Koichi Mori (Director, CISMOR, Doshisha University)

The final goal of working through "the challenges of religious pluralism and dialogue" is to achieve the co-existence of different religions. However, this is not an urgent issue among Japanese religions. Religious pluralism and co-existence work very well in the daily life of Japanese society and among Japanese religions. On the other hand, the outlook for Japan’s co-existence with the Abrahamic religions and their civilizations is not so optimistic.

Some famous intellectuals in Japan assert that Abrahamic religions will not be able to contribute to peace in the world in the 21st century, but that the polytheistic religiosity of Japan, which promotes harmony with nature and coexistence with different religions, will be able to make such a contribution. I think this Japanese version of "supersessionism" is a kind of myth based on the rising Japanese nationalism. They forget the historical fact that polytheistic Japan invaded Asian countries and assimilated them to national Shintoism and Emperor worship. It is thus necessary for Japanese society to correctly understand Abrahamic religions.

In 2003, our Doshisha University established the Center for Interdisciplinary Study of Monotheistic Religions (CISMOR). We believe that there is great significance in conducting research and education on these three Abrahamic Religions in Japan. Japan has maintained a position outside of the history of confrontation and conflict among the three Abrahamic religions. Our hope is that the Doshisha School of Theology and CISMOR can transform the good fortune of this neutrality into a sense of responsibility. We believe that CISMOR has the responsibility of playing the role of "mediator" in achieving peace and mutual understanding between the world's religions and civilizations.

I hope the website of CISMOR (http://www.cismor.jp/) help you to understand our research and educational activities.

Now, I would like to propose one idea for the co-existence of different religions. In order to achieve co-existence, we have to reach a consensus on the "manners of disagreement" among different religions. We have to stop the discourse on "religious truth" and "universal values." Of course, we all search for religious truth in our private beliefs, but this should not be imposed on others in the public sphere. The first thing we must do toward religious co-existence is to appreciate the differences among each other. The most important thing we can do for the co-existence of different religions is to stop trying to assimilate others into our own beliefs or values.

Let me make some concrete proposals regarding the manners needed for co-existence. 1) We could try to abandon the ideas of Holy War and Just War in each religious tradition. 2) We have to give up using violence, including preemptive wars and suicide bombings; these are possibly tools for politics and strategy, but religions do not have to justify them. 3) These new "manners of disagreement" should work not only among the different religions and civilizations but also within each religious tradition.

I hope that we, the religious leaders and scholars on religions, will contribute to the achievement of peace and security in the world.