The Parliament of the World's Religions just took place in Melbourne, Australia Dec. 3rd through the 9th and I had the blessing and privilege to attend this big interfaith event.
Representatives of all the world’s religions came from all over the world to participate in the 2009 theme “Making a World of Difference, Hearing Each Other and Healing the Earth.”
5000 people gathered to talk about the conditions that this world is faced with, such as: “Healing the Earth with Care and Concern,” “Overcoming Poverty in an Unequal World,” Securing Food and Water for All People,” “Indigenous Peoples,” “Building Peace in the Pursuit of Justice,” “Creating Social Cohesion in Village and City,” and “Sharing Wisdom in the Search for Inner Peace.” These were the major sub-themes.
Under these themes were many others such as: "UN Millennium Development Goals-challenges and opportunities for Global Stability," "Poverty in Wealthy Countries," "Interreligious Partnerships for Ending Hunger," "The Impact of Women in Conflict Resolution," "Muslim Women Securing Their Own Individuality," "Aboriginal Women-Healing the Land and its People," "Religion's Imperative to Present 'the Other' Faithfully" and many more.
Every day over 200 workshops took place. So imagine trying to choose what talk, presentation, or film to attend.
The Parliament of the World's Religions is showing the world that we can come together and communicate with one another, that we can work together, and that we can come together hand in hand to resolve world issues.
The next major step is for all of us to walk hand in hand against a world that is mostly dis-empowering the human race, that is killing the human race through the food that we eat, through the air we breath, through disruptive electromagnetic fields, and through the use of fear propagated by the world governments and their media . . .
My prayer:
May we as human beings on this planet connect with our Divine Light and our Divine intrinsic truth and essence, which will open up our awareness and knowledge to see clearly how we are living in this world and how we can actively make a difference to live better and healthier lives.
Just as Christians go on a pilgrimage to the Vatican, the Jewish People go to Jerusalem, or the Muslim's go to Mecca, religious leaders who are involved in interfaith work will attend the Parliament of the World's Religions.
Since 2001 I have been involved with interfaith work. I have been blessed to work with incredible people from all faiths. We have come together as an interfaith community to create beautiful moments of inspiration, of love and of joy through many events that have brought us to cherish the light that shines bright within each and every soul we encounter. What a blessing that is.
I took many pictures at the Parliament of the World's Religions and wish to share them with you. Enjoy!
Love,
Simran Kaur
"Infinite love is the only truth. Everything else is an illusion."