6th HWPL Thailand Bangkok WARP Office

 

On December 12th 2015, the 6th HWPL WARP Office meeting was held at the Srinakharinwirot University situated in Bangkok, Thailand. Approximately 70 women and youth were present to audit the meeting. Four main speakers from Buddhism, Islam, Sikhism and Christianity spoke about the topic of ‘Good and Evil.’ As the Dialogue of Scriptures meeting progressed, the Thailand WARP Office has received much attention.

This meeting being held at the Srinakharinwirot University held a special significance for the religious leaders, as a university is a place to pursue knowledge and truth. Through a special performance with a harmonious voice for peace, the students showed their support for the WARP Office meetings. WARP Offices are working to achieve peace within religions through comparing each scripture to find the truth.

Encouraged by the atmosphere, the religious leaders passionately discussed the standards for good and evil and the result of good deeds and evil deeds in accordance to their respective Scriptures.

“What Is the Absolute Standard for ‘Good and Evil’ in Your Religious Scripture?”

Mr. Husni Hamad (Islam/President of Social Welfare Society) said, “If human beings do not need any teaching, God would neither have sent messengers nor gave the scripture. Only a very few people receive enlightenment from God directly and the scriptures were written for people like us. That is why God gave us a brain (the ability to think) and we should use it to distinguish those who are explaining the [Holy] texts.”

Dr. Veerachart Nimanong (Buddhism/Professor of Assumption University) explained, “In Buddhism, we agree that we need good persons to help us understand what is good and what is evil. But Buddhism also says that in the last stage, the person himself must use wisdom to make a decision about what is good and what is evil.”

Ms. Amarjit Kaur Doowa (Sikhism/President of Sikh Meditation Center) added about the importance of the scriptures, “Almost all constitutional laws in most countries have been derived from the scriptures. In an Islamic country, that law was derived from the Quran. In a Christian country, that law was derived from the Bible. And so scriptures have become our daily laws. And those laws expect us to live our lives in accordance with the scriptures. In other words, the scriptures have become the law.”

 

“Can a Person Go to Heaven without following the Standards Written in the Religious Scriptures and Just by Living a Morally Good Life?”

Mr. Husni Hamad said, “If I can go to heaven without following the standards written in the scriptures and just by doing good things based on my own thoughts, then this means that I don’t need God to go to Heaven. Heaven belongs to God. How can I hope to go there but not care about His teachings? It doesn’t make sense.”

Dr. Veerachart Nimanong explained, “Buddhism doesn’t emphasize on a Creator God, so I want to clarify that morality itself is good. If we have to depend on morality to be good, it is quite similar to depending on God to be good” Ms. Amarjit Kaur Doowa mentioned, “Man cannot distinguish between good and evil. We don’t know.

We are not like Buddha, we are not like Jesus, we are not like Guru Nanak, so we do not know about the standard of what is good and what is evil. But that is why we have gathered here to find the definite answer.” Rev. Martyn Cromptom (Christianity/Vicar of Christ Church of Bangkok) added, “Only the one who has been to Heaven and talked to God can make a decision.”

Through the 6th Bangkok WARP Office, the religious representative of Islam expressed their sincere appreciation to the efforts of Chairman Lee of HWPL for bringing new life into the spirit of peace. They admitted that they were able to understand more about other religious beliefs and learn to love and respect leaders from different religious backgrounds.

They gave a special prayer of blessing for Chiarman Lee and his continuous service for peace on earth. Religious leaders who attend the WARP Office meeting practice to overcome their prejudice about their scriptures being the best and put forth efforts to find the only truth to achieve peace.

The Thailand Bangkok WARP Office will continue to join the work of peace until peace is achieved.