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Christian Conference of Asia
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CCA General Secretary Ahn Jae Woong delivered the 11th M A Thomas memorial lecture at the Ecumenical Christian Centre in Bangalore, India
Dr Ahn Jae Woong delivering the M A Thomas memorial lecture on "Building a culture of peace in Asia today" at the Ecumenical Christian Centre in Bangalore on 31 July 
Audience at the M A Thomas memorial lecture 
Ahn Jae Woong with the Director of Ecumenical Christian Centre, Rev Dr M J Joseph Peace building is �God�s ordained ecumenical task,� says Asian ecumenical leader BANGALORE, India � Peace studies and conflict transformation should become the basis for people to live in peace, free from fear and all obstacles, said the CCA General Secretary Dr Ahn Jae Woong. Delivering the 11th M A Thomas memorial lecture here on 31 July, Ahn Jae Woong noted that �peace making or peace building is God�s ordained ecumenical task.� Major religions of the world and faith-based communities teach about peace and involve in peace-building efforts, he said and added that �profound words like Shanti, Salam and Shalom should not only be chanted but also practiced in our family, work places, every communities and in our day-to-day lives.� The CCA general secretary suggested militarization, institutionalization of violence, conflict analysis, war, non-violent struggles, structures of domination and human rights as some of the possible areas for peace studies. One can become a peace builder by building peace movements and strengthening peace networks in the society and in the community, he told a gathering of ecumenical leaders, bishops, pastors, intellectuals and social activists. Peace forums, peace campaigns, peace camps, peace concerts, peace film festival, peace trips and peace pilgrimages were among a list he recommended as possible ways of promoting peace in the community. In his lecture on �Building a culture of peace in Asia today,� Ahn suggested exchange of people and experts as a way for stimulating and building a culture of peace. �Exposure to places like Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan and killing fields of Cambodia and wherever cruelty of humanity has taken place has the potential to make people committed to be peace lovers, peace makers, peace builders and peace keepers,� he told the gathering. Meeting together and encouraging one another to overcome the weaknesses and the tendency to remain a silent majority was suggested as another way of building a culture of peace in the society. �As long as we remain a silent majority, justpeace will never stay with us,� he added. The CCA leader gave a definition of culture as �the total of the passed on ideas, beliefs, values and knowledge, which constitute the basis for social action.� He categorised culture as high reflected in arts, literature and philosophy and low as popular culture or working people�s culture. A culture of peace, according to him means that high and low cultures are closely intertwined in every level in building and keeping peace in our daily life. Ahn Jae Woong told the gathering that traditional or dominant cultures are challenged by counter-cultures for the betterment of people�s life. According to him, the tension between traditional cultures and counter-cultures may be able to provide a new synthesis � a new culture. The new synthesis or the new culture could be the culture of peace, he remarked. Ahn expressed the view that �moral values of freedom and accountability of the western society and the community solidarity and social order of the eastern society may be a good solid ground for building a culture of peace in our time.� �A stage of synthesis, a culture of peace, should be an ideal, based on the east and west as well as global value system of people�s aspiration for good life.� Referring to the current Asian situation, Ahn Jae Woong noted that �Asia will merge as one of the global powers in the 21st century.� Quoting the former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating as saying that �while the 20th century was the century of the Americans, the chances are that the 21st century will be the century of Asia, and we will see for the first time an eclipse of the American economic power,� Ahn noted that the six-party talks to resolve the nuclear issues in North Korea could be a possible framework of global hegemonic power in the future. ��the US is worried about her role as sole global power and domination, whereas, European Union is shaping its power and Asia is consolidating their potential power at the moment,� he said. Making a reference to the people in Asia who like people anywhere in the world aspire for a good and quality life, the general secretary said that, �Good life is possible only if every human being have their day-to-day life based on well being,� and �when basic livelihood, good health, good social relations, security and freedom are guaranteed.� M A Thomas memorial lectures are organized annually by the Ecumenical Christian Centre (ECC) to honour its founder-director Rev Dr M A Thomas, who was a well known ecumenical leader and a Mar Thoma priest. The ECC, situated in Whitefield, a suburb of the south Indian city of Bangalore, is one of the best run ecumenical centres in India. It is a member of the Association of Christian Institute for Social Concern in Asia and has hosted several national and international ecumenical events. posted by Anonymous on Thursday, August 05, 2004 |
