Speech of Aymeri de Montesquiou, Senator of the French Republik

Mr. President,
Dear guests,
I would like to thank Mr. President for this initiative, which shows him as an open-hearted person before the world.

Also I want to congratulate Mr.Nurtay Abykayev, General Secretary of this forum, for an excellent organization.

I have an honor to represent Mr. Christian Ponsele, Chairman of the Senate of France, who could not arrive here. I am here, as a French citizen, as an inspired Walter, who glorified the great "source" of the universe.

I address to you as a representative of a secular state, which has seen bright lights of the enlightened century and has tried to develop universalism, hoping to surpass religions by the establishment of the Supreme Being worship, but also a state that also counts itself as the "senior daughter" of the Catholic Church. Globalization leads us to the boundless world, smooth and uniform, where the economy prevails over the policy and people have growing feeling of powerlessness before their own destiny.

Emphasizing the distinctions and marking them out, they refuse this new form of internationalism, which is presented as a universal response that erases any distinctions. Religion is a part of this need, it transfers this thirst to find those events in the history, where religion was the key element of identity. Thus, ministers of belief carry considerable part of cultural heritage, which uphold each of us. That is why religion is a part of a nation history outside the belief itself. Materialism now is not a response to people's interests, such people appeal to you, ministers of belief and your influence here is completely obvious.

Alas, this belonging to the history also makes religions as successors of the past conflicts. Whether it is in Ireland, where Catholics and Protestants have recently resisted each other, we shall hope that these are last "spasms" of centuries-old opposition. Whether it is in India, where Hindus and Moslems attack each other from time to time. Whether it is in Iraq, where Sunnites and Shiites are covered with "spiral" of awful violence. In the Middle East, where Jews and Moslems are in confrontations more than a thousand years, where belief and territory are the key arguments.

Religion has many conflicts of the past and present. Extremists remember only the most severe events in the history, because djikhad and crusades are described as most glorious times, while they are only the most severe. They maintain poverty and offences. And those, suffering from it and feeling deep injustice, become susceptible to the arguments representing this violence, as the only way to win the former greatness, which was left in the memories. It should be noted that believers of different religions not only existed in harmony in the past but also communicated with each other on religious matters. It proves that violence is not an integral part of religion.

Andalusia, where Moslems, Christians and Jews peacefully coexisted, may illustrate the world, encouraged by authority, opened to all religions. On the contrary, the violence produced by regimes and fighting against religion, was unlimited. Horrors of Nazism and Communism are the worst examples.
One must single out the phenomenon of violence in order to understand better why violence and religion should not be necessarily compared. It is necessary to state the primary independence from each other when violence was peculiar to a man without religion, in order to defend its territory and stand its difference. Uniformity of the world appeases and differences are taken as aggression. This aggression is based on persuasion to form the platform of truth. Doubt is antidote of this aggression. The doubt is painful for those, who feel it, because it requires courage in order to express it to others.

We are, the faithful agnostics, should accept the doubt of God, I pray that you should doubt because it would strengthen the feeling of congregation amongst all of you. I express this statement and this request, as an amazed witness of revelations of one nun. She is the contrast almost to all citizens of the world. She refused any property, consumer impulses and every forms of pleasure. She has chosen the world of pray and entire belief. She stated that doubt crept her over every day. Answers to such doubts only confirmed and strengthened her belief.

Any belief loses touch with reality in a certain time. It fails to occupy the sense space.

Differences in religions are on ceremonies level and temporary demonstrations, vetoes, which are insuperable barriers for those, who was brought up in other traditions. They should be recognized as a token of the world because such differences should be considered as minors.

God and relations between human and God are fundamental. Intermediary, securing these relations is not so important. It is necessary to ennoble human in order to reach God. Such ascension should become calling for ministers of belief. Education plays the key role in ideology formation, where such universal values as human rights, democracy, equality of chances and right for information are put to the top. Let God be Supreme judge, confirming human life triumph, or he will be love and forgiveness. The purpose of religion should be included in assisting man to surpass predatory violence peculiar to his nature and desire to stand apart from other creatures. This may be marked by a term "mankind". Moses, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammed should be considered as examples due to their human qualities. Only prozelytizm does not have violence. This is expressed in quality, which forms humanism.

All of you, participating in this forum, realize that place you were born has determined your belief. If you were born in a neighboring country you would be its representative. It is necessary to note that accident is a major factor in the choice of religion. I would ask you not to consider my words as provocation. It is only survey and reality. This brings us to make clerics encouraging believers to listen to other faiths and not refusing protection of differences in their culture that is an integral from possessions of mankind. To listen and respect differences, to realize the role of accidents - all this promotes the world. War and accompanying horrors unfortunately characterize human and distinguish him from other creatures. Spirituality, trust in God fortunately composes other difference.

Ministers of belief, you are peaceful people and you should act for the sake of peace. Show all whom you are the pastor that difference and features of ceremonies constitute details, which are not so essential.

I will allow myself citing French proverb:

"Devil hides in trifles and too often such trifles give birth to conflicts". Ladies and gentlemen, world looks at you with respect and with alarm also, because the past frequently joined religion with violence.

In my speech I wanted to emphasize that only human by his nature have a spirit of violence, not religion. You should deny any reminding of God in conflicts if you want the religion to promote human ascension to God. If God exists, He exists for all people. It belongs to no union. If you proclaim it, you perform human duty in the name of peace and promote God winning the world again. The religion is the way to God, and there are many ways leading to God.