Robert Ince
About the Author
Robert is a member Unitarian Church in the United Kingdom having served as its Treasurer for 2 years and as Convenor for 3 years until 2017. He still retains a number of significant roles within the Unitarian movement as well as management roles in various other organisations.
He trained as a design engineer and spent a working career in petrochemicals and banking. He spent over 15 years living and working abroad, generally in the Middle East, but travelling extensively all over the world. He continues to travel extensively and even find moments to spend more time with his 4 children.
Resources by Robert Ince
(Japanese, 日本語) 36th IARF Congress, Day 1: Opening Ceremony
第36回IARF世界大会「Faith in Reconciliation（和解への信仰）」の開会式の日本語版です。クルージュ＝ナポカ／コロジュヴァールで行われた宗教間礼拝では、神道、イスラム教、ゾロアスター教、ヒンドゥー教、キリスト教などの代表者が祈りや聖典の言葉を分かち合い、ユニタリアン高校の合唱とチャリスの点火を通して、平和と多様性の中の一致を表現しました。
IARF会長Robert Inceは、和解とは単に戦闘を終えることではなく、かつて敵対した人びとが信頼を再び築き、共に生きることを学ぶ過程だと述べます。ルーマニア宗教庁の代表者は、欧州人権条約第9条、世界人権宣言第18条、そして1568年のトルダの勅令に触れ、宗教の自由の歴史的・法的背景を説明します。ハンガリー・ユニタリアン教会のIstván Kovács主教は、和解は個人の内面から始まり、共同体、社会、国家へと広がる霊的な過程であると語ります。
Read Less36th IARF Congress, Day 1: Opening Ceremony
The 36th IARF World Congress opens in Kolozsvár/Cluj-Napoca with an interfaith service centred on the theme “Faith in Reconciliation.” Religious leaders representing Shinto, Muslim, Zoroastrian, Hindu and several Christian traditions offer short prayers and sacred readings, joined by music from the Unitarian High School choir and the lighting of a chalice as a symbol of hope, peace and unity in diversity.
IARF President Robert Ince argues that reconciliation must go beyond ending armed conflict to rebuilding trust and learning to live again with former enemies. A representative of Romania’s Secretariat of State for Religious Affairs places contemporary religious freedom within Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Transylvanian legacy of the 1568 Edict of Torda. Bishop István Kovács of the Hungarian Unitarian Church welcomes participants to the historic “land of religious freedom” and presents reconciliation as a spiritual process beginning with the individual before extending to communities, societies and nations.
Read LessPanel: Navigating Doubt and Dogma in the Practice of Free Religion
This panel from the 2025 IARF European and Middle East Conference features a discussion on the challenges of practicing and advocating for religious freedom. Moderated by Pascal Reddig, the session brings together Seyran Ateş (founder, Ibn Rushd-Goethe Mosque), Renate Bauer (President, Federation of Free Religious Congregations in Germany), Robert Innes (former IARF President), and George Williams (then-current IARF President).
Describing the subject as a "tightrope walk," the panelists explore the balance between upholding religious freedom and confronting harmful dogmas. Drawing on their professional and personal experiences, they discuss strategies for supporting individuals who question their traditions, engaging with intolerance, and advocating for oppressed communities. The conversation touches on key themes such as the role of language in shaping belief, the search for hope in an era of anxiety, and the intergenerational work required to foster a more liberative approach to faith.
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