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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1999 GIFTS O F SERVICE TO THE WORLD
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Partners in Dialogue: a Venture in Interfaith Understanding Administered by the Department of Religious Studies at the University of South Carolina, this project seeks to link academic inquiry in the comparative study of the world's religions with ventures in interfaith understanding between religious groups in the community. Partners in Dialogue includes participants from the Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Unitarian Universalist, Bahá'í, Sikh, and Native American communities.
In addition to annual interfaith conferences, potluck suppers and dialogue meetings have proven to be very popular. Individuals bring prepared dishes characteristic of their tradition or culture. The opportunity to share a meal inevitably opens up conversation about the dietary habits of each group, providing a reminder that knowing about eating habits is one of the most effective ways to learn about a group. The evening typically includes a panel discussion and group conversation on the announced topic. Examples of topics include: Signs and Symbols of Light in Our Respective Traditions; Views of the Afterlife; Religious Values and Politics, and: The Place of Interfaith Relations Within the Programmatic Emphases of My Faith Community.
Partners in Dialogue has also sponsored worship open-house experiences, when a special invitation is extended by one faith community to the others to attend an important event at their place of worship. The faith communities involved in Partners joined together in Witness for Reconciliation, an effort to heal the racial divisions in the State caused by the flying of the Confederate flag atop the State House. More recently, Partners has become involved with the South Carolina Department of Corrections and other groups to provide an interfaith support program for the families of prison inmates who are terminally ill.
Partners in Dialogue
USA
BUILDING BRIDGES OF UNDERSTANDING
E Pluribus Unum Project — Out of Many, One
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The E Pluribus Unum Project (EPU) began as an opportunity for students from around the nation to explore how their religious values interact with public policy and civic engagement. Each summer, the project convenes 60 recent high school graduates - 20 Catholic, 20 Jewish, and 20 Protestant students - in Washington, DC for three weeks to explore how their religious traditions deal with questions of social justice and the common good.
The workshops included:
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Spiritual Arts Workshops: Spiritual Arts workshops in dance, creative writing, voice, art and drama provide a setting for individual expression. Worship, in both particular traditions and of an ecumenical nature, challenges students to connect with their own spirituality.
Volunteer Service: Service learning opportunities provide ways for students to actively pursue social justice. Students are exposed to local efforts that address community needs, and they also gain familiarity with Washington-based initiatives that aim at finding global solutions to problems concerning human rights, poverty and the environment. Community Life: Students, faculty, and administrators learn how to create a community centered on agreed-upon norms. A governance council, representing all sectors of the community, faces the challenge of reconciling individual and communal interests. In daily covenant groups, eight diverse students and a mentor forge intimate friendships, spend time integrating strands of the EPU experience, and apply valuable lessons to their own lives.
Academic Track: Three faith-alike classes for Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant students explore, using sacred writings and histories, how religious traditions have dealt with human rights, poverty, and the environment. In interfaith forums, students hear from religious and policy leaders in the three issue areas. They then engage in innovative simulations and discussions, which broaden their understanding of the issues.
E Pluribus Unum Project USA
COOPERATION
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