The World's Parliament of World Religions was founded in 1893 to foster dialogue between all faiths. In 1993, the centenary of its founding was marked with the creation of a conference. While the conference is no-longer in existence, we are celebrating the accomplishments of the past century.
Interreligious dialogue
The Council of World Religions is a group that facilitates interreligious dialogue. Its primary objective is to promote peace, understanding, and dialogue among all persons. However, the Council has faced challenges with funding and participation in recent years. In 2004, the Council was ordered to pay $276,000.00 for expenses related to the Barcelona Parliament of World Religions. This dispute was triggered by the Madrid bombing of a train a few weeks before the parliament.
The organization puts on an event called the Parliament of World Religions every five years, which is the largest regular interreligious gathering. The last event was held in Melbourne in Australia in 2009. It featured more than 600 programs and more than 1,300 speakers. Many prominent speakers addressed the meeting, including the Dalai Lama and theologian Hans Kung.
Peaceful coexistence
For the past 25 years, the Parliament of World Religions has gathered world leaders and religious leaders from over 80 nations for seven days. Its mission is to promote peace and harmony by peaceful coexistence of all religions. More than 500 programs and events will be part of the event.
Religious leaders can be educated
It takes more than religious knowledge and skills to educate religious leaders in a multi-cultural world. They also need a deeper understanding of the modern interfaith movement and training in interfaith relations. These are the issues this project is trying to address. This project aims to tap into the existing initiatives at participating schools and create a framework for multi-faith leadership education.
The project team did research to determine the educational experiences of students at participating schools during the creation of the program. To document the experiences of students, a focus group interview was conducted. Digital video recordings of five seminar sessions were also collected, and a post-Parliament survey was conducted with students. Professors were interviewed both formally and personally, and the course syllabus was reviewed by several coordinators.
Ambassador's Program
The Parliament of World Religions Ambassador's Programme is a platform that allows people of faith to meet and learn from one another. The Council for a Parliament of World Religions organizes this program. The Council's goal is to create dialogues between people of different religions and cultures. Each month, the AAC announces a new Ambassador.
The Parliament of World Religions was a catalyst to dialogue and relationships between people of different faiths. This has allowed for the creation of a framework that can help us envision a more just and sustainable world. The purpose of this program is to encourage international cooperation between religions around the world, as the future of the planet will depend on our collective efforts.
Women's Task Force
The Women's Task Force in Parliament of World Religions, which was inaugurated just recently, saw participants improve their interfaith programming, plenary session, and worship. In the coming years, the Women's Task Force plans to broaden its platform to include women of minority faith traditions and to continue interfaith conversations.
Dr. Elizabeth Ursic (PhD), a professor of religion and spiritual leader, leads the Women's Task Force. She is also cochair of the Society of Biblical Literature's Women's Caucus, and a trustee of The Parliament of World Religions. She has a PhD in Religious Studies at Arizona State University, an MDiv degree from Yale Divinity School, and an MBA/MAin International Relations from Wharton School of Business. Her work was featured in several publications and more that 100 radio shows.