Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions
April 15th, 2003 by sfuqua
The second in our series of articles on the aims and activities of individual interfaith organizations from around the globe.
Who and What is the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions?
Mission
The mission of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions is
to cultivate harmony between the world’s religious and spiritual
communities and foster their engagement with the world and its other
guiding institutions in order to achieve a peaceful, just, and
sustainable world.
Vision
The vision of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions is of
a just, peaceful and sustainable world in which:
- The Earth and all life are cherished, protected, healed and restored
- Religious and cultural fears and hatreds are replaced with
understanding and respect - People everywhere come to know and care for their neighbors
- The richness of human and religious diversity is woven into the
fabric of communal, civil, societal and global life - The world’s most powerful and influential institutions move beyond
narrow self-interest to realize the common good - Religious and spiritual communities live in harmony and contribute to
a better world from their riches of wisdom and compassion - All people commit to living out their highest values and aspirations
Our Challenge
We live in a world of difference. Yet, we are interdependent. Nowhere is
learning to live with difference more important than religion. Too often,
religion is misused as an instrument for division and injustice,
betraying the very ideals and teachings that lie at the heart of each of
the world’s great traditions. At the same time, religious and spiritual
traditions shape the lives of billions in wise and wonderful ways. They
gather people in communities of shared beliefs and practices. When these
diverse communities work in harmony for the common good, there is hope
that the world can be transformed.
Over the years, the Council has initiated dialogues and nurtured
relationships among people of difference. In doing so the Council has
provided a framework for expressing many visions of a just, peaceful and
sustainable future. In the process, religious and spiritual communities
have discovered a shared commitment to ethical principles. This shared
commitment has opened the way for a new era of cooperative action among
the world’s religious and spiritual communities as well as with the
world’s other guiding institutions. The well-being of the Earth and all
life depends on such a collaboration.
CPWR’s current programs include:
- 2004 Parliament
- Creating Community Vision
- Creative Engagement with Guiding Institutions
- The Goldin Institute for International Partnership and Peace
- Interfaith Service House
- Media Guide
- Next Generation Leadership Development
- Paul Carus Award
- Partner Cities Program
- Patient Care Protocols
- The World in Our Backyard
CPWR History
1893 Parliament, Chicago, USA
The Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions (CPWR) officially
dates from 1988 when two monks from the Vivekananda Vedanta Society of
Chicago suggsted organizing a centennial celebration of the 1893 World’s
Parliament of Religions, held in Chicago in conjunction with the
Columbian Exposition.
The 1893 Parliament had marked the first formal gathering of
representatives of eastern and western spiritual traditions. Today it is
recognized as the occasion of the birth of formal interreligious dialogue
worldwide.
1993 Parliament of the World’s Religions, Chicago, U.S.A.
In 1993, the Parliament of the World’s Religions was convened in Chicago,
with 8,000 people from all over the world coming together to celebrate
diversity and harmony and to explore religious and spiritual responses to
the critical issues which confront us all.
At the 1993 Parliament, an assembly of religious and spiritual leaders
gave its assent to a groundbreaking document, Towards a Global Ethic:
An Initial Declaration. The declaration is a powerful statement of
the ethical common ground shared by the world’s religious and spiritual
traditions.
Creating Community Vision
In 1996 CPWR began the “Creating Community Vision” program in the Rogers
Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, to foster stronger relationships
between diverse religious and spiritual communities.
This program, based on a methodology of encounter, dialogue, and
cooperation, has become the process by which CPWR has successfully
organized and engaged religious and spiritual communities across the
world. Through the years, the individuals participating in “Creating
Community Vision” have joined together to address issues that affect
their entire neighborhood. They have come together to support each other
in times of tragedy and celebration. In this way they have formed a vital
framework for ongoing cooperation for the purpose of creating a stronger,
more cohesive neighborhood.
In 2001, CPWR began a similar community building program in the town of
Skokie, Illinois.
1999 Parliament of the World’s Religions, Cape Town, South Africa
In cooperation with its partners in South Africa, CPWR hosted the second
modern day Parliament of the World’s Religions in Cape Town, South Africa
in December 1999.
The religious and spiritual communities of South Africa were integral to
ending the system of apartheid that prevailed throughout their country.
These same communities continue to play a key role in the movement of
reconciliation. Holding the 1999 Parliament in Cape Town provided
thousands of people with the opportunity to witness first-hand the role
that religion and spirituality played in creating a new South African
nation.
The 1999 Parliament attracted 7,000 individuals from over 80 countries.
Participants were invited to attend any of the 860 workshops,
performances, lectures, panel discussions, and meditation sessions.
Participants were also encouraged to attend evening plenary sessions led
by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, and other religious,
civic, governmental, and educational activists.
At the 1999 Parliament, CPWR presented a new document, A Call to Our
Guiding Institutions - addressed to religion, government, business,
education, and media - to invite these institutions to reflect on and
transform their roles at the threshold of the next century.
Looking to the Future
In 2001, Board of Trustees adopted a five-year strategic plan to
integrate the local and global dimensions of its work. In short, the
Council is committed to:
- Convening periodic international Parliaments of the World’s Religions
roughly every five years - Fostering an international network of religous and spiritual leaders
and members of the world’s other sectors, such as media, government,
medicine, and education, to address issues of peace, justice, and
sustainability at the global level - Create a network of grassroots-based Partner Cities around the world
whose actions in the interreligious movement affect positive change both
locally and globally - Nurture and broaden the interreligious movement in Chicago
