Christians, Jews, Moslems and Baha’i look at what keeps a society together
A two-day national dialogue brought believers of four different faiths together on one platform this week to discuss those aspects of society believed to be most crucial for peaceful co-existence.
Organised by the Forum for the Future and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, participants had the opportunity to share insights from Judaism, Islam, Baha’i and Christianity. The meeting, styled as an inter-confessionial dialogue for adherents of the so-called Abrahamic faiths, took place in Windhoek.
“Regardless of their different faith traditions, people listen more attentively when a message is conveyed by a spiritual leader. Therefore, Namibian spiritual leaders have a responsibility to guide the nation on how the citizens should interact among themselves” the delegates said in a statement released after the dialogue.
As a contribution to strengthen mutual acceptance and harmony in Namibia, the Future Forum and the Konrad Adenhauer Foundation felt that it is important that representatives of these faiths share their ideas on their collective role in society. “It is the believe of both organisations that such coming-togethers will create an environment for Namibians to know more of each other’s faiths, will contribute to a respectful and tolerant commerce between the different faith communities and will therefore make them instruments of promoting respect, understanding and peace in the country” the organising partners stated.
The overall purpose of the meeting was to mutually discuss the question of “What keeps society together?” This builds on the humanist concept that individuals in any society are by nature good, that they share the same values and that they face the same social challenges.
About 50 people participated in the dialogue. A representative of each faith presented a formal paper on the theme “What keeps society together?” introducing the basic teachings of the respective faiths. The contributions also offered specific views on current social issues and the challenges of Namibian society. During break-away sessions, national issues were discussed to promote harmony and peace among all Namibians.
