Resources
New York, USA—The 2018 double issue of Dialogue & Alliance, a journal of UPF, is now available.
Rabat, Morocco—We are launching the Moroccan branch of the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace in the context of what has concerned the world today that necessitates the establishment and stabilization of peace, tolerance, cooperation and justice, as well as what has concerned the defenders of these values and principles.
“The fundamental force by which God created the universe is His irrepressible force of selfless giving. The act of creation is an act of total giving. The entire creation is infused with that essence. Life and the universe are governed by the sacred law of giving; we are to emulate God’s act of creation. We should be trained to care for others from an early age. When ‘caring for others’ exceeds ‘pleasing one’s self,’ the foundation for a peaceful home and a peaceful and prosperous society will be secured.”
“I particularly emphasize the important role of parliamentarians in democratic processes at all levels. . . . The role of parliamentarians is also important in ensuring peace, stability and economic growth.”
“The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the peaceful settlement that will be developed in the future will make my heart beat.”
“Peace and development are two sides of the same coin: They are directly proportional to each other.”
“The effort in bringing parliamentarians and religious leaders together to involve faith leaders in guiding and influencing global political affairs toward establishing sustainable peace and development is truly remarkable."
The three major nations of Northeast Asia, namely, Japan, South Korea and China, collectively produce 22 percent of the world’s total GDP. … With North Korea added to these three nations, however, the Northeast Asian region is plagued with complex problems such as an ideological confrontation long after the Cold War … East Asia which is separated by the Genkai Sea as well as the 38th parallel does not have a regional transportation system with high reliability and efficiency, making a major bottleneck against the expansion of regional trade.
We had pointed out before that the successful dynamics of North Korea’s nuclear development and delivery system could be channeled to economic mobilization. We added that the “long-suspended Six-Nation Talks could have a business-focused auxiliary to develop economic joint ventures for deployment in the Korean north.” We believe that the potential of the two Koreas in cooperating together or united in peace could eventually lead to a prosperous second- or first-world nation in the third decade of the 21st century.
If religious and faith leaders are seen talking to one another, sitting with one another and sharing a meal with one another, then that will have a very positive effect on members of their congregation and also on other people who see this happening. Cooperation amongst religious leaders is very important and has to take place at an international, national and local level for there to be peace at all these levels.
The mode of relations between religion and state as it is applied in Indonesia [is]based on the philosophy of Pancasila, which recognizes as its first principle the Oneness of God, that is, the universal God belongs to every religious group in the country. The relationship between the state and religion in Indonesia is more than just friendly; it is also brotherly, fraternal. In Indonesia, the government has as its duty and interest to help and to strengthen all religious groups.
I have attended more than 200 international conferences over the past 40 years and more than 1,000 interfaith meetings in Japan. However … it is hard to say that notable results have been obtained. The answer is easy. In short, it arises from a lack of knowledge of the religious leaders who attend meetings of this kind. Of course, I don’t mean to say that they lack insight into the faith to which they themselves belong; in that case their insight is extremely good, whether it be an archbishop, an imam or a guru. The lack of knowledge that I point out here refers to other religions to which you do not belong, or a religion that is denied by your religion.