Bahá’í World/Volume 33/Parliament of the World’s Religions

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[Page 127]

Parliament of the World’s Religions

1th the rise of activity on the part of Civil society during i x I the course of the past several decades, it is only natural that different religious groups should seek to become part of the dialogue. Religion is indisputably one of the most profound influences on both individual and collective development, and its insights into the spiritual dimensions of humanity cannot be dis— counted. But when it comes to religious groups collaborating, often their disagreements and differences in belief and practice override their mutual desire to assist humanity. As the Universal House of Justice pointed out in an open letter to religious leaders worldwide, “[O]rganized religion, whose very reason for being entails service to the cause of brotherhood and peace, behaves all too frequently as one of the most formidable obstacles in the path; to cite a particular painful fact, it has long lent its credibility to fanaticism.”1 This is not a new issue, of course, but the necessity of interac— tion in our increasingly interdependent world has made it more immediate. As the Universal House ofJustice suggests, “The chal- lenge facing the religious leaders of mankind is to contemplate, with hearts filled With the spirit of compassion and a desire for truth, the plight of humanity, and to ask themselves whether they cannot, in

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humility before their Almighty Creator, submerge their theological differences in a great spirit of mutual forbearance that will enable them to work together for the advancement of human understand- ing and peace.”2

It was the actions of religious leaders willing to undertake the ef— fort to work towards common understanding and collaboration that led to an interfaith movement that began to coalesce towards the end of the nineteenth century. In 1893, that movement gave birth to an event titled the World Parliament of Religions, which took place in Chicago under the aegis of the World Colombian Exposition. The Parliament was the first formal gathering of religious leaders from East and West, and the event is widely recognized as the birth of the interfaith movement.

As the Universal House ofJustice noted about the event:

Briefly, it appeared that ancient walls had fallen. For influential thinkers in the field of religion, the gathering stood unique, “un- precedented in the history of the world.” The Parliament had, its distinguished principal organizer said, “emancipated the world from bigotry.” An imaginative leadership, it was confidently predicted, would seize the opportunity and awaken in the earth’s long—divided religious communities a spirit of brotherhood that could provide the needed moral underpinnings for the new world of prosperity and progress. Thus encouraged, interfaith movements of every kind took root and flourished.3

The Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions (CPWR), desiring to carry on the tradition a century later, inaugurated a series of new gatherings, beginning with a centenary Parliament in 1993 and followed by a Congress of more than 7,000 people in Cape Town, South Africa, six years later. Both were held in service to the CPWR’S stated purpose, which is to “cultivate harmony between the world’s religious and spiritual communities and foster their engage— ment with the world and its other guiding institutions in order to achieve a peaceful, just, and sustainable world.”

Despite the efforts of it and other like-minded groups, however, and the fact that religious communities worldwide are engaged in fostering interfaith dialogue, the religious landscape has, if anything, become more stratified since that meeting in 1999. The awareness

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of the danger of religious fanaticism has risen on the global stage, largely thanks to the increased visibility of Islamic terrorist groups. In other spheres, such as biology, debates over ethics and morality have created a Visible tension between religious representatives and their secular counterparts.

Nevertheless, in July 2004, the latest of these religious Parlia- ments was convened in Barcelona, Spain, a place where the message of the danger of fanaticism was especially resonant, as only months before bombs exploded by Islamic terrorists had blown up four packed commuter trains in Madrid, killing 190 people. The explo- sions, the worst in Europe in 15 years, made the city an appropriate place for discussing Islam and Violence in religion, said Parliament organizers.

The event in Barcelona, held from 7 to 13 July, drew an estimated 8,000 people, each coming with different aims and hopes, but all seeking greater understanding and collaboration among the various religious communities. Open to religious leaders and adherents alike, the event involved more than 400 workshops, panel discus— sions, and artistic presentations. The overall focus was on promoting interreligious dialogue, and panels at the event highlighted the ways religious communities can contribute to progress on four central issues: religious Violence, access to safe water, the fate of refugees worldwide, and the elimination of debt for poorer nations. At the opening assembly Wednesday evening, thousands gathered to listen to chanting Buddhist monks, dressed in orange and red tunics. Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian lawyer and human rights activist who won the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize, gave the keynote address.

The 2004 Parliament was one of a range of events that were part of the Universal Forum of Cultures, the first in a series of in- ternational cultural events organized to support peace, sustainable development, human rights, and respect for cultural diversity. The executive director of CPWR, Dirk Ficca, described the uniqueness of this gathering by pointing out, “When people of faith commit to address religious violence and other pressing issues facing the global community, they follow through. We make a commitment not only to the world, but out of a deeply rooted religious or spiritual convic— tion. That is what makes the Barcelona Parliament commitments so special.”4

[Page 130]130 THE BAHA’I’ WORLD 2004—2005

Members of the Baha’i community, an outspoken supporter of interfaith collaboration, participated in and supported the Parlia— ment, taking their inspiration from Baha’u’llah’s guidance that they should “[c]onsort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship.”5 Seeing all religions as fundamentally united in their origination from a single God, Baha’l’s have been involved in key areas of all three modern Parliaments,6 with more than 20 Baha’is participating in panel discussions, giving speeches, and taking part in other events at the 2004 gathering. Another 80 Baha’l’s from more than 12 countries also attended. Miguel Gil, who represented the Baha’l’s of Spain, said the Spanish Baha’i community gave significant support by providing volunteers and organizational assistance, stating that the goal for Baha’is at the Parliament was “to help further understanding between the different religions.”

Lally Lucretia Warren, a Baha’i from Botswana, attended as one of 15 members of the Parliament’s international advisory commit— tee—a group that includes such figures as the Dalai Lama, Anglican Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, and Ela Gandhi, the grand— daughter of Mahatma Gandhi—and because of her participation in Interfaith Action for Peaee in Africa, which was initiated by the

£411)! Lucretia “Warren, a Balm” ’z’fiom Botswana, chairs one 0ft/Je plenary sessions 0ft/76 Parliament of the W715! ’5 Religion: in Barcelona, Spain, in 2004.

[Page 131]PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD’S RELIGIONS I31

Lutheran World Federation. In describing the purpose of the event, Ms. Warren said that the Parliament would not dictate to the world what to do, but referred to Bahé’u’lléh’s description of religion as “the chief instrument for the establishment of order in the world, and of tranquility amongst its peoples.”7 Ms. Warren chaired one of the Parliament’s plenary sessions and participated in a panel on “Religion, Religions, and Religious Unity: A Baha’i View” with Julio Savi from Italy and Chris Hamilton from the USA. Ms. Warren began her involvement in interfaith activities two decades ago as one of the organizers of local Observances of World Religion Day, an annual event established more than so years ago by the Baha’i community in the United States; it now sees Observances all over the world. Other Baha’i participants included Denise Belisle of Canada, Who was sponsored by the Goldin Institute because of her work in an interreligious “Partner Cities” project that grew out ofher activity on the Interfaith Council of Montreal. Jan Saeed of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, was sponsored by Brigham Young University because of her efforts on the Salt Lake Interreligious Council during the 2002 Winter Olympics. Brian Lepard, a professor oflaw at the University

ColLimmlM - in 5-; i

‘ 4. Baba’ ’z’s attending t/ae Parliament of the LVoer’s Religions, fiom [:79 to right: Robert Bennet (UK), fan Saeed (US), AK Merchant (India), Badz' Daemz'

{Andorra}, Denise Belisle (Canada), and Miguel Gil (Spain).

[Page 132]132 THE BAHA’I’ WORLD 2004—2005

ofNebraska, came at the invitation of the Global Ethics and Religion Forum because of his scholarship on international human rights and religion. Moojan Momen, a Baha’i scholar from the United Kingdom who gave a well-attended talk at the Parliament on “The Baha’i Theological Basis of Interreligious Dialogue,” said that Baha’is are able to contribute particularly well to interfaith dialogue because of a belief system that defuses those elements of religion that tend to produce conflict.

A Call to Our Guiding Institutions, a document issued from the 1999 Parliament, served not only as a consensus of that meeting but also as a guidepost for future action, stating:

We find ourselves at a moment when people everywhere are com- ing to recognize that the world is a global village. Unique to this moment is the possibility of a new level of creative engagement between the institutions of religion and spirituality and the other powerful institutions that influence the character and course of human society. What is needed now is a persuasive invitation to our guiding institutions to build new, reliable, and more imagina— tive partnerships toward the shaping of a better world.8

Unlike the Parliaments in 1993 and 1999, this one did not pro- duce a consensus statement. Instead, religious communities made separate commitments towards aiding each of the four stated goals.9 Nevertheless, with regard to the goal of promoting tolerance and understanding, most participants Viewed the 2004 Parliament as a success, while some saw the event as more symbolic than anything else and were skeptical that practical action would emerge as a result, particularly since the Parliament’s ability to influence government policies was questionable.

Still, the goals that it identified and promoted are essential. In their speeches and discussions, religious leaders and activists from an entire spectrum of beliefs and ideals repeatedly advocated recog- nition of human interdependence and recognition of the common spirit that pervades religion. Whether that advocacy will lead to real change remains to be seen, but the responsibility has been placed in the hands of religionists everywhere and many of them seem willing to do their part to aid a process that the Universal House OFJustice describes as Vital to no less than the success of human Civilization:

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With every day that passes, danger grows that the rising fires of religious prejudice will ignite a worldwide conflagration the consequences of which are unthinkable. Such a danger civil government, unaided, cannot overcome. Nor should we delude ourselves that appeals for mutual tolerance can alone hope to extinguish animosities that claim to possess Divine sanction. The crisis calls on religious leadership for a break with the past as decisive as those that opened the way for society to address equally corrosive prejudices of race, gender, and nation. What- ever justification exists for exercising influence in matters of conscience lies in serving the well—being of humankind. At this greatest turning point in the history of civilization, the demands of such service could not be more clear.10

NOTES

1

6

9

Universal House of Justice, To the W/orldit Religiou; Leader; (Haifa: Baha’i World Centre, 2002), p. 1.

Universal House ofjustice, The Promise ofW/orZa/Pmce (Haifa: Baha’i World Centre, 1985), p. 11.

7?; tlae World’s Religious Leaders, p. 4.

Press release, http://www.cpwr.org/2004Parliament/ .

Baha’u’llah, Lawh—i—Dunyé, Tablets of Baba’ ’u’llzz’k Revealed afier the [(#46- i-Aqda: (Wilmette, IL: Baha’i Publishing Trust, 1988), p. 87.

There was no Baha’i representation at the original Parliament in 1893, since there were no Baha’fs in North America at that time. However, that event was the occasion that marked the first public mention of Baha’u’llah, in a paper by Rev. Henry H. Jessup.

Baha’u’llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf(\X/ilmette, 1L: Baha’i Publishing Trust, 1988), p. 28.

A Call to Our Guiding Institutions, available at http://www.cpwr.org/re- source/call_to_gis.htm.

See http://www.cpwr.org/2004Parliament/Barcelonacommitments/.

'0 7?) flat LVoeriv Religious Leaders, p. 13.