SURF OVER TO SOUTH AFRICA FOR THE PARLAMENT

OF THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS

As you read this, the 1999 Parliament of the World's Religions may well be taking place in Cape Town, South Africa. December 1 through 8 are the dates for this important event. Its theme is "A New Day Dawning: Spiritual Yearnings and Sacred Possibilities."

The ecumenism of the Parliament extends far beyond the idea of building bridges between mainstream religions. A visit to the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions' (CPWR) web site at www.cpwr.org reveals that this sponsoring organization's goal is to promote understanding and cooperation among religious and spiritual communities and institutions around the world. The key words and phrases of that mission are spirit of harmony, celebration, openness, mutual respect, and rich diversity of religious and spiritual traditions.

Those following alternative spiritual paths can take heart when they click on the phrase "Parliament Message: A New Day Dawning" in the section devoted to the 1999 Parliament. The centerpiece of the message is a statement by Nelson Mandela, quoting from Marianne Williamson's A Return to Love:

"Our worst fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God; your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are born to manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone, and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

The www.cpwr.org site is a great place to find out the philosophy and history of the Parliament. CPWR is based right here in Chicago, which is considered the birthplace of inter-religious dialogue in the West. The historic 1893 World's Parliament of Religion, held in conjunction with the World Columbian Exposition, was the first time East met West religiously on a formal platform. The centennial celebration of that event-the 1993 Parliament of the World's Religions-was also held in Chicago.

The 1993 Parliament brought together 8,000 religious leaders and adherents. The 1999 Parliament will also attract many since there is a growing awareness of the richness of religious and spiritual diversity. The list of invited spiritual leaders and confirmed presenters is a long one. You won't find it at the www.cpwr.org site, however. A complete rundown of the actual Parliament is available at www.cpwr.net. This site was developed by volunteer Bill Laufer of the Catholic Services Network. It is a service, indeed, since it contains in-depth information about the 1999 Parliament.

Click on the section "1999 Parliament: Prominent Invitees" and you are given a list of
68 names of including:
Buddhism: His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Zen Master Seun Sahn from Korea. Christianity: German Thologian Hans Küng and Bishop Samuel Ruiz Garcia from
Chiapas, Mexico.
Judaism: Robbi Levi Weiman-Kelman from Robbis for Peace, Jerusalem, Israel
and Rabbi Joseph Ehrenkrantz from the Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding in Connecticut.
Hinduism: His Holiness Swami Chidananda Saraswati from Rishikesh, India and Swami Saradananda, Ramakrishna Centre, Durban, South Africa.
Islam: His Eminence Dr. Abdullah Omar Nasseef, Saudi Arabia, President of the Muslim World Congress and Dr. Mustafa Ceric, head Imam, Bosnia.
Jainism: Nemu Chandaria, Institute of Jainology, London, UK and His Eminence Dr. L.M. Singhvi, former High Commissioner for India.
Taoism: Chungliang Al Huang from the United States.
African Religion: Dr. Drake Kaka, Jahannesburg, South Africa and Credo Mutwa, Magaliesberg, South Africa.

The section "Current List of Presenters and Program Topics" gives you an indication of the broader scope of the Parliament. This section features 66 pages listing presenters in alphabetical order along with a short description of the programs they will present. Here are just a few:

Dr. Nahid Angha, International Association of Sufism, USA: "Women in Islam (Sufi Women Organization Promoting Universal Human Rights)."
Deirdre Pulgram Arthen, Neo-Pagan/Wicca, Earth Spirit, USA: "Celebrate the Spirit of the Earth with Ritual, Dance and Song."
Dr. Swami Veda Bharati, Yoga, Meditation Center, USA: "Connections & Confluences Among The Meditation Paths."
Keki R. Bhote, Zoroastrian, USA: "The Seminal Contribution of Zoroastinanism to the Religions of the World."
Al Buttnor, Church of Scientology of Toronto, Canada: "Scientology: Religious Solution for a Secular World."
Rev. Stephanie Clarke, Religious Science, USA: "Creating Ritual."
Prof. Michel Dion, Universite de Sherbrooke, Canada: "Between Confucianism and Christianity: Ethical Guidelines for International Business."
Dr. Rodolfo Don, Theosophical Society, USA: "There is no Religion Higher than Truth."
Sandy Glassman, Science of Spirituality, USA: "Meditation Workshop: Letting Your Spirit Soar."
Dr. Balwant Singh Hansra, Sikh Religious Society of Chicago, USA: "The Sikh
Scriptures and the Environment."
Mariko Inori, Sun Origin Education, Japan: "Universal Principle of Life in the Go-game."
Jerome & Christine Whiterabbit Jendrisak, Native American, USA: "Misappropriation of Native American Spirituality."
Nestor Kornblum, Association of Sound Therapy and Harmonic Studies, Spain: "Harmonic Encounters."
Frederic E. Lamond, Pagan Federation International, Australia: "The Social Effects of Different Religions."
Ladjamaya Green Mahoney, Bahai, USA: "The Black Experience-A Cry for World
Peace."
Rev. Drake Hunter McMorland Kaiser, Swedenborg Association, USA: "Perennial
Wisdom and Emanuel Swedenborg."
Pavel Mikoloski, Ramtha's School of Enlightenment, USA: "Ramtha and the God Within."
Rev. Mary Manin Morrissey, Association for Global New Thought, USA: "Awakened
Life-Awakened World."
John Morton, Church of the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness, USA: "Spiritual Warrior-The Art of Spiritual Living."
Dr. Gary Rhine, DreamCatchers, USA: "Native Religions and Environmental
Stewardship."

Although you may not have been able to attend the actual Parliament in South Africa, you can visit the virtual Parliament on the World Wide Web. This can be done in two ways. First, the www.cpwr.net site offers a section called "Today from Cape Town, South Africa-Daily Coverage of the Parliament." This section promises daily written updates on what is happening at the Parliament.

Another, much more ambitious project, has been launched by the Word Foundation, a new not-for-profit Internet based web site on religion and spirituality. If things go off as hoped, the Parliament will be broadcast on the Internet via the Spirit Channel. This is a work in progress, however, that was still facing a number of technical and funding hurdles at the beginning of November. I suggest you check out the www.cpwr.org or www.cpwr.net sites to see if these broadcasts will actually take place.

New Year's Day Peace Vigil

The School of Metaphysics is sponsoring a Universal Hour of Peace on New Year's Day. The event is scheduled to begin at noon Greenwich Mean Time. That's 6 a.m. in Chicago. Go to the school's national web site at www.som.org to find out more information. The event is based on the question: What if there is peace on earth for one hour? Suggested activities for the hour include prayer, meditation, song, a circle of love and walking in nature.

Mary Montgomery-Clifford is a certified web author and developer. Her company, Montgomery Media Enterprises ("Freelancing with Finesse!"), specializes in public relations, events, promotions, writing project and web authoring, development and publicity. Contact her via e-mail at Monty764@aol.com, by phone at 773-235-8821 or at her web site at www.montymedia.com.