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Hindus Laud Church of Norway for Building Bridges With Other Religions

Hindus have admired the efforts of Church of Norway for building bridges with other religions and have urged other world religions and denominations to initiate interfaith dialogue.

Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that serious and honest interfaith dialogue was the need of the hour. Religion was the most powerful, complex and far-reaching force in our society, so we must take it seriously. And we all knew that religion comprised much more than our own particular tradition/experience.

Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, said that it was commendable on the part of Church of Norway to come up with a 40-page "A study guide on interreligious dialogue" and seven-page "Guiding Principles for Interreligious Relations" which says, "...We live in dialogue, hoping that we will penetrate more deeply into the secrets of the kingdom of God... Through interreligious dialogue we want to contribute to peace and reconciliation, both locally and internationally..."

It was remarkable to read the from Guiding Principles of the Church of Norway (which claims 83% of the Norway's about 4.8 million population as members): "As representatives for the majority, we have a special responsibility to contribute to breaking down stereotypes and providing an alternative to the popular conception of adherents of other religions," Zed said and called it "a step in the right direction".

Rajan Zed further says that in our shared pursuit for the truth, we can learn from one another and thus can arrive nearer to the truth. This dialogue may help us vanquish the stereotypes, prejudices, caricatures, etc., passed on to us from previous generations. As dialogue brings us reciprocal enrichment, we shall be spiritually richer than before the contact.

Christianity came to Norway around 1000 AD, from the British Isles, Germany and Friesland. Church of Norway, with about 1,600 churches/chapels, and with King as its constitutional head, can be defined as a State church with an Episcopal and a Synodical structure. Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents. Moksha is the ultimate goal of Hinduism.