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| UNESCO FORUM |
| UNESCO DOCUMENT
Declaration on the Role of Religion in the Promotion of a Culture of Peace We, participants in the meeting, "The Contribution by Religions to the Culture of Peace", organized by UNESCO and the Centre UNESCO de Catalunya, which took place in Barcelona from 12 to 18 December, 1994. Deeply concerned with the present situation of the world, such as increasing armed conflicts and violence, poverty, social injustice, and structures of oppression; Recognizing that religion is important in human life; Declare:
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| OUR WORLD
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| 1 | We live in a world in which isolation is no
longer possible. We live in a time of unprecedented mobility of peoples and intermingling
of cultures. We are all interdependent and share an inescapable responsibility for the
well-being of the entire world.
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| 2 | We face a crisis which could bring about the suicide of
the human species or bring us a new awakening and a new hope.
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| We believe that peace is possible. We know
that religion is not the sole of remedy for all the ills of humanity, but it has an
indispensable role to play in this most critical time.
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| 3 | We are aware of the world’s cultural and
religious diversity. Each culture represents a universe in itself and yet it is not
closed. Cultures give religions their language, and religions offer ultimate meaning to
each culture. Unless we recognize pluralism and respect diversity, no peace is possible.
We strive for the harmony which is at the very core of peace.
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| 4 | We understand that culture is a way of seeing
the world and living in it. It also means the cultivation of those values and forms of
life which reflect the world-views of each culture. Therefore neither the meaning of peace
nor of religion can be reduced to a single and rigid concept, just as the range of human
experience cannot be conveyed by a single language.
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| 5 | For some cultures, religion is a way of life,
permeating every human activity. For others it represents the highest aspirations of human
existence. In still others, religions are institutions that claim to carry a message of
salvation.
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| 6 | Religions have contributed to the peace of the
world, but they have also led to division, hatred, and war.
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| We feel obliged to call for sincere acts of
repentance and mutual forgiveness, both personally and collectively, to one another, to
humanity in general, and to Earth and all living beings. Religious people have betrayed
too often the high ideals they themselves have preached.
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| PEACE
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| 7 | Peace implies that love, compassion, human
dignity, and justice are fully preserved.
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| 8 | Peace entails that we understand that we are
all interdependent and related to one another. We are all individually and collectively
responsible for the common good, including the well-being of future generations.
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| 9 | Peace demands that we respect Earth and all
forms of life, especially human life. Our ethical awareness requires setting limits to
technology. We should direct our efforts towards eliminating consumerism and improving the
quality of life.
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| 10 | Peace is a journey – a never ending
process.
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| 11 | We must be at peace with ourselves; to achieve
inner peace through personal reflection and spiritual growth, and to cultivate a spiritual
which manifests itself in action.
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| 12 | We commit ourselves to support and strengthen
the house and family as the nursery of peace and in homes and families, communities,
nations, and the world:
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| 13 | We commit ourselves to resolve or transform
conflicts without using violence, and to prevent them through education and the pursuit of
justice.
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| 14 | We commit ourselves to work towards a
reduction in the scandalous economic differences between human groups and other forms of
violence and threats to peace, such as waste of resources, extreme poverty, racism, all
types of terrorism, lack of caring, corruption, and crime.
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| 15 | We commit ourselves to overcome all forms of
discrimination, colonialism, exploitation, and domination and to promote institutions
based on shared responsibility and participation. Human rights, including religious
freedom and the rights of minorities, must be respected.
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| 16 | We commit ourselves to assure a truly humane
education for all. We emphasize education for peace, freedom and human rights, and
religious education without fanaticism and exclusivism.
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| 17 | We commit ourselves to a civil society which
respects environmental and social justice. This process begins locally and continues to
national and trans-national levels.
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| 18 | We commit ourselves to work towards a world
without weapons and to dismantle the industry of war.
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| RELIGIOUS RESPONSIBILITY
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| 19 | Our communities of faith have a responsibility
to encourage conduct, imbued with wisdom, compassion, sharing, charity, solidarity, and
love, inspiring one and all to choose the path of freedom and responsibility. Religions
must be a source of helpful energy.
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| 20 | We will remain mindful that our religions must
not identify themselves with political, economic, or social powers, so as to remain free
to work for justice and peace. We will not forget that confessional political regimes may
do serious harm to religious values as well as society. We should distinguish fanaticism
from religious zeal.
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| 21 | We will favor peace by countering the
tendencies of individuals and communities to assume or even teach that they are inherently
superior to others. We recognize and praise the non-violent peacemakers. We disown killing
in the name of religion.
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| 22 | We will promote dialogue and harmony between
and within religions, recognizing and respecting the search for truth and wisdom outside
our religion. We will establish dialogue with all, striving for a sincere fellowship on
our earthly pilgrimage.
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| APPEAL
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| 23 | Grounded in our faith, we will build a culture
of peace based on non-violence, tolerance, dialogue, mutual understanding, and justice. We
call upon the institutions of our civil society, the United Nations System, governments,
governmental and non-governmental organizations, corporations, and the mass media, to
strengthen their commitments to peace and to listen to the cries of the victims and the
dispossessed. We call upon the different religious and cultural traditions to join hands
together in this effort, and to cooperate with us in spreading the message of peace.
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