The 2015 Parliament of the World's Religions took place on October 15-19 in Salt Lake City. The first Parliament dates back to 1893, and 122 years later, the gathering drew approximately 9,500 people from over 50 different faiths from various parts of the world. The mission of the Parliament is to "cultivate harmony among the world's religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to achieve a just, peaceful and sustainable world." The latest Parliament invites adherents of all religious and spiritual traditions to sign and commit to the 2015 Parliament Declarations on the following topics: Climate Change, War, Hate, and Violence, Income Inequality and the Widening Wealth Gap, Dignity and Human Rights of Women, Emerging Leaders, and Indigenous Peoples.
Participants from HDS included Rev. Kerry Maloney (Chaplain and Director of Religious and Spiritual Life) and current MDiv candidates Aisha Ansano, Dorie Goehring, Naohito Miura, and Angie Thurston.
Aisha and Angie presented a workshop entitled "We Welcome Your Story: Engaging the Religiously Unaffiliated at Harvard Divinity School." They shared their experiences co-founding and leading the HDS Religious Nones student group. Their workshop and the student group were written up in a New York Times article that week as well!
Dorie was called in at the last minute to be a facilitator for the inaugural Emerging Leaders' Workshop. She facilitated a discussion and action plan around income inequality and the role of faith-based organizations and communities in addressing this issue, domestically and internationally. Other topics discussed in the Emerging Leaders' Workshop included environmental activism and the prevention of war and hatred. In addition, Dorie sang with the inaugural Parliament Choir as a soprano, debuting the world-premiere of the Cantata for the Earth by Mary Lou Prince and Patty Willis.
Naohito, CSWR resident, presented on the "Life and Teaching of Mokichi Okada (1882-1955): Johrei, Nature Farming, Beauty of Nature and Art." He shared about the philosophy of Mokichi Okada (known as Meishu-sama by his followers) and discussed some of the current activities of the Johrei movement worldwide, including his recent International Field Education experience in Brazil. Naohito also participated in one of the Emerging Leaders' Family Groups and engaged in dialogue about climate change with other young leaders from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds. He particularly enjoyed the experience of eating a communal meal (langar) each day at the Parliament, thanks to the generosity of the members of the international Sikh community who provided free lunches to everyone regardless of their faith.
The four of them roomed together in a house full of 20 young adults from all over the country, organized by Angie's spiritual community of Urantia Book readers.