Dr. Thomas G. Walsh Speaks at 7th International Conference on World Religions
On October 27, the 7th International Conference on World Religions (ICWR 2024) convened at Minhaj University Lahore, Pakistan, focused on “Politics and Violence in the Name of Religion.” Leading scholars, researchers, and practitioners discussed the misuse of religion for political and social purposes, often resulting in violence. As part of the conference, the inauguration of Faith-Based Organizations, Pakistan chapter, was held. The event resulted in over eighty-thousand views over the two day conference.
On Day 2, Session 5 “Historical, Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives,” Dr. Thomas G. Walsh, Co-Chair, Coalition of Faith-Based Organizations, and President, HJ International Graduate School gave an opening address. “Religions are expressions of humanity’s search for ultimate truth or goodness, and for peace. At the same time, we see that with all human institutions, however great our vision and our ideals are, [our] flaws and limitations [get in the way]. So there are gaps between our ideals. It’s important that we acknowledge that interreligious relations can be challenging. Interreligious dialogue aims to address that problem and is making enormous strides. There’s also a great need for intra-religious relations to also promote understanding, mutual respect and cooperation.” He went on to underscore how religion and religious ideals form the basis for all aspects of life, including culture, language, politics, morality and ethics in society. It can therefore be a challenge to differentiate the causes behind conflict and violence. Nevertheless, Dr. Walsh emphasized it is our responsibility to look for the good in our human nature and allow it to emerge in order to bring lasting peace and harmony. He concluded with the expressed hope for a future conference to be held in New York, along with HJ International.