WORLD Religion Day, dedicated to the unification of humankind on the principle that "religion must be the cause of unity" will be observed this Sunday with a group gathering of all religions and faiths.
American Terry Madison told The Echo that the Baha'i Community is happy to host World Religion Day because it offers an opportunity for the religions to come together in a spirit of harmony and friendship, to get to know each other and respect each other's beliefs.
"The purpose of religion as revealed from the heaven of God's holy Will is to establish unity and concord amongst the peoples of the world," Madison said.
In Bulgaria, adherents of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church make up 85 per cent of the population, Muslims 13 per cent, Jews 0.8 per cent, Roman Catholics 0.5 per cent, Uniate Catholics 0.2 per cent, and Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and others 0.5 per cent.
Representatives of the Jewish Community in Bulgaria, The Catholic Church, the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, Krishna Conscious-ness, Bulgarian Lutheran Church and others will attend the interfaith gathering.
The history of humankind's cultures and civilisations is the history of its religions. Nothing has such an integrating effect as the bond of common faith. World Religion Day events help foster interfaith understanding and harmony, Baha'is believe. It provides an opportunity to seek a common unified approach to the spiritual challenges that confront humanity, and recognises that the Earth is but one country and humankind its citizenry, Baha'is said.
Representatives of many of the leading religions of Bulgaria will share about how one's religion is a very personal, deeply held conviction. They will all emphasise that while we may be very committed to our own religion and see it as a positive drive in our lives, others have the same commitment to their religion. The aim is for people to learn about each others' faiths, to realise that some beliefs and values are universal and to see which beliefs and values are unique and essential to our own faith.
"Our goal is understanding and respect for the faith traditions of others," a representative of the Bahai's said.
American Terry Madison told The Echo that the Baha'i Community is happy to host World Religion Day because it offers an opportunity for the religions to come together in a spirit of harmony and friendship, to get to know each other and respect each other's beliefs.
"The purpose of religion as revealed from the heaven of God's holy Will is to establish unity and concord amongst the peoples of the world," Madison said.
In Bulgaria, adherents of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church make up 85 per cent of the population, Muslims 13 per cent, Jews 0.8 per cent, Roman Catholics 0.5 per cent, Uniate Catholics 0.2 per cent, and Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and others 0.5 per cent.
Representatives of the Jewish Community in Bulgaria, The Catholic Church, the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, Krishna Conscious-ness, Bulgarian Lutheran Church and others will attend the interfaith gathering.
The history of humankind's cultures and civilisations is the history of its religions. Nothing has such an integrating effect as the bond of common faith. World Religion Day events help foster interfaith understanding and harmony, Baha'is believe. It provides an opportunity to seek a common unified approach to the spiritual challenges that confront humanity, and recognises that the Earth is but one country and humankind its citizenry, Baha'is said.
Representatives of many of the leading religions of Bulgaria will share about how one's religion is a very personal, deeply held conviction. They will all emphasise that while we may be very committed to our own religion and see it as a positive drive in our lives, others have the same commitment to their religion. The aim is for people to learn about each others' faiths, to realise that some beliefs and values are universal and to see which beliefs and values are unique and essential to our own faith.
"Our goal is understanding and respect for the faith traditions of others," a representative of the Bahai's said.
