Parliament of Worlds Religion 2009 Melbourne Australia

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

Page 352

PROGRAM DE Wednesday, December 9, 2009
9:30-11:00am INTRARELIGIOUS SESSION
been very active in the Society and has served in various capacities in Victoria. She was also the Yearly Meeting Secretary (the equivalent of a CEO) for six years. She has a strong interest in interfaith activities and has been a participant in the Jewish Christian Muslim Women's conference Sieneke Martin has a particular interest in overseas aid and development programs and in recent years has spent time in East Timor. She is currently the Clerk of Victoria Regional Meeting
The Soul of Kalaupapa Fred E Woods Room 107 Film From 1866 to 1969, the Kalaupapa peninsula on the Hawaiian island of Molokai was home to over 8,000 patients isolated there due to the fear of spreading Hansen's disease. From a mixture of cultures and religions, the patients at Kalaupapa enjoyed a degree of cooperation touching not only the residents but also those who visited and served at the settlement. The Soul of Kalaupapa is a film that captures the powerful spirit of intercultural collaboration at this unusual settlement. The film was directed by Ethan Vincent Fred E Woods is a professor at Brigham Young University in the department of Church History and Doctrine. Since 2005, Dr Woods has held a chair for religious understanding. He has lectured at numerous universities in the United States and internationally, and is the author of several books and many articles. His primary areas of research are Mormon migration and interfaith studies
Interreligious Dialogue Making a World of Difference to Establish Peace: Sikh Perspective Jathedar Singh Sahib Giani Gurbachan Singh Devinder Singh Chahal Balwant Singh Hansra Avtar Singh Dhaliwal Jessi (Jasjit) Kaur Kuldip Singh Dr Kulbir Singh Thind Room 110 Seminar
Introducing Quakers: What Canst Thou Say? Catherine Heywood Susan Ennis Beverley Polzin Sieneke Martin Room 108 Panel Discussion Christ saith this, and the apostles say this, but what canst thou say?... and what thou sayest is it inwardly from God?' asked George Fox, founder of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers. This session will be part panel presentation, part discussion, and part sharing of worship. First, a panel of three Australian Quakers will each present an aspect of Quaker faith in practice, covering topics such as Quaker worship, Quaker testimonies (peace, integrity, simplicity and equality), and Quaker service. They will speak from their own lived spiritual experience rather than presenting information about Quakers. Attendees will then have an opportunity to discuss their responses to what they have heard with other participants, followed by questions to the panel. Finally, all will be invited to share in Quaker worship. Catherine Heywood joined the Quakers after working in a Quaker aid program in Cambodia in the early 1990s. She is currently a member of the Victorian Quaker Outreach committee, which over recent years has presented many sessions like this to the broader community. She works in education, delivering programs for migrants and refugees. Susan Ennis has a long personal interest in religion, spirituality, refugees and asylum seekers. She has taught English as a second language to adult refugees in Australia for over 25 years. She has also taught English as a second language in Turkey, China, and Cambodia and worked in Israel. She is a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). She has combined these interests in her PhD on religion, spirituality and the refugee experience. Beverley Polzin has been a Quaker since 1981.joining the Religious Society of Friends in the town of Redruth in the west of England. She has
In today's increasingly polarised world, some have pointed to religion as a primary cause of social division, conflict, and war. Others have argued that blaming religion distorts its true significance, because, when properly followed, religion promotes peace, harmony, goodwill, and social cohesion. Parvez Hoodbhoy has said that in an examination of global conflicts, blame will fall on religions because so many religions claim a superiority of belief and a divine right to impose their beliefs on others. The modern world is looking for peace and the survival of humanity and it would make a world of difference if all the major religions of the world could sit together and present their philosophy for establishing peace on this Earth. Inculcating the idea of peace in the mind is better than building an army to establish peace. As Einstein said, 'The idea of achieving security through national armament is, at the present state of military technique, a disastrous illusion. This session will present the Sikh perspective and the philosophy of Guru Nanak as a basis for making a world of difference in establishing world peace. Jathedar Singh Sahib Giani Gurbachan Singh, aged 60. is the current religious head of Sri Akaal Takhat Sahib, the supreme religious authority of the Sikhs, based in Amritsar, Punjab, India. He was appointed as Jathedar on 6 August 2008, after serving 37 years as a Sikh religious preacher. His last appointment was as Head Granthi of Sri Harmandir Sahib, also known as the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Professor Devinder Singh Chahal, PhD is president of the Institute for Understanding Sikhism and Editor-in-Chief of the research journal Understanding Sikhism'. He has written many articles on scientific and logical interpretations of Gurbani and the representation of Sikhism in various journals. He has also contributed many chapters in multiauthored books. He has written several critical analyses of works on Sikhism and Gurbani and has authored four books on the philosophy of Guru Nanak. Dr Balwant Singh Hansra has been an at-large executive committee member of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions, and chair and professor of the Natural Science Department at Daley College in Chicago. He has also been chair of the Sikh Host Committee and appointed chair of the Administration and Finance Committee. Dr Avtar Singh Dhaliwal is on the editorial board of the research journal Understanding Sikhism' and is a member of the Institute for Understanding Sikhism.
348 PWR - Parliament of the World's Religions Jain Education International