Parliament of the Worlds Religions by Paula Thompson

The Parliament of the World's Religions was held in Melbourne, Australia at the beginning of December, 2009. It was the 5th such event in the history of the world; the first Parliament happened in 1893 in Chicago and the second happened one hundred years later in 1993, again in Chicago. The third Parliament was in Cape Town, South Africa, the fourth in Barcelona, Spain and the latest, the fifth, in Melbourne, Australia.

The overall tone of this Parliament was that of reflection and re-evaluation. It gave the religionists who attended from around the world a chance to take a hard look at ourselves, at what we are doing and what we can do. We listened to the heart wrenching pleas of the Indigenous People present there as they beseeched the "modern" world to stop defiling the earth. We learned that they (indigenous people) cause only 1% of the problem and yet suffer 90% of the consequences of global warming. Leading experts on climate change are calling the catastrophe they face "climate injustice."

Equally compelling was an address to the Parliament on the first day by President Jimmy Carter, who admonished religions to stop the barbaric practice of discrimination and crimes against women and especially to quit using ancient religious texts to justify such practices. President Carter has left his own religious organization in protest of this and is boldly speaking against such practices. What a brave soul! To see his complete address click here: www.parliamentofreligions.org/index.cfm?n=8&sn=16. Spend some time, if you can, at the Parliament's official site, it's certainly worthwhile: www.cpwr.org. There are many interesting videos, images and articles that offer an in depth overview of this important event.

The Parliament offered its participants many lessons on transcending and healing. As I was talking to leaders of other religious movements I realized that schisms among fellow devotees are not uncommon; in fact, they are typical. I spoke at length to a woman representing the Spiritual Living Centers (formerly Religious Science). She told me that her movement (born in the early 20th Century) had a major schism about 25 years ago, but, in her words, "we are finally coming back together." It was interesting to me that she thinks 25 years is a long time. Some religious differences are handed down from generation to generation and have gone on for centuries. It always amazes me that people can be so angry in the present over something that happened long ago. I'm reminded of a quote that says, "...human loyalties, once mobilized, are hard to change."

While there, I had several occasions to sing and chant with friends. At one point the harmony we achieved was exquisitely beautiful. Later, my friend shared an insight about this with the rest of us. She said, "Isn't it a wonder that only through real diversity can we ever hope to achieve true harmony?" I had to let that one sink into my heart. It was simple and obvious and yet so profound. If each of us sang the same note, harmony would be impossible. True harmony comes only when diverse notes are blended together. Once achieved, it is entirely worth the effort required to achieve it. But true harmony can only be achieved when we practice singing all together. Harmony is a process of striking balance with others, not too loud, not too soft, but in such a way as to blend one's own uniqueness with the uniqueness of others.

Jesus' wisdom admonishes us to get to know each other's motives and sentiments. To do so is invaluable in helping us to create sympathetic understanding for one another. Our sympathetic understanding of our fellows makes it hard to continue hurtful behaviors and it makes it easier to do the right thing. That coupled with true humility is essential to peace within our homes, communities and the world. The Parliament is where the religions of the world are getting to know each other. It takes courage to surrender notions of religious sovereignty and find common ground. It's progress and evolution occurring before our eyes and that's a very good thing!

The Parliament is an event open to any and all who wish to attend.
By Paula Thompson