Parliament director sees strength at the grassroots level

By Olivia Ware

New Thought News Service

As I crept along a conference center wall Friday morning, looking for another glimpse  of enlightenment, a gentleman asked me about my position here at the Parliament. 

After initial greetings and my brief explanation of the New Thought News Service, he introduced himself as Dirk Ficca. Suddenly, I was conversing with the director of the Parliament of the World's Religions himself. And once I had gathered my thoughts, the questions began to flow. 

Ficca told me that since the first modern Parliament, in Chicago in 1993, the Parliament has become more metropolitan and focuses increasingly on grassroot efforts and commitment.

He hopes participants bring their experiences of the Melbourne gathering to their "corners of the world," and that nothing will be left behind, that the learning and the love shared in Australia will transcend the Parliament.

Future Parliaments, Ficca said, will pay "more attention to linking religions" in the areas of business and communication. Speakers at the Thursday  night opening ceremony noted that the faith-based communities are in a good position to help solve some of the world's pressing problems, but can't do the needed work in isolation.

Ficca agreed, saying religion has an "indispensable contribution to make, but not alone."

Dirk Ficca speaks with Sri Karunamayi, a 

presenter at a Friday morning panel.

Blessings, music mark Parliament opening

By Roya Camp
New Thought News Service

"You give love, compassion. You bring justice."
That's how Dr. Sakena Yacoobi, who has spent her life giving education and bringing hope to demoralized and disempowered women and children in her native country through her Afghan Institute of Learning, defined the role of religion during opening remarks at the Parliament of World Religions Thursday night.
Yacoobi was one of dozens of speakers, musicians and religious leaders who took part in the powerful, colorful, spiritual ceremony.
The hundreds of attendees packed into the Melbourne convention center auditorium received Aboriginal, Zoroastrian, Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Sikh, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Baha'i and Shinto blessings from prominent leaders in those faith traditions.
"We are grateful, we are honored, we are privileged to have you here," Wurundjeri elder Joy Murphy Wandin told audience members, many of whom attended the event in robes, turbans, saris, yarmulkes and other traditional garb.
Several speakers spoke of an increasing global interest in interfaith dialogue and activity such as occurs during the Parliament gatherings, while others noted the community feeling of the events. His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar called the Parliament "a family reunion."
Rev. Dr. William Lesher, chairman of the Parliament board of trustees, described it as "the beloved community" envisioned by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Australian religious and political leaders referenced the country's origins, history and legacy as they noted the role of the Aboriginal people as stewards of the land and environment and some of the injustices inflicted on the native people in the past.
This is the first generation that has the ability to solve the world's mounting issues, Rabbi David Saperstein told the audience.
"Tomorrow is today," he said. "We can, we must, we will be the shapers of a better, more hopeful humanity."


For photos of the opening ceremony, see the "Photos from the Parliament" link in the left column.

Youth manifesto inspires New Thought delegation

What follows is the "15-minute manifesto," drafted and delivered during the New Thought pre-Parliament day by 15 youths attending the event:

• We believe in growth, and stepping into our own power.
• We believe in the power of kindness in action.
• We believe in co-inspiring youth raised in New Thought.
• We believe in demonstrating the power of being raised in New Thought.
• As a New Thought youth, my mission is to allow God to express through me in all that I do, so that I may always and continually be a radiant channel for love to manifest here on Earth.
• We embrace our differences.
• As evolved souls and spiritual beings living a human experience, we consciously apply spiritual principle in our relationships, in our workplace, with each other, living as our Higher Selves and inspiring the world to be and do the same.
• Individually, we are being the change we wish to see in the world.
• Collectively, we are the leading edge of a new paradigm that supports the evolution of a world that works for everyone.
• As New Thought youth, we raise the consciousness of the planet to levels unimaginable.
• We are the future of New Thought – the pulse of the Global Heart.
• We see the Global New Thought movement in the future – in the now – as being a symbol of love, diversity, and peace. We've already accomplished so much, and as Erika Luckett and Lisa Ferraro sang, "If you're not in awe, you're not paying attention."
• In 25 years, New Thought will be spread throughout the world as a means of peace, love and happiness.
• We believe that we are one strand in an ongoing evolution, and that in 25 years, this New Thought will be old thought.
• As youth of New Thought, we are not discovering the divine. We are living, breathing, knowing, active manifestations of the divine. We are grateful for the foundation our ministers and teachers have laid out in front of us. We are your offering to the future.
• And in the words of my mentor, Rev. Charles Hall, "They will know us by how we love each other."

Parliament at eco-conscious venue

By Susana Wolds

New Thought News Service 

As Parliament attendees come together this week to honor the wisdom that each faith tradition offers, a common discussion will be how to sustain and improve life on our shared planet.

The choice of venue for the 2009 Parliament is perfectly aligned with this year's theme: Make a world of difference. Hearing each other. Healing the World.

"This is the greatest view I've ever had at a workplace," said Mellisa Mason, an usher at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, admiring the cityscape of her hometown from her vantage point in the light-filled foyer of the world's most eco-savvy convention centre.

The glass fronting her work station is only one of the scores of features that have won this beautiful structure a Six Star Green Star Rating from the Green Building Council of Australia. The building is a stimulating work of art and a premium example of architectural ingenuity. It also has enough sustainable attributes to make a tree hugger blush, including:

• Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood.

• Non-toxic building materials and paints.

• A blackwater treatment system.

• Radiant concrete heating and cooling.

• Natural light.

• Energy and water efficient fixtures.

• A solar hot water system.

• Displacement ventilation.

• Local cuisine.

The overall effect of these innovations is of an imaginative, comfortable space, "built from the ground up with the environment top of mind," as the MCEC's chief executive explained in the center's latest quarterly newsletter.

"It can't be any other way," Mason said with the sensibility of a Melbourne local. "It no longer makes sense to build something that will degrade your surroundings."

As the dialogue concerning our shared responsibility for a green future begins to unfold in Melbourne, it's difficult to imagine surroundings more suitable in which to hold such talks.

New Thought celebrates faiths' universal principles

By Roya Camp
New Thought News Service

Humanity at its best.
That's the picture Dr. Michael Beckwith painted of the New Thought philosophies and supporters gathered Wednesday, one day before the historic Parliament of the World's Religions kicks off in Melbourne, Australia.
Several hundred members of Centers for Spiritual Lliving, Unity communities and other New Thought organizations spent a lyrical, joyful day, one that started with Aboriginal blessings and music and continued with sessions of prayer, education and song.
Attendees at the pre-Parliament gathering, who'd been arriving in Melbourne from all over the United States and elsehwere for the previous week, spent the day learning about commonalities between the New Thought traditions and many of the faith traditions represented at the Parliament.
Members of the Agape Choir, Erika Luckett, Lisa Ferraro and Faith Rivera were among the musicians who shared their considerable talents with the audience.
Attendees also got a preview of the hundreds of workshops, performances, films, service activities and youth programs in store for the thousands of Parliament participants starting tomorrow.