Salt Lake City is the base of one religious denomination but in 2015 will host the world’s largest interfaith gathering.
The Parliament of the World’s Religions, a Chicago-based, international non-sectarian organization, announced last week that it would meet in Salt Lake City in October 2015. It will be the gathering’s first time in the U.S. in 22 years and is expected to attract about 10,000 attendees from 80 countries and 50 religious and spiritual traditions.
“The Parliament is the largest summit of interfaith activists around the globe which provides listening, learning and sharing opportunities,” said Imam Malik Mujahid, chair of the Parliament Board of Trustees. “At this juncture in human history when hate, fear and anger is rising in America and across the globe, it is important that faith communities rise with loving, caring relationships, even if we do not agree on some issues.”
Scott Beck, president and chief executive officer of Visit Salt Lake, spoke in support of representatives of the world’s faiths coming to Salt Lake City.
“The world is no stranger to Salt Lake, and we are no stranger to the world,” he said. “Salt Lake has hosted various international gatherings, including the 2002 Olympic Games and Rotary International. We are excited to again welcome a national and international audience to experience what Salt Lake has to offer, both physically and spiritually.
“Here, Parliament attendees will find a welcoming and religiously diverse community. And they may just feel a little bit at home as they explore a region where more than 100 languages are spoken in our schools and businesses.”
Among leaders who have attended previous Parliaments are Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, President Jimmy Carter, Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, Jane Goodall, Karen Armstrong, Rabbi David Saperstein, Hans Kung, Dr. Deepak Chopra and Amma the Hugging Saint.
Representatives of several global interfaith initiatives gathered in Salt Lake City for the announcement last week and heard leaders of the Charter for Compassion and the United Religions Initiative voice their partnership for the upcoming summit.
“The Charter for Compassion,a vision of Karen Armstrong when she accepted the TED Prize in 2008, has today inspired a global compassion movement aimed at focusing the world’s attention on how to bring the principle of the Golden Rule to life in concrete, practical, measurable ways in our communities, institutions and relationships worldwide,” said Andrew Himes, the organization’s executive director.
“A central thought motivating the Charter from the beginning was that communities of faith can play a significant leadership role in creating a thriving, sustainable, peaceful world. Today, we join with our friends and partners in the Parliament of the World’s Religions in calling for a gathering of people from many different religions to declare that compassion is at the center of our common dream for a world of peace and justice.”
Attending a Parliament is a life-changing event, according to past attendee and United Religions Initiative chair of the North American Region, Sande Hart. “Today, more than ever, it is critical that we know one another and come together,a vision of Karen Armstrong when she accepted the TED Prize in 2008, has today inspired a global compassion movement aimed at focusing the world’s attention on how to bring the principle of the Golden Rule to life in concrete, practical, measurable ways in our communities, institutions and relationships worldwide,” said Andrew Himes, the organization’s executive director.
“A central thought motivating the Charter from the beginning was that communities of faith can play a significant leadership role in creating a thriving, sustainable, peaceful world. Today, we join with our friends and partners in the Parliament of the World’s Religions in calling for a gathering of people from many different religions to declare that compassion is at the center of our common dream for a world of peace and justice.”
Attending a Parliament is a life-changing event, according to past attendee and United Religions Initiative chair of the North American Region, Sande Hart. “Today, more than ever, it is critical that we know one another and come together, united shoulder to shoulder to heal all that threatens justice, our homes, our communities, our countries, Earth and all living beings,” Hart said.
The Parliament traces its roots to the 1893 World’s Fair and the birth of the global interfaith movement. It describes its mission as “to cultivate harmony among the world’s religious and faith communities and to foster their engagement with guiding institutions for a more peaceful, just and sustainable world.”
