PRESS RELEASE - for the British Press
- embargoed until 17th September 2007

 

The sixth book by non-realist Anglican priest David A Hart is now available and is his most radical to date.

 

A year ago, considerable debate revolved around the author's embrace of Hinduism ,while at the same time remaining within Holy Orders and in good standing with his bishop. Now, he has produced a book arguing that the time is ripe for the main religions of the world to bury their differences and unite into a single body, thus producing a common spiritual resource for future generations, and bringing to an end the age-old conflict between competitive religions. Revd Dr Hart / Ananda Krishna Das believes that the motor of globalisation produces a common currency ($) a common language (English) and requires now also a common religion (Unificationism).

 

In his book, Dr Hart sees the religions as being no longer based geographically in a particular corner of the world (eg Judaism in Israel, Christianity in Europe, Hinduism in India, Islam in the Middle East) but, as he calls it, 'flecks in a carpet' that covers the whole wide world. Each religion has, he argues, contributed a specific particular quality to world civilisation, and in recognising this, we will inevitably celebrate rather than denigrate those religions we encounter which are 'other' than our own.

 

Thus, Buddhism has introduced into the world the quality of compassion, Christianity charity, Judaism an ethical code, Islam social justice and Hinduism a perennial philosophy and many stories of the gods. Hart has a chapter illustrating each of these contributions.

 

The Korean teacher Sun Myung Moon, now 88 years old, has for some time been preaching unificationism. Hart does not accept all of the premises of his organisation, but believes in his main idea - namely, that the world's faiths need to be united by dialogue and personal relationships (including inter-faith marriages). Hart suggests how Moon's ideals might be able to be reached by a wider collaboration with Anglicans and other liberal Christian denominations and broad-minded individuals. Hence this book is a heart-felt appeal to them to unite!

 

The book is to be launched this week in LEICESTER by a copy being presented on Tuesday 18th September to Revd Alan Race, current editor of 'Interreligious Insight' (the journal of the World Congress of Faiths on the Executive Committee of which David serves), and rector-designate of St Philip's Evington,which is home to Britain's first Anglican-funded Muslim-Christian Dialogue Centre (Director: Canon Andrew Wingate, advisor on world faith to the Bishop of Leicester).

 

The book is to be launched in LOUGHBOROUGH by a copy being presented on Wednesday 19th September to the Chaplaincy Library of Loughborough University (where the author served as Senior Anglican Chaplain from 1990- 1997).

 

The book is to be launched in DERBY at 7.30pm on Wednesday 19th September at The Multi-Faith Centre (which the author helped to build and which was opened as the first purpose-built Multi-faith Centre on any university campus in October 2005 by Prince Michael of Kent). The book has a Preface by Paul Weller, Professor of Inter-Religious Relations, and the author will be introduced by Professor Jonathan Powers, onetime Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University.Admission is free and open to all.

 

The book has been commended by Sir Mark Tully, onetime BBC correspondent for India ('David Hart has now become fully multi-faith') and by the late Professor John Macquarrie of Oxford University. It is 112 pages, and is available for £10.99 (ISBN 1-905047-96-7) and the author can be contacted for interview/comments  via his Research assistant Deepak L. Moses on 07872835572