Parliament of the World’s Religions Reaches Out
March 15th, 2003 by sfuqua
Paul Chafee writes of the history and continuing development of the Parliament of the World’s Religions, touching on its outward orientation, ties to the United Religions Initiative, and new efforts such as the Goldin Institute.
By Paul Chafee
Director, Interfaith Center at the Presidio
November 11, 2003
In 1893 the first Parliament of the World’s Religions offered Buddhists,
Christians, Jains, Jews, and Hindus a shared public forum for the first time
in history. Part of a World Exposition, the Parliament commenced a week of interfaith
dialogue on September 11. Twelve thousand and more came each day to the building
that would become the Chicago Art Institute. Swami Vivakananda, a Hindu who
arrived initially without invitation, and then was embraced, particularly electrified
the public forums. His charisma, intellect, and generous heart repeatedly challenged
the assumption (held by most of the Parliament’s planners) that Christianity
has a lock on the love of God and could “perfect” whatever goodness
and wisdom other religions brought to the table.
The crowd rose to its feet to greet this monk in bright saffron robes as soon
as he began with the words, ?Sisters and brothers of America??
After the opening speeches, Swamiji was scheduled by the organizers to conclude
each day’s sessions, a strategy for keeping everyone in attendance. One
can note from his first words that Vivakananda (like the movement he helped
inspire) is not a syncretist. “The Christian is not to become a Hindu
or a Buddhist, nor a Hindu or a Buddhist to become a Christian. But each must
assimilate the spirit of the others and yet preserve his individuality and grow
according to his own law of growth,” he said in Chicago. He compared the
love of God flowing through different religions to rivers all headed towards
the sea. He quarreled with the notion that any religion can claim exclusive
franchise on the divine, and he sought friendship and common cause among people
from all traditions.
A centennial celebration of that first event made its own history in 1993 when
8,000 people from dozens of different religious traditions again came to Chicago.
Subsequently a momentous decision was made to sponsor similarly ambitious gatherings
every five years or so, at sites all around the world.
The Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions (CPWR) made good
on that commitment in 1999 in Cape Town, South Africa. As in Chicago, the experience
of attending a Parliament was of homecoming, of meeting members in “our family” we never knew about. In this setting new friends very quickly
become dear and important to each other. The “love of God” shines
through, regardless of tradition, inviting your own to shine back. Nelson Mandela
in great detail told the 7,000 assembled in 1999 how the struggle against Apartheid
have failed without various kinds of help that Christian, Hindu, Jewish, and
Muslim communities each offered to those who suffered the most in those years
of terror. From the bottom of his heart to ours, he let us share the ownership
of their victory and South Africa’s freedom today. For a moment you could
see the whole human family in one room, safe with each other.
You can already register (and save a pretty penny by being early) for the Parliament
being held July 7-13, 2004 in Barcelona, Spain (www.cpwr.org). As plans go forward,
the 1993 hundred-year-old birthday party for interfaith dialogue is morphing
into an interfaith movement, engaging activists in every country in the world.
Some few have had the opportunity to attend one of the Parliaments. But millions
of people in countries everywhere, in villages as in cities, are becoming engaged
in a similar, emerging grassroots interfaith community.
New developments
Anyone disappointed by the failure of the 21st century to quickly usher in
a new era of peace can at least take comfort and a ray of hope from recent developments
in the nascent interfaith movement. The Parliament is alive and well and developing
its relationship with another international grassroots effort, the United Religions
Initiative (URI). URI, which in two years has established nearly 200 Cooperation
Circles in 36 countries, in August held its first post-Charter-signing Global
Assembly in Rio de Janeiro (Cf. United Religions Initiative Comes of Age in Rio). URI’s
Charter had been signed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 2000, and those who
came to Rio were finally able to turn to the multitude of issues they care about,
their Charter a foundation now rather than a work-in-progress.
Back in Chicago, a similarly significant development is opening a new chapter
in the Parliament’s life. This past October the curtain went up on what
CPWR has been doing in its own backyard for the last 15 years. From the start,
Parliament planners have been “local grown,” leaders from Chicago’s
multitudinous faith communities, clergy and laity who cooperatively opened the
door to all people of faith and practice. The joy in their work comes from flourishing
local relationships.
So when the decision was made to continue the massive gatherings, it was grounded
with a parallel commitment to stay involved in grassroots interfaith organizing
in Chicago. Since the late eighties the Council for the Parliament, its decision-making
body, has been active in the city and its suburbs, involving itself with dozens
of religious organizations, universities and seminaries, private and civic organizations,
in addition to various interfaith groups. Special attention over the years has
been invested in a neighborhood called Rogers Park, a quick drive from downtown
Chicago. Simply reading the signs over the storefronts when you walk down Rogers
Park’s main business corridor makes Chicago’s ethnic, racial, religious
diversity astonishingly clear — the globe in a single neighborhood.
For years the Council’s leadership has ruminated on how its extensive
Chicago activities should relate to the international gatherings it sponsors
twice a decade. Instead of forcing the issue, they lived with it, continuing
to nurture both local and global ventures. A strategy has emerged now, suggesting
a local-global axis for the interfaith movement capable of empowering interreligious
work everywhere. The Golden Institute for International Partnership & Peace
was founded to give expression to the strategy. On October 26, at a quiet Dominican
priory just west of Chicago, 67 interfaith activists invited from around the
world gathered to hear a new dream of partnering between the global Parliament
gatherings and grassroots interfaith activities everywhere.
The Goldin Institute for International Partnership & Peace
Though born in Los Angeles, Diane Goldin brought her theatrical talents to
Chicago where a 17-year career as a producer garnered her high reputation for
multicultural approaches to the classical repertory. A life-long passion for
peace and justice led to her involvement with CPRW. Early in 2002 she made a
substantial donation to the Parliament for a five-year project called the Goldin
Institute. The Institute is dedicated to building “partnerships”
with grassroots interfaith communities everywhere who would like to have a formal
relationship with the group organizing the massive gatherings so many enjoyed
in Cape Town and will enjoy in Barcelona in the summer of 2004.
The weeklong Institute agenda was packed, leavened with long breaks and leisurely
meals. In short order, people had a chance to meet each other one-on-one for
an hour, and introduced each other in groups of eight. Then we went to work.
- Professor Patrice Brodeur of Connecticut College set the pace in a challenging
keynote about interfaith activities moving from the periphery to the center
of the religious community-at-large and the need to study “applied religion.”
- A day was spent on the increasingly important role of intrafaith relations
(activities connecting different segments of a single tradition) if interfaith
work is to have a significant influence in the world.
- The Parliament’s many Chicago projects were surveyed. Through the week
a dozen different religious and cultural sites in and near Chicago were visited,
with dozens of stories about interfaith activities from people at each site.
Gurdwara, church, synagogue, and mosque were all visited.
- Participants from South Africa, the Middle East, Taiwan, and Brazil were
given time to survey the considerable efforts going on in their organizations
back home. At table and on buses the conversation never ceased, and the shear
size of global grassroots activities started sinking in.
- In one case, participants had to choose a day examining relations between
Chicago’s Muslims and the rest of the community or interfaith activities
on campus. Afterwards participants gave high marks to both options.
- Visiting the spot where Vivekananda addressed the Parliament 109 years
ago particularly moved long-timers in the interfaith vineyard. At the Chicago
Art Institute we also visited the large room where “Towards a Global
Ethic — An Initial Declaration” was debated and signed by 200
religious leaders at the 1993 Parliament.
As Goldin Institute went into its fourth day, the Parliament?s dreams
for formal partnerships built around specific proposals and agreements were
detailed. Partnerships will mostly be with interfaith coalitions in cities around
the world, though smaller communities will also be welcomed in creating partnerships.
Time was scheduled for people to work in small groups and begin considering
what could be done in their own backyards that would benefit from a relationship
with CPWR. When time ran out, cards and email addresses were exchanged along
with promises to stay in touch.
The Possibilities Ahead
Grounding the dialogue at URI’s Global Assembly and the Parliament’s
Goldin Institute were some shared assumptions. Above all, collaboration is the
watchword today. Working together, relating across traditional turf boundaries,
sharing resources, cooperating rather than competing, integrated financial strategies
to fund a plenitude of grassroots efforts ? these themes came up over
and again, in Chicago as in Rio. Such sentiments are easy to mouth, but the
events themselves make the case. Dozens of those in Rio were Parliament alums
from 1993 and 1999, and two of the Parliament?s executive staff were full
participants at URI?s 2002 Assembly.
Similarly, nearly a third of the Goldin Institutes participants have been active
in URI activities, including four past and current URI Global Council trustees.
Growing out of collaboration, the phrase “capacity building” could
be heard over and over in both CPWR and URI settings. Some have wondered out
loud why we need more than one major grassroots international interfaith organization.
Those who feel that ending religiously motivated violence and creating cultures
of peace is actually critical to the human family’s survival quickly see
the efficacy in not two or three major interfaith organizations but many. On
the global stage, the interfaith movement is still working through day one or
two, and multiplying our aggregate capacity for generating mutual respect, peace,
and justice tops the collective agenda.
In a world darkened by conflict and turmoil, Goldin Institute participants
headed home with hope. The world we each live in had been enlarged with new
friends and the promise of creative partnerships for healing the world.
