![]() ![]() ![]() One expression of, and response to, the needs of this growing population has been the emergence of seminaries that train and ordain interfaith ministers. Today, nearly 20 percent of Americans and 30-40 percent of world citizens consider themselves “spiritual but not religious.” For many, it led away from a singular religious identification and participation in traditional religious institutions. For more and more people, this search took place outside of their birth religion. As ease of travel and increased availability of technology made these teachings more widely accessible, increasing numbers of people became involved in a personal search for meaning. The last part of the twentieth century also witnessed increasing interest in the exploration of consciousness and consciousness development, including growing interest among westerners in the teachings of the east and in the “technologies of transformation,” i.e., the contemplative spiritual practices found at the heart of every religious tradition. The basic mandate of interfaith work – to foster interreligious dialogue and cooperation among people of different religious identities in the service of increased understanding, respect, and recognition of our shared humanity – continues to be an imperative for the future of the planet. Yet today, seemingly intractable ethnic and religiously based conflicts continue to rage across the globe, despite, and in part, because of the ongoing process of globalization. Theologian Hans Küng summarized the fundamental importance of interfaith work when he wrote: “There will be no peace among the nations without peace among the religions, and there will be no peace among religions without dialogue among religions.” Pivotal international inter-political organizations were founded – e.g., the United Nations, International Court of Justice, and myriads of treaty networks – and, with them, nearly two hundred international interfaith organizations and associations. After the Second World War, a new cosmopolitan international community emerged, intertwined in commerce, communication and ongoing global-level development. In the first half of the twentieth century, our planet experienced an unprecedented scale of horror and violence through two world wars. ![]() After this remarkable seeding, the next Parliament of Religions would not gather for another hundred years. ![]() At that gathering, the brilliant and charismatic Swami Vivekananda introduced the “consciousness” teachings of Vedanta to the West. Historians generally associate the birth of world’s interfaith movement with the seminal Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago in 1893. This article was originally published on Septemby The Interfaith Observer.Ī Different Approach to Higher Religious Education ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |