Our first community activity was in helping the Religious Club of Chulalongkorn University, essentially the most prestigious college in Thailand, with a special exhibition about religious unity. Two well- recognized professors, Professor Kirti Bunchua from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok – linked web-site – and Dr. Saeng Chandrngarm from Chaing Mai University, who had been very lively in previous efforts to generate inter-religious dialogue in Thailand, have been excited about working with us. A guided tour of a Mahayana Buddhist temple in Bangkok during the primary Interfaith Pilgrimage. Eighty-5 folks gathered for the pilgrimage. We’ve completed the structure of the IFF because the platform for our work, and 200 folks have already signed up for membership. The response was overwhelmingly optimistic, and plenty of filled out IFF membership kinds. Our purpose is to increase membership to 1,000 by the end of this yr. Once I discovered one or two key individuals who have been truly committed to the goal of religious unity, our work started to progress very quickly. In order to achieve profitable dialogue this time, we agreed to start with only a small group of concerned individuals who we felt may change into leaders of an interfaith movement.
In March we issued the first “Interfaith Newsletter” so as to maintain all members knowledgeable about the present actions of the Forum, in addition to to broaden their data about the assorted religions. After lunch, all of the members introduced themselves and agreed to arrange a committee consisting of two representatives of every religion, so as to select a chairman and focus on further steps towards inter-religious harmony. On the base of Father’s worldwide basis, I contacted numerous scholars who had attended some of our motion’s international conferences and had expressed their concern for religious harmony. The necessity for religious harmony was so clear to each participant that everyone tried very onerous to not affront any other person. I initially deliberate this mission just for residence members arid associate members of our church and for folks in my husband’s dwelling church space, however when I mentioned the thought to Professor Kirti, he was so excited that he not only agreed to guide the pilgrimage but he additionally invited students, teachers, lecturers, and members of many different religious circles to the occasion.
If the folks have the chance to study the variety and beauty of all the religions, their hearts can steadily open to receive the unifying understanding of the Principle. We held our first Interfaith Conference on July 4, 1987. Although we initially deliberate for under 10 or 15 folks, to my shock 30 folks attended the convention. The Thai people, who’re 95 percent Buddhist, usually have a destructive impression of Christianity. The second Interfaith Pilgrimage, held on January 31, 1988, led fifty five members to a really distinctive Thai temple, Wat Thammamongkol, which is 14 stories high, and to an Islamic mosque. We visited a Chinese temple (Mahayana Buddhist), which could be very totally different from a traditional Thai temple (Hinayana Buddhist). The spotlight of the second Interfaith Pilgrimage was a go to to Wat Thammamongkol, a huge Hinayana Buddhist temple. The pilgrimage was concluded on the headquarters of the Unification Church in Thailand. On December 19, 1987, we organized the first Interfaith Pilgrimage. To start with of 1987, inspired by the success of the interfaith movements in Malaysia and the Philip pines, my regional director Rev. Byung Wooh Kim requested me to initiate the same kind of motion in Thailand.
We additionally helped the Dharma Center of the same university find educated speakers for a seminar on “Mass Communication for Morality,” wherein professors from all the colleges within the country participated. Father’s vision for the Youth Seminar on the World’s Religions touched the hearts of everybody deeply. I felt that this convention was possible solely on the foundation of Father’s victory within the spirit world, causing the breakdown of the boundaries that exist between the religions. I used to be amazed at the spirit and the warm ambiance of the convention. We are planning a bigger theological convention and a social service challenge for younger volunteers of all faiths to be held later this yr. During the primary two committee meetings, we launched movies on the Religious Youth Service (RYS) and the Assembly of the World’s Religions (AWR), which left an important impression on the viewers. Its govt committee consists of 21 members, representing all the key religions in Thailand. Our monthly committee meetings have helped create a detailed heartistic bond among the many committee members. Cooperating with current groups and establishments helped the IFF achieve wider recognition.