Parliament of Worlds Religion 2009 Melbourne Australia

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

Page 183

PROGRAM D
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Revered worldwide as an embodiment of unconditional motherly love, Sri Karunamayi has dedicated her life to the causes of world peace and universal welfare. She often says that her only work in this world is to remove the suffering from the hearts of all people. She does this through her kind, loving words of spiritual guidance and encouragement, her healing touch, her divine insight and her charitable work on behalf of India's poor.
Respect for the Earth: A Morning Observance
Marcus Braybrooke
Sr Maureen Goodman
Rev Johanna (Jopie) Boeke
Rev Dr Richard Boeke
Mary Braybrooke
Room 204
Religious or Spiritual Observance
Nothing less than a spiritual revolution is needed to do justice to our responsibilities for the environment. Respect for the earth is essential for social justice. Reducing our carbon footprint is not enough. We need a truly spiritual relationship to Nature, recognising our interdependence with all life. As Fr Thomas Berry said, 'we are earthlings. The Earth is our origin, our nourishment, our support, our guide. Our spirituality itself is Earth-derived. Astronauts tell us of the magical beauty of Earth as seen from space. Sacrifice, which in Nature is involuntary, is for humans a matter of choice. During this session, readings from different traditions will deepen awareness of Oneness with all life and the Source of Being, inspiring us to seek peace, to alleviate poverty and to protect the Natural world. To share in this spiritual revolution is today's exciting challenge to all people of faith. As Jane Goodall said, 'we are moving toward the ultimate destiny of our species-a state of compassion and love. The observance is arranged by members of the World Congress of Faiths, which has been a pioneer of interfaith celebration and prayer.
Rev Dr Marcus Braybrooke, President of the World Congress of Faiths and Patron of the international Interfaith Centre, Oxford, is an Anglican priest who has been active in interfaith work for over forty years. He is author of many books, including 'A Heart for the World".
Maureen Goodman has worked in interreligious dialogue for over 30 years. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the World Congress of Faiths and was an advisory committee member of Respect -It's About Time, an initiative launched by HRH the Prince of Wales to bring together young people in Britain's faith communities.
Rev Johanna Boeke is a native of the Netherlands and a Unitarian Universalist Minister. She is a past President of the International Association of Liberal Religious Women,
The Rev Dr Richard Boeke was founding President of the US Chapter of the International Association for Religious Freedom and is a Vice President of the World Congress of Faiths. He is the author of 'God is No-Thing. His latest essay is Evolve or Explode? A Lesson From Darwin For Our Time.
Mary Braybrooke is a Vice-President of the World Congress of Faiths and has worked for fifty years as a social worker in child care, in the community, and in hospitals. She has also published a research paper on the attitude of members of different faiths to organ transplants and presented a program on this subject at the Cape Town Parliament. At present she is working with people suffering from renal failure.
8:00-9:00am MORNING OBSERVANCES
Global Meditation: Experiencing a Powerful Key To Healing, Transformation, and Empowerment
Audrey Kitagawa
James J Hurtak, PhD
Ashok Gangadean
Room 207
Religious or Spiritual Observance
When we meditate, we connect to our spiritual nature. We become aware of that quality in ourselves that transcends the mind and when we become aware of it we can harness its constructive, creative power. Now is the time to meditate and pray for healing, transformation, and empowerment on a global basis. Regardless of individual belief, we each have a responsibility to the collective to make positive changes in ourselves and our world. During this meditation session, we will broadcast our collective energies to those parts of the planet that are most in need of healing. We will explore our planet as a multifaceted jewel. We will experience our connection to Mother Earth, who embraces all of us within her cosmic womb. We will acknowledge the human spirit as the one force that can travel around the earth and bring the light of love and the presence of peace to those who dwell in darkness and fear. Together, we can continue to inform and transform our world and our place within it as instruments of Divine expression. The meditation will use visualisations, sacred expressions and prayers from East and West. Participants from all faith traditions are welcome.
Audrey Kitagawa is Co-Vice Chair of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions, president of the Light of Awareness International Spiritual Family, adviser to the World Federation of United Nations Association and chair of the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns, New York. A member of the advisory council for the Toda Institute for Peace and Global Policy Research, she also co-facilitates the United Religions Initiative United Nations Cooperation Circle. James J Hurtak, PhD, is the founder and president of the Academy for Future Science. He has worked in the fields of education, science and spiritual philosophy, applying each to the task of cross-cultural understanding. He is the author of more than 12 books in 15 languages, including his most recent work, End of Suffering, and his films include 'The Voice of Africa: A Study of a Zulu Shaman' and 'The Light Body'. Ashok Gangadean is Chair of the Department of Philosophy at Haverford College, Pennsylvania. He is Founder and Director of the Global Dialogue Institute, Co-Convener of the World Commission on Global. Consciousness and Spirituality, and a member of the World Wisdom Council. He coordinates the Annual Global Philosophy Forum, which brings together visionary and cutting edge thinkers from around the world. His latest book, Awakening the Global Mind, has been recorded for CD by Sounds True.
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