The World's Parliament of World Religions was created in 1893 with the goal of creating a dialogue among the various faiths of the world. The establishment of a 100th anniversary conference marked its centenary celebrations in 1993. Although this conference is no more, it's still being remembered for the achievements of the past century.
Interreligious dialogue
The Council of World Religions promotes interreligious communication. Its primary goal is to promote peace and understanding through dialogue between all people. Recent years have seen challenges in funding and participation for the Council. In 2004, the Council was ordered to pay $276,000.00 for expenses related to the Barcelona Parliament of World Religions. This dispute was precipitated by the bombing of a train in Madrid a few months before the parliament.
Every five year, the Parliament of World Religions is held. This event is the largest ever interreligious gathering. The latest event, held in Melbourne (Australia) in 2009, featured over 600 programs and 1,300 speakers. The Dalai Lama and Hans Kung were among the many speakers at the meeting.
Peaceful coexistence
The Parliament of World Religions is a gathering of world leaders and religious leaders, who meet for seven days every year since 1995. Its aim is to promote harmony and peace in the world by peaceful coexistence. This event will include more than 500 programs as well as related events.
Educating religious leaders
Religious leaders must be educated for multiculturalism. This requires more than just religious skills and knowledge. They should also be able to understand the interfaith movement in modern times and receive training in interfaith relations. These are the issues this project is trying to address. This project will draw on the already existing initiatives in participating schools to create a framework that allows for multi-faith education in leadership.
The research was conducted by the project team to assess the educational experiences of students attending participating schools. A focus group interview with students was conducted to document their experiences. Five seminar sessions were recorded digitally and students participated in a post-Parliament survey. Many coordinators reviewed the course syllabus, and professors were interviewed in person and in writing.
Ambassador's Program
The Parliament of World Religions' Ambassador's Program is an opportunity for faith-based people to get to know one another and build mutual understanding. The Council for a Parliament of World Religions organizes the program. The Council's purpose is to facilitate dialogues between peoples of different religions. Each month, the AAC introduces a new Ambassador.
The Parliament of World Religions is a vehicle for dialogue between people of different faiths and has created a framework to envision a better, more just and sustainable future. The programme's goal is to encourage cooperation between world faiths. Because our collective efforts will ensure the wellbeing of the planet, this program has a mission.
Women's Task Force
The inaugural assembly of the Women's Task Force in Parliament of World Religions just concluded. It saw participants develop their interfaith programming and plenary sessions as well as worship. In the next years, the Women's Task Force hopes to increase its platform to include women with minority faith traditions and 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 holds a PhD from Arizona State University in Religious Studies, a MDiv from Yale Divinity School, as well as an MBA/MA in International Relations at the Wharton School of Business. Her work has been featured in many publications and more than 100 radio shows.