Thai Bishop calls for a stop to conflicts under the pretext of religion
Mgr Joseph Chusak Sirisuthi, secretary general of the Thai Bishops' Conference, spoke at a seminar in Bangkok on the role of religion in school education. Teachers and school administrators across Thailand attended the conference. For organiser, "All religions teach peace and love, which must be the foundations of a good society."
Bangkok (AsiaNews) – At a time when "religion opens wounds in many parts of the world, faiths must be lived correctly and without extremism.” Yet, “We must accept the fact that religion is a cause of war and division in many parts of the world,” said Mgr Joseph Chusak Sirisuthi, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Thailand, at a seminar on the role of religion in school, organised held in Bangkok by Suwadee Chongsatidwattana, managing director of Nanmee Book Co. Ltd.
School administrators and teachers from around Thailand were present at the conference. "Working together as a group with friends and relatives is not the right way to profess a religion,” said Mgr Sirisuthi, who is also the bishop of Nakhonratchasima. “To believe that one is always right leads to controversy and violence. All of this goes against the teachings of Islam, which calls on the faithful to practice peace, and those of Christianity, which preaches love, and even Buddhism."
"The seminar,” said Suwadee Chongsatidwattana, “aims at learning more about religions and train new generations to accept religious differences". All major religions, he added, "teach their faithful to be good people, love and forgive each other. They also teach to accept other faiths and different ideas, because every religion is able to bring peace and shape the hearts of the faithful in accordance with virtue, morality and behavior, which are the source of love."
Thailand’s Culture Minister Weera Rotephotchanarat also attended the conference. "Religion is an important foundation for active citizenship,” he said. “Religion and culture are the tools to build good people and a good society. In the past, the faithful of the five religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism) lived together in peace and the leaders of these faiths will now co-operate to solve problems."
Suksa Thep-areas, from the Wattana Protestant church, stressed the role of teachers, who "must be responsible in their educational work and educate good people who are the future of our nation. Christianity’s core is to love what we do, to love our duty and our responsibilities."
Phrasridharmpanee, assistant abbot at Prayurawongsawas Buddhist temple, gave a lecture on ‘The middle path of Buddhism’. "Teachers,” he said, “are also good friends that play a fundamental role in guiding and enlightening students’ future, teaching them about goodness and living happily in society."
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