35 people attended the sharing session on the theme ‘The family: the first school of love and peace’ at the Espace Hirondelle in Orsay. The moderator was Mr David PERRY, President of the French chapter of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.
Mr David PERRY, moderator
More than 30 people from 10 different countries (including Austria, Belgium, Cameroon, Spain, France, Luxembourg, DRC, United Kingdom, Switzerland, USA) participated via simultaneous videoconference.
Ms Tirzi MARTIN, a graduate of the theological seminary in New York and author of ‘Communications with Heaven’, began by shedding light on the theme from a Jewish perspective.
She presented the Jewish view of the family, which is central and sacred in its tradition. The family was described as the primary place where holidays, Shabbat, love and spiritual learning are experienced. It is considered a ‘sanctuary of peace,’ a space where everyone learns to recognise the divine spark in others, to love unconditionally and to forgive despite imperfections.
Mrs Tirzi MARTIN.
Drawing on biblical texts and traditional commentaries, Ms Martin reminded us that human beings are not meant to be alone and that values – particularly love of God – are transmitted first and foremost within the home. She also discussed the concept of shalom bayit (peace in the home), which is essential to family harmony, and emphasised that promoting peace in the family is considered, in the Midrash, to be an act of cosmic significance.
Finally, she addressed the essential role of the community, which is inseparable from the family in Jewish tradition. The community supports families in good times and bad, provides a setting for study and prayer, and contributes to a sense of belonging and solidarity.
In conclusion, family and community form a whole that allows the spiritual values of Judaism to be lived, transmitted and embodied.
Rector Khalil MERROUN
Next, we heard a Muslim perspective on the topic. Rector Khalil Merroun, from the Grand Mosque of Evry-Courcouronnes, began by expressing his joy at being present and his fraternal attachment to those gathered. He based his remarks on several verses from the Qur'an (Quran, Surah 30 Ar-Rum, verse 21), recalling that all human beings share a common origin and that the diversity of peoples is intended to promote mutual understanding, not conflict. For him, true nobility lies in the piety of the heart, the seat of love.
He emphasised the central place of the family in Islam: God has instilled affection, tenderness and mercy in it. Marriage is presented as a sacred bond intended to last, including symbolically ‘beyond death’. Divorce, although permitted, is seen as a rupture of this harmony desired by God.
The rector also referred to the figure of Mary, honoured in Islam (Quran, Surah 19 Maryam, verses 16 to 23), and the miracle of the birth of Jesus. He recalled that the Muslim faith implies recognising all prophets, without distinction, including Jacob (Israel). He thus deplored certain hostile words spoken out of ignorance.
In his opinion, family and social divisions are often the result of the influence of Satan, who is presented in the Koran as the enemy of man. Humans, on the other hand, must see themselves as brothers and sisters, close to one another, and cultivate trust rather than mistrust.
Finally, he spoke about his own married life, marked by patience, tenderness and respect for differences, values that enable a solid family life to be built.
The moderator then announced a musical interlude, emphasising that culture also nourishes the heart. The song chosen was a Christian song, ‘Qu'il est formidable d'aimer’ (How wonderful it is to love), written by Jean-Claude Gianadda and performed by Lola Sterlann, a singer who participated in The Voice in 2016 with Garou as her coach.
Mr Axel HUARD
Finally, Mr Axel HUARD, father of four children and member of the Unificationist community, presented his tradition's vision of the family. He began by quoting the teachings of the founders of the Unification Movement, who identify four forms of love: parental love, brotherly love, conjugal love and filial love. The family is described as the school of true love, the place where human beings learn to gradually develop these different dimensions of the heart.
He recalled that, according to the ‘Divine Principle’, the founding text of his tradition, God created humanity to live in loving partnership with Him. The three blessings of Genesis 1.28—personal fulfilment, founding a family, and loving stewardship of creation—guide human beings towards the realisation of the divine dream: a harmonious world centred on God.
The family has also been described as the basic unit of peace. A person at peace can build a peaceful family, which can build peaceful communities and then peaceful nations. In this vision, all humanity is one big family with God as its Parent; nations should therefore help each other as brothers and sisters of different ages.
He concluded by announcing his monthly online meetings, the ‘DP Talks’, devoted to universal principles, the next one of which will focus on forgiveness.
The meeting concluded with a question-and-answer session, moderated from Orsay by Dr Laurent LADOUCE, research fellow for the Universal Peace Federation and director of the website www.culture-et-paix.org, and some remarks by Mr Jean-François MOULINET, coordinator of the Dialogue & Alliance CC.
The participants then shared refreshments while continuing to chat.
You can watch a recording of this session via the link: https://youtu.be/Cs9vR_eyPR4.
Dialogue & Alliance CC
