Artsawonder ran a series of events over the course of 2017 and 2018, which brought together leading religious figures from Protestant, Catholic, Muslim and Jewish faiths within Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the wider UK. By celebrating the differences and similarities in each other’s faiths through use of the scriptures, song, storytelling and hospitality, the participants constructed a declaration which each signed and agreed to. This important document became known as the Rostrevor Declaration.
The Rostrevor Declaration
The Scriptures of all three faiths – Jewish, Christian and Muslim – encourage us to treat others as we would like them to treat us. As members of faith communities we have a responsibility to act according to the scriptures and actively remind other members of our communities of this scriptural wisdom and thus deserving of respect.
We encourage members of faith communities to remember that members of all faiths were created in the image of the heavenly Creator.
Our places of worship should regarded with respect and be places of safety and hospitality.
We need to re-humanise rather than dehumanise community relations by reminding members of our believing communities of the positive characteristics of other faiths while protecting total academic freedom and respectful free speech as given in international instruments [Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Articles 9 and 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights] and biblically proclaimed in 1 Peter 3:15.
We will actively build mutual respect by advocating for the safety, freedom and well-being of one another, which includes standing up for the liberties of followers of other faiths to worship, manifest their faith and change their religion in this land and beyond, and we will speak out and be activists wherever we see persecution at home or overseas.
We will help to reduce fear between our believing communities by advocating and facilitating education and understanding among and between the communities.
We will encourage members of our communities not simply to speak the truth as they live it and strive to live the truth with integrity.
We are committed to building friendship between members of our faith communities and letting the mercy of the heavenly creator inform how we relate to each other.
This declaration and its principle will inform further meetings which Artsawonder organises in the future.