John Borelli

The value of a statement of purpose

A statement of mission is a valuable document. To accompany their many gestures of goodwill in the arena of interreligious relations, ISKCON members can now present to their partners in dialogue the document, 'ISKCON in Relation to People of Faith in God'. Those of us who meet ISKCON members in our work, ministry and everyday lives are grateful to Saunaka Rsi Dasa, the ISKCON Interfaith Commission and the GBC Executive Committee for developing and issuing this first official statement concerning the Society's relationship with other people of faith in God. Readers seeking clear statements of definition and purpose for ISKCON, and those members of the Society engaged in interreligious relations, dialogue and co-operation, will not be disappointed. The document offers reassurances of good intentions and respectful actions on the part of ISKCON members and presents goals similar to those of other religious groups for relating to all members of society.

ISKCON defines itself as a Vedantic, monotheistic Vaisnava tradition and a missionary movement seeking to spread love of God. Thus, its membership must grapple with the uncertain relationship between mission and dialogue - a problem that Christians, Muslims and others must also face. The text observes candidly: 'Some may feel that for a missionary movement, a dialogue with those who may not share the same spiritual or religious views may seem a contradiction in purpose.' That the two seem contradictory is only part of the issue. Some may feel that missionary activity overshadows any outreach to peoples of other faiths. Indeed, in certain regions of the world today including India, religious leaders confront Christians with the suggestion that any widespread desire for interreligious dialogue is nothing but a disguised programme for missionary activity. ISKCON members may experience similar reactions. History, the mistakes of the past, and the untrue impressions people have of our religious traditions need to be addressed, and this statement is an important step for ISKCON. Many Christians will feel a kindred spirit with ISKCON's explanation of how bearing witness to the love of God in the world implies openly and respectfully entering interreligious relationships.

The strength of  ISKCON's position on the relationship between mission and dialogue lies in the distinction between conversion as an individual experience, and spiritual development as the overall purpose for all activities. Thus, on the one hand, ISKCON can say that through dialogue people of different faiths can share principles and address areas of common concern, engage together in the pursuit of truth and encourage one another in their spiritual practices, as an outgrowth of their mission; and, on the other, state that its members will accept with open arms any sincere soul that declares a need for their spiritual shelter and guidance, conversion being part of a personal spiritual journey. Mission and dialogue appear to be distinct, yet related, aspects of a single overriding purpose, which ISKCON designates as spiritual development; however, these explanations do not bring an end to discussion. In fact, how religious communities live these distinctions between conversion and spiritual development, and mission and dialogue, seems to lead to considerable comment and even disputation. Our explanations may never seem completely satisfying, even to ourselves, as we stumble with heavily laden words such as 'proselytise' and 'conversion'. We try to flee the negative connotations of expressions like 'religious institution' or 'sectarian affiliation', and attempt to set ourselves apart from failures and shortcomings, the exclusivist demands or narrow-mindedness of other people, times or places.

The reason we never quite seem to state our purpose once and for all is because interreligious relations are actually the encounter of peoples of faith. Religions do not dialogue; people dialogue. Religions are not the partners of joint actions; people constitute the relationship. Religious persons mediate to one another their practices and beliefs. Every interreligious encounter takes on the character of the people listening and speaking in it, and so our principles, which ground our mission and witness in the world, can also be expressed and heard by one another differently in each particular relationship.

Thus, ISKCON's statement reiterates the importance of charity, non-violence, humility, compassion, respect, honesty, spiritual education and personal integrity. In practising these virtues in dialogue and relationship with people of other faiths, the members of ISKCON are confident that they and their partners will strengthen in faith, that the integrity and vision of their institutions will benefit and they will be spiritually enriched, leading to a profound realisation of mission. In addition, they will continue to raise a challenge to those who espouse atheistic and materialistic principles and values. These are insightful observations that many others have concluded based on their experience of interreligious dialogue.

There are certain actions that according to the statement are inappropriate or unbecoming — actions that do not witness the love of God in the world, such as denigrating, misrepresenting or humiliating members of other faith communities. The statement quotes Srila Prabhupada, who urged his students not to criticise others' methods of religion. By following this advice, trust and friendship have an opportunity to take root so that the larger purposes of interreligious dialogue can be achieved — spiritual knowledge, moral thought and action, devotion and service to God. As the discussion becomes more and more profound, and as the friendship deepens among the partners in dialogue, the opportunity for candid studies of each others' methods will present itself.

Christians make a distinction between ecumenism and interreligious relations. Ecumenism is the widespread effort among Christians to heal the divisions that exist among them. They believe that full and complete unity, expressed in numerous ways and ultimately for the sake of the message of the Gospel, is the will of Christ. The topic of diversity is addressed in particular ways by Christians in the context of their efforts to overcome disunity, restore unity, and appreciate the gifts of various Christian communities.

Diversity and unity have different meanings in the context of interreligious relations. When ISKCON's statement says, 'Thus diversity is accepted, but not to exclusion of unity', it is not suggesting the goal is to merge all religions into one. That would be a misrepresentation of interreligious relations, which do not mean that one must compromise one's fundamental beliefs. Anyone who has engaged in interreligious dialogue knows that there is no compromise nor is there a desire to merge all religions into one. The unity about which ISKCON's statement speaks and which ISKCON's members join others in promoting, is none other than that human unity that is the basis for confidence in relations. We see ourselves in one another and recognise the enormous potential of every person.

ISKCON is to be commended for this statement and its clarifications, guidelines, purposes and other dimensions.