Reflections on Parliament of Worlds Religions

EARTHKEEPING NEWS
A NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN COALITION FOR CHRISTIANITY AND ECOLOGY

Volume Three, Number Two
November/December 1993

REFLECTIONS ON THE PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS (POWR) AUG. 25-SEP. 5, 1993

by E. Dyson

Regardless of how future historians interpret the significance of this 9 day celebration of the centennial of the first World's Parliament of Religions, many thoughtful participants see this POWR as a kairotic moment in history when the Holy Spirit was moving through a global assembly working together on behalf of a whole earth.

A century ago thousands of Exposition goers watched a few leaders of the world's major religions as they met to examine the merits of each other's traditions. Their setting was the 1893 Chicago Exposition, the major purpose of which was to proclaim the superiority of Western Progress through technology.

In the 1993 Parliament, over 6,500 adherents to scores of major and minor spiritual traditions and religions met to share how their faith perspectives could help them address the global crises of the 21st century. Christians were in the minority. Of the 179 co-sponsors, 52 (30%) represented Christian congregations, denominations, or ecumenical organizations.

Over 700 seminars, lectures, symposia, plenary addresses, exhibits and performances were divided into six major arenas — Earth, Science and Technology; Religion, Past Present and Future; Health and Healing; The Language of Spirituality; Social Challenges; and Community and Culture.

The organizers offered The Treasure Map to the Parliament (a flier) as a way to get through a maze of competing events described in the 150 page catalogue. It urged participants to take advantage of meditation opportunities, to set aside quiet times for reflection as ways to keep their sanity. Its advise in selecting programs: "Be prepared to be inspired, surprised, challenged and even disturbed by what you hear. Don't miss the opportunity to attend programs that question your most basic assumptions! Immerse yourself!"

In spite of the fears of the management, and reports in the popular press, conflict was minimal.

The spirit of "we're all in this together" was evident in hallways, waiting for the elevators, and most markedly in the Parliament of the People (POP). For 2 hours on each of 4 days, 200-400 participants gathered in a ballroom in small, high energy circles of persons from diverse backgrounds to talk about their vision for a better world, the challenges facing us, proposals to deal with the challenges, and personal commitments. A facilitator in each circle recorded what people said. These notes were organized by the facilitator team and published in the daily newspaper, Your Voice. The POP encounters continued in the halls and suites of the hotel.

For the last four days approximately two hundred Religious and Spiritual Leaders, in order to talk informally, met separately in the Stock Exchange room of the Chicago Art Institute. The press was excluded. Each table of leaders from diverse traditions had a facilitator to record their concerns for the world. Ninety five percent of the Assembly Leaders signed the Declaration of a Global Ethic and its Supporting Principles, drafted by Hans Kung.

Dr. Robert Muller, Chancellor Emeritus of the University for Peace in Costa Rica, gave us a framework for considering future directions:

"Like it or not, this new age we are entering will be an age of communities and of cooperation; it will be an age of family, and of the family of nations. The family of religions cannot be absent."