On March 10th 2011, NIDS invited Muslims, Jews, and Christians to came together to celebrate their mutual Abrahamic roots at Belfast Castle first time ever in Northern Ireland. This event attracted many community members, from all three traditions as well as civic leaders, political party representatives, civic dignitaries who enjoyed a night of inspiration from the event's four speakers: Archbishop of Armagh The Most Rev Alan Harper, Secretary of Methodist Union Rev. Donald Ker, Archbishop of Armagh Cardinal Seán Brady, and Theologian / Columnist Kerim Balci.
The goal of the dinner was to highlight all the three religions have in common rather than how they are different and to establish a stronger community whose members can respect and accept one another regardless of their cultures, religions and ethnic backgrounds.
The Annual Dinner of Abrahamic Traditions provided the opportunity for the many diverse, ethnic and civil communities to come together with the elected officials to cultivate friendship, celebrate diversity, strengthen civic dialogue and deepen inter-cultural awareness.
We believe this was a unique opportunity for members of the Christian, Islamic, and Jewish faiths to celebrate their shared roots and traditions derived from their common ancestor ; Abraham
Abraham is a symbol of monotheism in all three religions. In the Islamic tradition, Abraham is considered to be the first Muslim (one who submits to the one God) and Muhammad (peace be upon him) came to confirm the message that Abraham brought and others after him. In the Judaic tradition, Abraham's commitment to God's command to sacrifice his son proves his faith in the oneness of God. In the Christian tradition, as found in Luke, he is a "symbol of continuity and fulfilment of the 'Promise to Abraham' (1:55, 73).
The Annual Dinner of Abrahamic Traditions provided the opportunity for the many diverse, ethnic and civil communities to come together with the elected officials to cultivate friendship, celebrate diversity, strengthen civic dialogue and deepen inter-cultural awareness.
In the evening, The Catholic Primate of All Ireland Cardinal Seán Brady said ;
What a pleasure it is to be part of this evening’s panel. We need events like this. We need opportunities to share our beliefs and insights in an atmosphere of friendship and mutual concern for the whole human family. We share a common home and it will only be a happy and nurturing home if we work together to keep it well. So I thank the Northern Ireland Dialogue Society for organising this important event and for hosting this ‘Abrahamic Religions Dinner’ in the beautiful surroundings of Belfast Castle.
The Catholic Primate of All Ireland has urged the newly elected Government and the leaders of NI’s Executive to prioritise the establishment of new structures to facilitate formal dialogue between the major faith traditions and the political establishment.
In his address at the Abrahamic Religions Dinner in Belfast Castle on Thursday evening, Cardinal Seán Brady also called on political and religious leaders to make a joint approach to the UN. What he proposed was a venture which would seek to promote dialogue between political and religious leaders at an international level in an effort to foster peace and the well-being of humanity.
Speaking on the theme Why dialogue in today’s world in a discussion organised by the Northern Ireland Dialogue Society, Cardinal Brady said people needed opportunities to share their beliefs and insights in an atmosphere of friendship and mutual concern for the whole human family.
He added that the experience of inter-Church dialogue in Ireland had a wider significance for conflicts involving religious as well as historical-political dimensions. The leader of the Church in Ireland warned that differences of religion “must not be a cause of conflict” and added, “Peace needs dialogue. It cannot happen without dialogue.”
Basing his observations in the local context, Cardinal Brady said that the people of Northern Ireland knew only too well the hope that can be born of dialogue. “That is why I am delighted to see some of the members of our Legislative Assembly here this evening. The fact that we have a devolved Assembly up and running in Northern Ireland is testimony to the progress and stability that can come from dialogue,” he said.
Saying he found it significant that the beginning of the Troubles coincided with a period of unprecedented progress in inter-Church dialogue at an international level post Vatican II, the Cardinal noted that in Ireland, this gave rise to initiatives such as Corrymeela and the Ballymascanlon talks, which later became the Irish Inter-Church Meeting.
Referring to Jeremiah 29:1, the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh said, “God has something to say to us all about who we are, why we are here and what we ought to do at this critical moment in the history of the world!” These, he said were plans for our collective good and that was why he believed the most urgent challenge for people of faith today is to discern God’s plan for our times.
The Gospel, the Tanak, the Qur'an are all books of peace, Cardinal Brady told the members of the various faith traditions gathered in Belfast Castle to discuss the theme Why Dialogue in Today’s World.
“They contain a patrimony of religious and human values that are as relevant now for the peace and well-being of humanity as they have ever been.”
Saying he believed religious leaders, by and large, played their part in promoting dialogue in Northern Ireland, he said this was especially so during the times when politicians and others found it difficult to engage with one another.
The following is a part of the transcript of an address given by another speaker on the evening Archbishop Harper at the recent Abrahamic Religions Dinner .
I want to begin by expressing my gratitude to the organizers of tonight’s event for taking what is, I believe, an extremely important initiative. An event such as this acknowledges not only that Ireland is changing, north and south, but it also demonstrates a shared recognition that changes are required in the pattern of relating among faith communities on this island.
We share a common humanity, we share in the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship, and we share a responsibility for building a sustainable future marked by mutual respect, tolerance, respect for the rule of law and therefore for the tenets of natural justice and equality.
Those faith leaders represented here tonight share something else: a common heritage in the patriarchal tradition deriving from Abraham – our pre and proto-historic common story. Story tellers with a common fund of stories tell their stories in distinctive and different ways. Sometimes the denouements of such stories differ in certain particulars; but common roots, especially a common root in the recognition that there is but one God, proffer to us the starting points for creative dialogue.
Others speaking at the event were Cardinal Sean Brady; the Revd Dr Donald Kerr, General Secretary of the Methodist Church, and Kerim Balci, Theologian/columnist from the Muslim Community. The theme of the evening was ‘Why dialogue in today’s world?
Truthfulness and trustworthiness are two crucial aspects of individuals in a peaceful society that found their true meanings in the life of prophets. What they preached they have also lived precisely. It is through their astonishing effort that the gap between a lie and truth had widest state at their time. Unfortunately the distance between these has almost diminished in today’s societies.
