not products of authentic religiousness but, rather, of erroneous interpretations of religion. If religion is thought of simply in terms of external forms, it often makes a person a hardliner. However, if religion is understood in terms of its essence and spiritual aspect, it can help people become universal, broadminded, kind-hearted, compassionate, and tolerant—and that should be the purpose of following a religion. I believe that religion in itself is not a problem. The problem is the erroneous interpretations of religion by some people and elements. Hence, the exploitation and erroneous interpretation of religion, rather than religion itself, must be overcome. Q. If All Religions Claim to be Right, How Can their Adherents be Peaceful? A. Once, when discussing this point with me, a religious scholar said, “We have been attempting to bring about interreligious harmony for the last one hundred years, but FAQs ABOUT INTERFAITH DIALOGUE