Parliament of the World's Religions
WHY THIS STORY IS IMPORTANT:
Establishing and sustaining a regular, formal opportunity for people of many different faiths to meet "in the context of interreligious understanding and cooperation" is noteworthy at any time. In an age when the relevance of faith is questioned, and faith itself is blamed for divisiveness, hostilities and war, the parliament honors people of faith and models respect, dialogue and the possibility of peaceful change.
"Everybody is welcome," says the web site of the Parliament of World's Religions, the world's largest interreligious gathering, held every five years in a different city in the world.
"First held in Chicago in 1893, the Parliament of the World's Religions brings together the world’s religious and spiritual communities, their leaders and their followers to a gathering where peace, diversity and sustainability are discussed and explored in the context of interreligious understanding and cooperation."
For some perspective on the parliament's origins, check out this posting by Paul Knitter, the Paul Tillich Professor of Theology, World Religions and Culture at Union Theological Seminary, and Matthew Weiner, program director at the Interfaith Center of New York.
The parliament was nominated as one of the top interfaith stories of 2009 "assuming they take action on something."
We are including it in its own right, because the gathering itself is ambitious, notable and accessible to web users even after its December meeting has concluded.
The parliament was at something of a disadvantage this year, coinciding as it did with the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen.
Its video-rich web site contains a wide range of materials, from plenary sessions to speeches to concerts.
A partial listing of resources includes:
- -- Youth Plenary Session
- -- Sacred Music Concert
- -- President Jimmy Carter on on the Religious Imperative for the Equality of Women and Girls
- -- Mary Robinson, the first woman president of Ireland, on Climate Justice
- -- Karen Armstrong, Diana Eck and Dorothy Austin