wfn.org | Baha'i news: Parliament of the World's Religions under way in Australia

[Sally Weeks <sweeks@bwc.org>]

>Baha'i World News Service
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Parliament of the World's Religions under way in Australia

MELBOURNE, Australia, 4 December (BWNS) - Baha'is from five continents are  making presentations at the Parliament of the World's Religions - an event  now held every five years in the modern continuation of an initiative begun  more than a century ago.

The seven-day parliament, which opened on 3 December in Melbourne, is expec ted to draw as many as 8,000 individuals from virtually every world religio n and faith group.

It was at the inaugural Parliament of Religions, held in Chicago in 1893, t hat the Baha'i Faith received one of its first public mentions in the West.

"That earlier gathering, which in some respects represents the beginning of  the interfaith movement, created hope for a new spirit of unity among the  religions," said Natalie Mobini, spokeswoman for the Australian Baha'i comm unity.

"The main organizer said later that it had emancipated the world from bigot ry," she said. "At first, there indeed were signs of change. But it is appa rent that we have a great deal more work to do to achieve our common aim of  establishing brotherhood and peace.

"The belief that all the major religions come from God and are part of His  plan for humanity is central to the Baha'i Faith," she continued. "Thus the  work to strengthen ties among the different religions is an arena of activ ity that we feel passionately about."

More than 70 Baha'is are attending the Melbourne event, participating at vi rtually every level of the parliament - from panel discussions on climate c hange and interfaith relations to artistic presentations to hosting a devot ional gathering.

>Among the Baha'i participants are:

- Professor Brian Lepard, a human rights specialist from the University of  Nebraska in the United States, who is examining from a Baha'i perspective t he concept of the right to development. Dr. A. K. Merchant, a member of the  National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of India, will speak at the sam e session.

- Lucretia Warren, a Baha'i from Botswana and a speaker at the past two par liaments, who is participating in a session on "Interfaith and the Future o f Africa."

- Native American Kevin Locke, a well-known performer of the Lakota hoop da nce, who is leading a session titled "There are no back row seats in the Ho op of Life."

- British authors Moojan Momen and Wendi Momen, who are presenting a panel  discussion on "Building Peace in the Pursuit of Justice: A Baha'i Approach. "

- Australian Baha'i Arini Beaumaris, who will speak on "Spirituality and Wo men's Leadership."

- Recording artists Shadi and Shidan Toloui-Wallace, who will perform durin g the concert of sacred music scheduled for the evening of 6 December.

Baha'is also are making presentations on environmental topics, consistent w ith the overall theme of the parliament, "Make a world of difference: Heari ng each other, healing the earth."

"The healing of the physical planet ... requires that we address spiritual  principles," Dr. Mobini added.

Baha'is of Australia are hosting a spiritual observance open to all partici pants at the parliament; an evening of music, drama, and dance featuring na tional and international artists; and presentations on topics ranging from  the journey of the soul to the role of women in interfaith work.

The modern Parliament of World Religions began in 1993 in Chicago on the ce ntenary of the original event. It is now held every five years. In 1999 it  took place in Cape Town, South Africa, and in 2004 in Barcelona, Spain.

Information about the parliament is available at http://www.parliamentofrel igions.org/

>To read the article with photographs, go to:
>http://news.bahai.org/story/739