Parliament of Worlds Religion 1999 Capetown SA

Author(s): Parliament of the World’s Religions
Publisher: USA Parliament of the Worlds Religions

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1 9 9 9 PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD S RELIGIONS
Cape Town proudly welcomes all participants of the 1999 Parliament of the World's Religions to its shores. Our people and our mountains embrace you, and we wish you an inspiring, fruitful, and memorable experience in our city. May the Parliament be a source of inspiration and encouragement to the people of the world as we seek new ways of understanding and bridge building. Gordon R. Oliver Co-Director, Parliament of the World's Rcligions, South Africa
The 1999 Parliament of the World's Religions is a celebration of hope and a vision of possible futures. It is also a powerful testimony to the good hearts and good will of the many thousands of people from every part of the world, and from almost every religious and spiritual tradition—who believed that this gathering could indeed be the harbinger of a new day dawning. It is not the intention of those who have gathered in Cape Town to create a new religion, or to diminish in any way the precious uniqueness of any path. Instead, we have come here to demonstrate that the religious and spiritual traditions and communities of Cape Town, of South Africa, and of the larger world can and should encounter one another in a spirit of respect, and with an openness to new understanding. We have joined with one another in a spirit of dialogue and cooperation, seeking to discover new ways to rise to the challenges and the opportunities of life at the threshold of a new century. And as each of us reaches out to the transcendent in her or his own way. somehow, we are no longer strangers to one another. Those of us who have worked so hard for so long to make the 1999 Parliament a reality greet you and wish you a rich, fulfilling, and even transformative experience in this beautiful city at this very critical time for the Earth and the human community Jim Kenney Director, International Interreligious initiative Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions
For years, to my ears, the word "tolerance" was a perfectly good word, deserving to be uttered in the same breath with other noble words like "understanding." "harmony." "justice," and "peace". Until, one day, someone said to me: "Dirk, tolerate you." I've never been able to hear or use that word in the same way again. At a minimum, I suppose, we need tolerance, in the same way we need stop signs: it keeps us from running over each other. But as the primary basis for human relations, it doesn't cut it. For one thing, tolerance asks little, if anything, of us. Clearly It does nothing to humanize the "other." It allows us to continue to divide the world up into "us" and "them." For these reasons, tolerance can all too quickly slip into indifference, prejudice, hatred and violence. Let's admit it: learning to live with diversity is hard work. It takes soul-searching and commitment. More than that, its an acquired art. It demands practice and discernment. It means coming to grips with the requirements of "live and let live." All of which, I believe, can only happen as the result of real life encounters with those who are different. Which is why I am so proud to welcome you to the 1999 Parliament. At this extraordinary event you and I have the opportunity to encounter each other face to face and to learn first-hand about our precious religious and spiritual paths and unique cultural heritages. We have the opportunity to move beyond tolerance to a new sense of what we mean when we say "we." To create an image of humanity to carry around in our heads and hearts that resonates with the way the world truly is. To begin the task of working together towards a vision of the way the world can truly be, a world characterized by understanding, harmony. justice, and peace. Rev. Dirk Ficca Executive Director, Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions
Jain Education Interational 2010_03
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