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Reflections from the President: The 14th Principle of the URI Charter |
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Written by Bishop William E. Swing
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Friday, 20 April 2007 |
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Page 2 of 2
Almost any ritual of one religious group has the potential to offend
people of other religious groups. If that is the case, can people of
differing religions find any middle ground for being together
reverently? Yes, we can all be quiet together, on alert to hear the
still small voice. This has promise and actually happens.
Personally, I muse about the core of the United Religions Initiative
effectiveness, i.e. the basic Cooperation Circle (CC). What each CC is
supposed to do is not handed down from headquarters. Instead, it is
discovered in locales around the world. At least seven people of three
or more religious/spiritual traditions sit together until it becomes
clear as to their unique and inspired agenda. The question is always,
“What should we do together? What is to be our common vocation in the
local community? Where does a still, small voice direct us in finding a
common vocation for the good of all life?”
All options are self-generated and all of them are tested by the
participants. There is no book of objectives to choose from. Each CC
is on its own to weigh the possibilities. To sit quietly together and
pay attention to the still small voice that matters ultimately. And,
once there is agreement, action commences.
The 14th Principle of the URI Charter states: “We have the right to
organize in any manner, at any scale, in any area, and around any issue
or activity which is relevant to and consistent with this Preface,
Purpose and Principles (of the URI).” The entire enterprise holds
together in trusting each other’s discernment of this tiny body’s
primary focus. Something special happens when peoples of different
faith traditions map out their specific destinies together. Today we
are witnessing a burst of energy globally as new Cooperation Circles
come into being daily and the world begins to change in an interfaith
direction.
Interesting enough, after 9/11, people around the world began to turn
to the URI in hope. After hurricanes Katrina and Rita, URI volunteers
flooded the South. After the 2005 tsunami URI CC’s all around the
Indian Ocean began to respond to the devastation and are still hard at
their tasks today.
The genius of the Elijah story would say that the will of God could not
be recognized in the crashing airplanes or in the howling winds or in
the rising, rushing water. But afterwards, in the still small part of
the heart, the conscience, the exposed soul, a voice was heard. That
voice collects people together and propels them in a clear, good
direction. Paying attention to the still small voice is, in my
opinion, at the center of the URI. It is the essential context in
which we discover our core authority and find our mutuality. We never
make a noise unless we are silent.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 25 April 2007 )
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