We are looking for speakers, panelists, sponsors and volunteers.
Washington DC – Venue TBD – Sunday, May 14, 2023 – 12:00-5:00 P
Dallas, TX – Venue TBD – Saturday, June 10, 2023 – 12:00-5:00 PM
4 Events packed back-to-back; choose any or all.
1. Religious Freedom around the World (12:00-1:20 PM)
2. The Essence of Religions (1:30 -2:20 PM)
3. Busting Myths about your Religion (2:30 – 3:20 PM)
4. Interfaith Marriages Trends (3:30 – 4:20 PM)
………………………………………………………………………………….. .
A Prelude to Parliament of World’s Religions
Programs around the country in different cities will culminate in Chicago, IL – Aug 14 through Aug 19, 2023 – Parliament of World Religions https://parliamentofreligions.org/parliament/2023-chicago/
In August of 2023, the Parliament of the World’s Religions returns to the birthplace of the modern interfaith movement to celebrate 130 years of history in Chicago. Parliament Convenings attracts participants from more than 200 diverse religious, indigenous, and secular beliefs and more than 80 nations.
Some of you have been a part of the PoWR since 2004, and I have been a part of it since 2009, held in Melbourne, Australia. We have made presentations before, and now in August, I will be presenting “Essential Ingredients of a Global Movement for Social Justice.”
The Center for Pluralism and many affiliate organizations will hold a prelude to the Parliament of the World’s religions in two cities. We want participation from your organization and you.
A prelude to the Parliament of World’s religions is a four-part program; you can choose to attend any of the modules or all of the programs. It starts at noon and ends at 4:30, followed by a social hour. We look forward to the full coverage by C-Span and possibly other media.
12:00 -1:20 PM – Religious freedom around the world
You will hear short precise snippets about religious freedom issues worldwide. A summary of major genocidal events in the making will be shared by the experts in the field, followed by what you can do as an individual.
Tentatively, we are inviting the following speakers subject to acceptance: Ambassadors for Religious Freedom at large, David Saperstein, Brown Back, Rashad Hussain, founder of Genocides Watch – Dr. Gregory Stanton, Nadine Maenza-Chair of International Religious Freedom, MaryAnn Thompson-Frenk, President, Memnosyne Institute.
1:30 -2:20 PM – Essence of Religions
Why is Religious Freedom necessary? Is there a “freedom clause” embedded in our scriptures? We look forward to religious leaders from Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh traditions as samples. Due to time constraints, we are keeping it to five. We may have a follow-up program with Bahai, Buddhist, Native, and Zoroastrian faiths.
Speakers will be clergy and scholars from the respective cities.
2:30 – 3:20 PM – Busting Myths
The Freedom we experience when we bust the myths about each other’s traditions is invaluable. We want to do a series on shattering myths between Jews and Christians, Christians and Muslims, Muslims and Hindus, Hindus and Christians, and Christians and Muslims.
At this point, a significant conflict erupts in India between Hindus and Muslims, which could lead to a genocide of Muslims on a bigger scale than most genocides. We hope the program will change the minds of a few to live freely without apprehensions.
Speakers will be clergy and scholars from the respective cities.
3:30 – 4:30 PM – Interfaith Marriages
The kids go to school, work together and fall in love. Most young people don’t care about traditional marriages but do it to please their parents, who have severe problems. Our moral duty as responsible members of society is to pave the way for them to live freely in harmony and happiness. We cannot bury our heads in the sand; 40% of weddings in the US are outside one’s faith – that is, both Hindus, Muslims, and others. No matter what Religion your practice, you can relate to this. When a Hindu falls in love with a Muslim and wants to get married, a red flag goes up by their family and the community. Hindus are concerned about losing a flock member to another religion, and Muslims have difficulty coping with idol worship. How do we handle this?
Speakers will be Ani Zonneveld, Dilip Amin, and Mike Ghouse, subject to confirmation.
4:30 – 5:00 Social hour
……………………………… ……….
CFP PROGRAMS
Please note we’ve organized our annual flagship events – Thanksgiving Celebrations and Award night (since 1996), Unity Day USA (2005), Holocaust and Genocides (2006), and Festival of Faiths (2017) in addition to conducting three sets of workshops on ten religions and 280 hours of Radio talk show on ten pearls of wisdom of religions. In addition, we have organized over 100 individual programs and zoom meetings. More at www.CenterforPluralism.com
Moderators in Dallas: Julie Ann Turner
Moderators in DC
Mike Ghouse
Cell: (214) 325-1916
Wedding Officiant – Interfaith Marriages
Muslim Wedding Officiant – Muslim Wedding Officiant
President, Center for Pluralism
Director – World Muslim Congress
Profile – The Ghouse Diary
Future – Shaping America’s Future
Office (202) 290-3560
Washington, DC