'Faith no reason for discord'

'Faith no reason for discord'

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Followers of Christianity and Islam need to communicate, instead
of turning faith into a reason for discord, in a bid to build
mutual understanding and avert conflicts, a Catholic leader said.

"Dialog does not mean abandoning one's own beliefs, but is a
way to find mutual understanding, which so often have been, and
still are, the cause of conflicts, even wars," visiting Austrian
archbishop Cardinal Christoph Schonborg said during a seminar at
the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University here on
Thursday.

He said dialogs should be organized for followers of different
religions, with both leaders and grassroots people participating.

The cardinal asserted that it sometimes was difficult to
encourage followers of Christianity and Islam to communicate due
to the fact that both groups believe their religions are the only
true ones, not only for one people or one particular country, but
all human beings.

Both have the ultimate aim of converting everyone in the
world, he explained.

"Our religions have a mission to convert people as their main
purpose and still are that way today," he added.

In accordance with Jesus Christ's commission, Christians work
to bring the Gospel to all human beings.

But, Islam, too, understands itself as the final and
ultimately valid revelation of God, Schonborg said.

He asserted that devout Christians and Muslims could not
accept relativism.

"The question is what does being a missionary-oriented
religion mean in our time; in the globalized world. Through
dialog, we will share what is the most precious in our life," he
said.

He added that through a dialog, people could learn from each
other how to deal with the basic human questions.

Among those attending the discussion were the university
rector Azyumardi Azra, Muslim scholar Komaruddin Hidayat,
sociologist Mely G. Tan, and leaders of the Indonesian Committee
on Religion and Peace (ICRP).

Schonborg is visiting Indonesia upon the invitation of the
Indonesian Bishops Council (KWI).

Widespread sectarian conflict between Muslims and Christians
in Maluku and Central Sulawesi have plagued the country since
1999, killing thousands of people.