Forget Politics, Where's an Inter-Faith Summit?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but in the midst of hardening fundamentalism from both Muslims and Christians around the world, I have yet to hear about any serious international summit of religious leaders designed to find common ground and a counterbalance to the bloody stalemate we find ourselves in today. Quoting from the overview comparing Christianity and Islam at ReligiousTolerance.org:

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Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are three closely related religions. Because they all revere Abraham and certain other patriarchs mentioned in the Bible as their spiritual ancestors, they are called Abramic religions.

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And again (if I have my facts straight), aside from their differences and the various sects that have grown out of their original faiths, all three religions mentioned above seem to believe in the same God - the God of Abraham. While Christians worship Christ as the Messiah, and many trust in the softening of the Old Testament's "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" teachings, Jews reject Christ as the Messiah and continue to wait for His coming, while Muslims believe Abraham, Moses, and Christ to be authentic prophets - and yet consider it blasphemy to think of Christ as the Son of God - the same God all three religions believe in.

It also seems to be a part of human nature to belong to a group, whether based in faith, culture, family, or politics. And for the most part, groups have learned how to coexist with one another through moderation and tolerance. So where are the moderate religious leaders? And why aren't they holding international summits in order to address fundamentalism and search for solutions to our present dilemma?

While acknowledging the cultures and various sects within each of their faiths, why is it that we don't hear from these leaders as they:

1. Lay claim to the moderate views expressed by the vast majority of their followers?

2. Denounce fundamentalism, the violence of suicidal martyrdom, and occupation?

3. Present real, concrete solutions to these critical problems?

4. Remind us all of the thousands of false claims made by "End Timers" over the last 2,000 years?

5. Petition their country's governments to educate and promote religious tolerance to their citizenry?

In my judgment these potential summits should be high-profile and ongoing. It is not possible for governments to solve deeply-held religious conflicts. It is up to the religious leaders whose faith allows for other faiths to exist. And the silence these leaders exhibit is deafening. Perhaps they should consult their dictionaries and re-examine the definition of the word "leader."
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Excerpt from ReligiousTolerance.org is copyright © 1995-2005, Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. All rights reserved. Used here for contextual purposes only.