The Role of Religious Dialogue and Cooperation in Rebuilding a New Asia

Abstract

Since the first half of the 1990s, Samuel Huntington's theory of ＂clash of civilizations＂ has been a major focus of attention in the Western academic communities, especially after the 9/11 Incident in 2001. This well-publicized theory has also become a cause for grave concern in the religious circles because the said “clash” is centered on the conflicts of religious tenets and values. Harvey Cox, renowned professor of religious studies at Harvard University, criticizes Huntington’s view as not only erroneous, but also responsible for triggering needless fear and anxiety. He argues that the era of globalization is not an era of clash of civilizations, but rather offers “the best opportunity for dialogue among civilizations.” There also appears a wide consensus among the world’s religious leaders that what we need to address today is not clash of civilizations, but dialogue and cooperation among religions. Some of them are concerned that the suggestion of clash among religions or civilizations can breed mistrust and suspicion instead of mutual understanding, eventually leading to the vicious cycle of self-prophesized conflicts. This article attempts to show that relationships among religious civilizations in Asia are characterized by a model of mutual integration and co-existence rather than a model of clash and conflict. Even though in modern history there have been violent conflicts between social groups with different religious backgrounds, such conflicts involve ethnic, socio-economic, political and historical factors, and cannot be explained away as stemming from differences in religious tenets and values. Examples of interfaith integration and co-existence abound in ancient India, China and Southeast Asia. In the past few decades, major religions in Asia have echoed the call for a global ethics and moved towards a consensus on a set of core values, especially those concerned with socioeconomic justice, climate change and ecological protection, as well as charity and humanitarian mutual help. Religious organizations based in Asia are active in disaster relief work and projects that address various humanitarian needs, including hunger relief, child education, promotion of agricultural productivity and the creation of alternative economic opportunities for the underprivileged people. Insofar as our contemporary problems of wars, crimes, violence and ecological destruction are all rooted in human greed and hatred, religion plays a vital role in tackling these problems, and religious dialogue and cooperation are thus imperative in the rebuilding of a new Asia.