On Sunday 19 January 2025, UPF France organised the 43rd Scriptural Reasoning on the theme: ‘United by the Spirit to build peace’ with three speakers:
- The Venerable Michel THAO-CHAN, president and founder of the Cercle de Réflexion des Nations
- Dr Mouslim FIDAHOUSSEN, Islamologist
- Dr Laurent LADOUCE, Director www.culture-et-paix.org.
Around twenty participants took part in the face-to-face sessions in Paris and around forty via Zoom.
The event began with an introduction by Soraya Ayouch, clinical psychologist and member of the Dialogue & Alliance sponsorship committee. She recalled that the theme for 2024 was ‘Peace begins with me’ and that for 2025 the theme is ‘Weaving peace into everyday life’. She stressed the importance of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which runs from 18 to 25 January 2025.
The first reading was from Buddhism, presented by members of the community of Venerable Michel THAO-CHAN, president and founder of the Cercle de Réflexion des Nations. They spoke about wisdom in the service of peace or war, based on Buddha's Four Noble Truths. They stressed that peace must be built in the minds of men and that world conflicts have increased in 2024.
The second reading presented a Muslim perspective, with verses from Sura XLIX of the Koran, commented on by Dr Mouslim FIDAHOUSSEN, an Islamologist. He insisted on the fact that believers are brothers and that God created us different so that we could get to know each other better and build together. He used the metaphor of building a house to illustrate the building of peace, stressing the importance of God as the foundation, and of love, respect and justice as the cement.
The third reading was that of unificationism, presented by Dr Laurent LADOUCE, Director www.culture-et-paix.org. He quoted Sun Myung Moon, who said that peace can only be achieved if we live for others. He also recalled the importance of UNESCO and the need for a spiritual awakening to amend human nature. Dr LADOUCE proposed a definition of peace as the mutual agreement of free and equal subjects, united by a reciprocal attraction for a higher purpose.
The event ended with an interactive session where participants asked questions and shared their thoughts. Discussions focused on the responsibility of religious leaders, the importance of the family in moving from darkness to light, and the role of sexuality in Buddhism. The speakers emphasised the need to develop the heart and mind in order to achieve peace, and to pass on these values to future generations.
In conclusion, this event ‘United in Spirit to Build Peace’ highlighted the importance of interfaith collaboration and spiritual education in building a peaceful world. The discussions showed that peace begins by working on oneself and is built through concrete actions and commitments to others.