SAID – 19th of September – 2023
The Scottish Association for Interreligious Dialogue is an international organisation devoted to the twin causes of peace and genuine human development both at home here in Scotland and in the world as a whole.
At S.A.I.D. We believe that postmodernism creates both challenges and opportunities for the people of the Earth. Specifically in a religious context we wish to meet these challenges directly. Concurrently both at home and abroad we look forward to the opportunity for genuine ecumenical forces to flourish as a unitive force for good in the future.
We believe that the Czech philosopher Tomas Halik’s assertion on the future of Christianity might as well be true of all religions;
”Perhaps the very dynamism and diversity of postmodernity that frightens many Christians is the incubation phase of the Christianity of the future.”
In light of this we admire and wish to build upon the dynamic and unitive leadership shown by figures such as Pope Francis, the Grand Imam Al-Azhar Ahamed el-tayib and the Dalai Lama on such issues system change, genuine ecumenism and care for our common home.
At S.A.I.D. we believe that social issues such as system change, genuine ecumenism and care for our common home are closely interrelated.
As defined by Joe Holland At our recent event in the Lewis Rooms, Tollcross in Edinburgh – How to Change – A Discussion of Laudato Si – the Scientific-Materialist project has meant that in a Western context we have lost sight of genuine human development.
During How to Change we tried to outline transcendental values such as care for our common home in an ecumenical context. We discovered that as early as the 1930’s the New York philosopher and social activist Peter Maurin described a holistic Green Revolution.
The all-encompassing Revolution that Peter Describes seems only now to be taking hold in the Western zeitgeist at all levels – spiritual, political
and economic. At SAID we wish to be a catalyst for this peaceful Revolution at all levels – spiritual, political and economic – holding up the excellent work occurring in our devolved home nation of Scotland as a humble example to the rest of the world.
At the Scottish Association for Inter religious Dialogue we believe that as during the Scottish Enlightenment a devolved Scotland can once again be an example to the rest of the world.
Speaking humbly from a Western point of view we earnestly wish for the developing world to learn from our mistakes – social, political and economic. With our online platform saidialogue.org we wish to build a stage upon which our friends abroad can see the good things happening here in Scotland, taking that which might be useful.
Concurrently in documents like Laudato Si and the 2019 Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together Pope Francis and the Grand Imam Al-Azhar describe a more positive integrated and holistic system in which care of our common home and genuine education is a cornerstone, something that we wish for Scotland and the rest of Creation.