Parliament of Worlds Religion 2009 Melbourne Australia

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

Page 160

| PROGRAMS
Friday, December 4, 2009
11:30am-1:00pm INTERRELIGIOUS SESSION
Globalisation and Spiritual Values KL Seshagiri Rao Subhash Kak Rabbi Lance Sussman Joseph Prabhu Harbans Lal Muzammil Siddiqi S Wesley Ariarajah Room 211 Panel Discussion In the contemporary world, excessive materialism has led to corruption, sexism, erosion of values, disintegra tion of families, juvenile crime and so on. Societies of the world are shaken by religious and political conflicts, violence and terrorism. There is an urgent need to protect and preserve spiritual and moral values cherished by all religious traditions. Changing conditions bring new challenges, which must be creatively addressed. One of these challenges is globalisation, which has pitched members of many cultures together in big cities and small towns across the globe. It is a tragedy that so many people continue to be strangers to one another's inner cultural and religious life. Such ignorance promotes distrust and hatred. At this critical period, many are turning toward spirituality in search of meaningful solutions. Although religion is supposed to unite humanity, too often, religions still function as strong divisive forces. During this program, panel members will discuss how religious people can work toward building tolerance in a globalised society, while simultaneously deepening their own faiths. The future of humanity rests in releasing the underlying spirituality and morality of all religions. Dr K L Seshagiri Rao is Professor Emeritus of Religion at the University of Virginia, Chief Editor of the Encyclopedia of Hinduism and Indic Religions, and Co-Editor of the journal Interreligious Insight and its predecessor World Faiths Insight. A Trustee of the World Congress of Faiths, he has been active with interfaith organisations for many years. He is the author of many books and articles and has participated in consultations of UNESCO and the World Economic Forum Professor Subhash Kak will provide perspective on Hindu spirituality. Rabbi Lance Sussman will provide perspective on Jewish spirituality. Joseph Prabhu is a Professor of Philosophy at the California State University at Los Angeles and the President of the Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy. He is also the author of Human Rights in CrossCultural Perspective and 'Liberating Gandhi: Community, Empire and a Culture of Peace' (forthcomingl. He is a Program Task Force Chair and Trustee of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions. Professor Harbans Lal will provide perspective on Sikh spirituality Professor Muzammil Siddiqi will provide perspective on Islamic spirituality S Wesley Ariarajah is Professor of Ecumenical Theology at Drew University in Madison, NJ, USA
Perspectives on Conflict Resolution in the Middle East Thomas Daffern Ira Chernus Dr Benjamin MacQueen Room 212 Interactive Workshop The Middle East has seen political, legal, military and economic methods as means to resolve conflicts and achieve peace. This presentation will look at the US invasion of Iraq from a cross-religious and cross-cultural perspective, showing how Christianity and Islam could have cooperated for peaceful relations between the two nations rather than leading to war; it will explore the ongoing ambiquities surrounding these political systems and address the spiritual, intellectual, moral, ethical and philosophical dilemmas that are preventing the discovery of nonviolent solutions to the crises of the region. Israel, Palestine and Iraq present a context where interfaith and intersectarian dialogue must assume great importance. This interactive workshop will engage this vision and focus specifically on conflict resolution, peacemaking skills and mediation. Dr Thomas Daffern, Director of IPSGP, is a global lecturer, having twice spoken at the United Nations headquarters. He has taught the history of ideas, science and religions at the University of Oxford and the University of London, and specialised in the study of different approaches to peace, and the possibility of healing conflicts, both intra- and inter-culturally. In 1990 he founded the International Institute of Peace Studies and Global Philosophy, an educational charity. Ira Chernus is a historian of religions in the US who specialises in the role of religion in shaping US foreign policy. He has focused on the impact of Christianity on George W Bush's war policy in Irag as well as Christianbased protest against the Iraq war generated from Bush's own church. He received his PhD in the history of Judaism and now teaches at Colorado University at Boulder. Dr Benjamin MacQueen is Lecturer in the School of Political and Social Inquiry. He holds a BA from La Trobe University and a PhD from Deakin University in Political Science and International Relations His research interests include the theory and practice of conflict resolution, politics and society in the Middle East and North Africa, international relations of the Middle East; international relations theory: US and Australian foreign policy; and the United Nations and Islamic politics.
Achieving Sustainable Peace William F Vendley Pat Walsh Abdul Aziz Naderi Fr Leonel Narvaez Room 213 Panel Discussion Peacebuilding consists of efforts to create sustainable relationships. It is applied conflict prevention and resolution through methods such as mediation, negotiation, and facilitating communication. This panel brings together both international and local-level peacebuilders to discuss their work for peace and conflict resolution. The panel members have significant experience in peacebuilding and bringing reconciliation to situations of instability, violence, or aggression in such parts of the world as Afghanistan, Colombia and Timor-Leste.
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