Parliament of Worlds Religion 2009 Melbourne Australia

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

Page 229

PROGRAM
Sunday, December 6, 2009
9:30-11:00am INTRARELIGIOUS SESSION
Robert Dixon is the Director of the Pastoral Projects Office of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and a member of the Board of the Christian Research Association Bob has degrees in science, theology and education and is nearing completion of a PhD in sociology at Monash University.
lutionary impulse--the creative source that springs from the depth of our being. This ecstatic and dynamic source of spiritual liberation gives new meaning to the profound truth that the inner and outer are one, empowering us to transform the world as we know it from the inside out. Andrew Cohen is a spiritual teacher and founder of Enlighten Next magazine (formerly What Is Enlightenment?). A visionary thinker, Cohen is widely recognised for his original contribution to the emerging field of evolutionary spirituality. Through his talks, retreats, publications and ongoing dialogues with leading philosophers, mystics and activists, he is becoming a defining voice in an international alliance of individuals and organisations that are committed to the transformation of human consciousness and culture.
With One Voice Room 107 Film
This documentary brings together mystics from fourteen different spiritual traditions to share their perspectives on the unifying truth that transcends all religions. These teachers address profound questions about life and love, the existence of God, the path to spiritual awakening and the way to true peace in the world. They ask us to look within our own hearts and listen deeply. so that we too can join the conversation and speak With One Voice. The film was directed by Matthew Flickstein.
Integration of Immigrants and Refugees into Australia: Interfaith and Cross-cultural Understanding Philip Hughes Ruth Powell Robert Dixon Room 108 Seminar Migration is at the core of the Australian experience, and the country's cultural and religious diversity continues to increase. The churches of Australia have developed a variety of ways of welcoming these immigrants, building socially cohesive communities and developing ways in which people can serve each other. This seminar brings together Australia's three top Christian research agencies to look at Australia's religious profile, its multicultural churches and their pastoral strategies. The session will be of particular interest to those who are working with young people, both through schools and religious organisations. It will be of importance to all those who are interested in contemporary social change and how cur rent changes may have an impact on the paths to creating better interfaith and cross-cultural understanding and working for peace. justice and sustainability. Dr Philip Hughes is a Senior Research Officer at the Christian Research Association of Australia. Dr Ruth Powell is the Director of the National Christian Life Survey
Transforming Compassion in Science and Religion (Session 1) Leron Shults Solomon Katz Michael T H Wong Manuka Henare Imam Afroz Ali Room 109 Panel and Interactive Workshop Compassion is a value that is central to many of the world's religions and a phenomenon that can be studied from a variety of scientific perspectives. This first session of a mini-symposium sponsored by the International Society for Science and Religion contributes to the growing interest in integrating interreligious with interdisciplinary dialogue. It will provide a context within which different voices can come together around the shared concern to understand and facilitate empathy and altruism across religious and other significant boundaries. This symposium focuses on transforming the way we think about compassion through listening to one another and on facilitating compassion that has a meaningful impact on the human condition. It will also discuss facilitating a level of compassion that transforms the human condition. The first session will begin with a panel including a biologist, a psychologist and an economist, who will address the question. 'How does your discipline help us understand and foster compassion?' The panel will be followed by group exercises in which audience members discuss initial reactions and implications. F LeRon Shults is professor of theology and philosophy at the University of Agder in Kristiansand, Norway. A leading authority on science and theology, he has published some ten books and dozens of articles in the field Shults is the editor of the Brill book series 'Philosophical Studies in Science and Religion' and scientific director of the Transforming Compassion project at Stiftelsen Arkivel, a peace-building institute in Norway. His other current research interests include ethics, desire, differentiation and religious symbolism Dr Solomon Katz is director of the Krogman Center for Childhood Growth and Development at the University of Pennsylvania and is a professor of anthropology and a senior fellow at the Wharton School Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics. He was founder and Chairman (1984 to 1986) of the Task Force on the African Famine for the American Anthropological Association (AAA) and is currently Chair of the AAA Task Force on World Food Problems. Michael T H Wong is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Monash University. Australia Manuka Henare is the Associate Dean at the University of Auckland Business School, New Zealand. Imam Afroz Ali is the Founder and President of the Sydney-based Al-Ghazzali Centre for Islamic Sciences & Human Development. He has received licences to teach in various Islamic Sciences, having learned from the most esteemed Islamic scholars of our time. He has initiated philanthropic as well as sustainable environmental projects in Australia and abroad and continues to advocate peace, acceptance, justice and interpersonal rights. Ali received the International Ambassador for Peace award.
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