During my two years in England I have been struck by the parallels between England and Japan:

1) both are islands that have fought off invasions from a large continent.

2) both have a tea ceremony and a love of beautiful gardens.

3) Both once conquered smaller nations to the West. Both those smaller nations are still divided: Ireland and Korea.

4) both have national religions with historic ties to the ruling royal house.

5) in both Japan and England, leaders of the "indigenous" religious tradition are reaching out in interfaith dialogue.

In both cases, the leadership in interfaith dialogue is a reversal of attitudes of a century ago in 1893, when the Archbishop of Canterbury rejected participation in World Parliament of Religions, and the Shinto Priest who attended was sharply criticized. In 1996 we rejoiced that Dr. Yamamoto, Chief Priest of Tsubaki Shrine, has become President of the IARF, the oldest interfaith organization. Dr. Yamamoto has been supported in his outreach by the President of the Shinto University- in Ise, who calls for "Shinto to enter the dialogue of World Religions."

In 1996, in London front page headlines in The Times (Dec. 14) read "Prince urges the West to learn from Islam." In a speech at Oxford, "The Prince of Wales yesterday condemned Western materialism and made a passionate plea for the West to learn from Islam. Calling for a renewed sense of sacred, the Prince, a practicing Anglican, said there had been a loss of meaning in Western Society."

If ( after the divorce from Diana ) Prince Charles becomes King, he has asked for a change in his title from "defender of the faith." to 'defender of faith."

The Prince is looking for "a renewed sense of the sacred that is not the exclusive property of Christianity or of Islam or of any one religion.

Paralleling the outreach of Prince Charles, during December, the Archbishop of Canterbury, met with the Pope in Rome, and paid a official visit to a new Hindu Temple in London. A few weeks earlier, in November 1996, my wife and I joined 300 others at Lambeth Palace, the official residence of the Archbishop. The Rev. Marcus Braybrooke and the World Congress of Faiths had invited Archbishop Carey to give "The Sir Francis Younghusband MemorialLecture." As spiritual leader of the Church of England, the Archbishop and his wife graciously hosted the occasion.

Following a welcome, Dr. Carey opened with an acknowledgment of the vision of Sir Francis Younghusband as founder of the World Congress of Faiths. He said, "Younghuband felt the spiritual journey was central to every life."

Dr. Carey asked, "How Far Can We Travel Together in Interfaith Dialogue?"

To deal with this question we must ask "what is our destination?" Our perception of the goal affect the way in which we travel (Do we believe in Calvinist damnation or universal salvation? Do we foresee Atomic Holocaust or journeys to the Stars?) Like the pilgrims in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, each character has a different story.

1) The Syncretist develops a personal world view by drawing on elements of many faiths. This becomes a "do it yourself morality,"

2) Second, The Bland Universalist, postulates that all religions share a common core. (In the words of a member of Parliament during a debate on the Book of Common Prayer, "I don't understand what all the fuss is about. Surely we all believe in some sort of a something. ")

3)The Pluralist, like John Hicks,moves beyond the Triumphalism of an "only way" to a sense of a common source from which religions draw their spiritual power.

4) The Christian Universalist sees the Christ in other faiths. Like Pannikar who writes, The Unknown Christ of Hinduism.

5) The Isolationist says, " I belong to a distinct community and I shall have nothing to do with others.' For example, The Hutterites.

6) The Approachable Separatist is willing to engage in dialogue. 'I believe we can learn from each other and still maintain our own identity."

7) The Dogmatist says, 'My faith is the only true way to God. In London, young Muslim Students shout, No dialogue - you must believe in Islam."

After describing these seven types, Dr. Carey went on to say, 'One of my personal heroes was the Christian Missionary, C.F. Andrews. His influence on Gandhi in many ways matched Gandhi's influence on him." But for Andrews, St.Paul's words held true: "Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel." WE CAN journey together as friends, but our stories are not the same.

In Lessing's story, The Three Rings, the Father gives a ring to each of three sons, the rings representing Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. What is the value of the ring? There is "no real value in the ring itself, but in the value attached to it by the owner." (like the Shinto teaching "he Kami draws life from our devotion."). In dialogue, we learn the limits and possibilities of our common humanity. We learn that the spirit is universal. "God does not limit love to the boundary of the church." Yet we also become aware of cultural differences that continue to separate us : the oppression of Women. Animal Sacrifices." And the question of reciprocity:

"if you want a temple in my county, may I have a temple in yours?"

Despite our differences, our common pilgrimage points to areas in which we can work together. We can recognize our common humanity. We can work together against racial or religious scapegoating, aware that anti-semitism is a "light-sleeper." In all of our traditions there are things in which we share conviction: the need for Humanitarian Aid, the need to care for the Environment, the need for morality, the need for quality education.

At the close of the talk, the respondents turned the question of the "goal" around. In the spirit of Gandhi, one said, "The way I go defines my goal." The other closed by saying, "What is important is that through religion, Humanity should flourish. " Amen

 1997