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SPECIAL INVITATION from Bishop William Swing, URI Founder and President |
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Written by Rt. Rev. William E. Swing
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Wednesday, 06 December 2006 |
Religiously motivated violence, throughout the world, has dramatically changed life in the 21st century. Airline passengers. Families mourning their dead. Schools that teach hate and mayhem. National debts out of control, environmental degradation, the horrors of genocide—all of these and more testify to the reality of religiously motivated violence globally at this time.
What can be done to change this reality? Religions can’t be bombed into making changes. Diplomacy can be started with religious hierarchs but typically centuries are required to reach an agreement. The one immediate hope for change is to engage grassroots people of the world’s religions, indigenous traditions and spiritual expressions in peacemaking at local levels.
Religious peacemaking at a local level is in everyone’s self-interest.
Just as religiously motivated violence at all levels works against
everyone’s self-interest, religious peacemaking at a local level is in
everyone’s self-interest. The health of the planet Earth is not going
to be adequately addressed unless the people of religions join in the
effort. Population problems will not be solved without the insights
and cooperation of religious people. The culture of terrorism and
anti-terrorism will not be healed without the coming together at local
levels of people of different faiths.
What the world needs now is an organizational design of highest purpose
and principles that allows peoples of all religions, indigenous
traditions and spiritual expressions to gather locally to build a new
model of cooperation. Violent life around the world won’t change by
waving a magic wand but it can change with small groups of historic
enemies who choose to make peace while engaged in practical agendas of
their own choosing.
And this has already begun! It is called the United Religions
Initiative. It causes life to flourish in barren lands. The appeal is
to common sense. Not to religious exclusivity. Buried deep in various
sacred scriptures are cries for peacemaking in the Divine Name. But
the 21st century finds practitioners of those scriptures killing in the
name of God. The United Religions Initiative understands the
scriptural intentions for peace and is a call to common sense to those
of faith and those of no faith. Urgently, the religiously motivated
killing must stop.
It is in everyone’s self-interest to promote religious peacemaking. So
whether you have a creed of faith or your own creed for decency of
life, we ask for your support. “We are not a religion.” We are
conflict-resolvers in the crucial sphere of the interaction among
faiths. We can provide you integrity and success in small venues.
Eventually the power of peace in those small venues will end
religiously motivated violence. And the 21st century will see another
dramatic change.
You are invited to be a vital part of this dramatic change of peacemaking undertaken by the United Religions Initiative.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 06 December 2006 )
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