Parliament of Worlds Religion 1999 Capetown SA

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

Page 18

A CALL TO OUR GUIDING INSTITUTIONS
DECEMBER
9
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A CALL TO OUR GUIDING INSTITUTIONS
Preamble
As human beings
... we are all interdependent and must relate to each other respectfully and peacefully: ...we are all children, women, men worthy of a meaningful life, and must treat all
others with fairness, kindness, encouragement, and love; ...we are all responsible for the care of the Earth on which we depend and the well
being of the communities in which we live; we know that our individual and collective futures will be reshaped by the extent to which we link our societies in partnerships that reach across the continents and across racial, ethnic, cultural, sexual, social, political, economic, and religious lines.
As religious and spiritual persons
..we center our lives in an Ultimate Reality, which our traditions call by various names
(the Absolute, Allah, Brahman, Dharmakaya, God, Great Spirit, the One, Waheguru), drawing hope and strength therefrom, in trust and vision, in word and silence, in
service and solidarity; ...we seek to foster creative engagement among the guiding institutions that so
profoundly influence life on Earth, in order that we may find imaginative new ways to address the critical issues that confront us all.
As members of the Earth community
...we affirm the keystone principle of the document Towards a Global Ethic: An Initial Declaration:
Every human being must be treated humanely!
We further affirm the four commitments ensuing from this principle:
. Commitment to a Culture of Non-Violence and Respect for Life, • Commitment to a Culture of Solidarity and a Just Economic Order, • Commitment to a Culture of Tolerance and a Life of Truthfulness, • Commitment to a Culture of Equal Rights and Partnership between Men and Women.
Together, on the occasion of the 1999 Parliament of the World's Religions in Cape Town, we extend this Call to these guiding institutions whose decisions and actions will mean so much to the future of the entire community of the Earth, urging each to reassess and redefine its role for a new century toward the realization of a just, peaceful, and sustainable future.
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1999 PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS Jain Education Intemational 2010_03