EnlightenNext: Parliament of the World Religion

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EnlightenNext at the Parliament of the World’s Religions 2004

In July 2004, Andrew Cohen and the staff of EnlightenNext magazine traveled to Barcelona, Spain to attend the Parliament of the World's Religions. This interfaith gathering, held once every five years, brought together nine thousand religious leaders, teachers, activists, and scholars from every corner of the globe for a rich week of dialogues and discussions exploring all things religious—from peace to prayer to fundamentalism to the future.

What is the role of religion in today’s world? How do we deal with the rise of religious violence and fundamentalism? What role do spiritual progressives play in the transformation of our religious institutions? In a series of focused interviews, EnlightenNext asked some of the brightest minds and deepest hearts in Barcelona about the nature of the religious impulse and its role in our 21st century world.

	Andrew Cohen What Is the Future of Religion? Judy Martin interviews Andrew Cohen about his view on the future of religion and the role the religious traditions may, or perhaps may not, be able to play in addressing the developmental needs of our time.	Deepak Chopra A Critical Mass of Connectivity Deepak Chopra shares his insights on the state of the great religious traditions today and talks about what their future might be. Making the plea for a “critical mass of connectivity,” Chopra describes his vision of an expanding synthesis between science and spirituality.

	Michael Beckwith Awakening to a Higher Destiny In one of the EnlightenNext salons at the Parliament, Rev. Michael Beckwith, founder and spiritual director of the Agape International Spiritual Center, recounted his own awakening to a higher power and purpose. He was joined by his wife Rikki Byars-Beckwith, a deeply spiritual woman and the director of Agape International Choir. Rikki shares the story of their initial meeting and how, through music, she came to find a deeper Truth she'd been searching for.	Mary Evelyn Tucker The Ecological Challenge: Our Contemporary Burning Bush Ecologist, religious scholar, Teilhardian, and passionate advocate for the earth, Mary Evelyn Tucker articulates her energetically optimistic outlook on the future of religion. She maintains that the religious traditions, as they grow and evolve to meet the demands of a changing world, will provide the ground from which real leadership—spiritually based and cosmologically oriented—can emerge.

	Dadi Janki I, the Soul, Belong to God Dadi Janki speaks about her life, her awakening, and the purpose of creation. In this multi-faceted exchange with Andrew Cohen, Dadi Janki's pure expression of the timeless Dharma and Cohen’s articulation of Evolutionary Enlightenment reveal fascinating contours of the contemporary spiritual landscape.	Ammachi We Have To Take Action In this rare interview with one of India's most renowned contemporary saints, EnlightenNext asks Ammachi about how well the religions are doing in facing the future and whether or not forums like the Parliament are engendering enough positive change.

	Sulak Sivaraksa The 21st Century Man Must Become Less Egocentric This outspoken dissident, social activist, and Thai Buddhist monk speaks about why we need to go beyond traditional religious structures. He emphasizes that while religions can powerfully lead to a personal relief and release, what we need now is a deeper and more complex view that takes into account the interdependent factors that create inequity and suffering in our 21st century world.	Audrey Kitagawa In the Footsteps of the Divine In this moving autobiographical account, filmed during one of EnlightenNext's Parliament salons hosted by Andrew Cohen, Audrey Kitagawa, now UN advisor on Children and Armed Conflict, describes how she came to hold the spiritual legacy of her Japanese mentor and guru, Divine Mother. Rooted in the universal spiritual vision of the great Indian mystic and sage Sri Ramakrishna, Audrey conveys her deep commitment to the spiritual upliftment of the human race.

	Jane Goodall Lagging Religions; Hopeful Signs Jane Goodall, at 70, is ever the soft-spoken, independent woman who set off to do field research with chimps in Africa and never came back, allowing her work to consume her entire life. Dr. Goodall's accomplishments are renowned, not merely for the influential body of scientific work she produced, but in having single-handedly caused an entire species—homo sapiens—to reconsider and actually redefine its relationship with the animal world. In this interview, she speaks about the maze of challenges facing us today as the caretakers of a complex, living entity called Earth.	Tariq Ramadan The Challenges to Islam Today Islamic scholar and author Tariq Ramadan's chosen mission is to create an independent European-Islamic identity. His interest in dialogue between Islam and the other faiths is exceeded only by his passion to promote intrafaith dialogue within Islam itself—to bridge the gaps between Islam's past, present, and future, and across continents, generations, and cultures. Here, Tariq speaks about the challenges modern Muslims face as they strive to retain traditional values yet keep pace with a rapidly changing world.

	Ervin Laszlo System Stress & Systems Shift Dr. Laszlo discusses living in an age of discontinuity, the deeper community he feels all religions point to, and his thoughts on a new marriage of science and spirit.	Dirk Ficca We Have to Move the Middle Rev. Dirk Ficca, the Executive Director of the Council of the Parliament of the World's Religions, speaks passionately about why he feels we have to move the "middle" to really evolve culture.

	Michael Beckwith 2 A Vanguard for the Future Rev. Michael Beckwith speaks passionately and candidly about his vision for a religion of the future and of the kind of evolutionary leap we must take in our thought, relationship to life, and spiritual perspective, if religion is to remain relevant in our world.	Mohinder Singh Inner Violence, Inner Peace Mohinder Singh, widely venerated traditional Sikh leader, insists that the most fundamental spiritual teachings don't necessarily need to change in order to remain relevant. In any epoch, he explains, living a truly virtuous life is always the answer and antidote to the problems of the day and the concerns of tomorrow.

	Robert Wright Intra-faith: The Real Challenge to Religions Today Robert Wright speaks with Carter Phipps about “new” religions, the challenge of intra-faith communication, and some of the inherent drawbacks of religious gatherings like the Parliament, which tend to attract a more like-minded, tolerant cross-section of the faithful.	Rashied Omar The Role of Religion in Public Life Outspoken scholar Rashied Omar raises some very challenging questions about our fixed views of religious extremists and their criticisms of postmodern culture. He points us to begin to deal with the difficult but perhaps singularly important issue of spawning intra-religious dialog between moderates and extremists within the same faith.

	Diana Eck An Opportunity for Great Human Connectivity Professor of Religion Diana Eck speaks about our need to seize the unique opportunity of our time. While our challenges our many, she articulates ways in which globalization affords us new frontiers and new possibilities for interfaith and intra-religious connection.	Joan Borysenko A Shift of the Human Heart Joan Borysenko shares her passion for interfaith and describes some of the seminal work she does re-introducing individuals to the depth of their own traditions.

	Lama Denys Starved for Spirituality In no uncertain terms, Lama Denys speaks to the need for all of us to truly live up to our highest ideals, and become good citizens of our single global culture.	Jonathan Granoff The "Why" of Religion Attorney, nuclear disarmament activist, and author Jonathan Granoff speaks about the future of the world's religions and their potential to shape moral and ethical standards at national and international levels. Passionate and erudite, Granoff describes why he feels that spiritual love actually has the power to overcome global forces of division and conflict.

	Michael Lerner Making Religious Values Our World's Values Rabbi Michael Lerner, one of today’s foremost proponents of a social justice oriented spirituality, calls for a new spiritual approach that is committed to the time-honored Jewish tradition of "tikkun" or transforming this world.	Juan Enrique Toro The Mystic Ordeal Rev. Toro points to the new stage that religious traditions can look forward to, if we do in fact work through this most challenging, and in some ways, disintegrative time.

	Thomas Zender Beyond Dogma Tom Zender, President and CEO of Unity speaks about the role of a spirituality freed of traditional dogma in our contemporary society and the need for new, evolutionary thinking to guide us into the future. He calls us all to resurrect the fundamental spiritual principle of unity in order to bring peace, higher values, and a deeper harmony into our world.	Jean Shinoda Bolen A Great Need for the Feminine Principle Jean Shinoda Bolen speaks eloquently about the advantages of globalization and of power of ordinary women coming together across nations and continents to address some of the fundamental issues affecting millions of people.

	Swami Maheshwaranda Real Care Encompasses All Life Swami Maheshwarananda speaks strongly about religion's over abundance of theory and under engagement with spiritual practice. Impassioned about the plight of all creatures, he articulates his hope for humanity from a basic and simple perspective that care itself is a true expression of spiritual faith.	Father Centurio Olaboro Answering the Needs of Man Ugandan Catholic Priest, Father Centurio, speaks about the role the church can and must actively play drawing attention to injustice and servicing the needs of the refugees, hungry, AIDs stricken. Religion cannot only be an inner affair, for as he says, “Knowledge is strength; and knowledge is responsibility.”
INTERVIEWERS
	Carter Phipps Carter Phipps is the Executive Editor of EnlightenNext magazine. Phipps conducted the majority of EnlightenNext’s interviews at the Parliament 2004. His feature articles range from a broad survey of the evolution debate to the subject of religion, pacifism, and spiritual development. Phipps is currently working on his first book, Evolutionaries, a manifesto for the emerging field of evolutionary spirituality, (Harper Perennial, Spring 2011). MORE	Craig Hamilton Craig Hamilton is a writer, broadcaster, and speaker with a passion for evolutionary spirituality. He is a participant in a variety of contemporary integral forums and is a former senior editor of EnlightenNext magazine.

	Judy Martin Judy Martin is an Emmy-award winning broadcast journalist who offers a fresh voice on the emerging trends impacting the way we work and do business. Judy has been heard on American Public Media’s Marketplace Report, National Public Radio, World Vision Report, CNBC Business Radio and contributes as an anchor on News 12 Long Island. Through her WorkLife Nation blog and media programs, Judy gives voice to the stories and pioneers on the cutting-edge of work/life integration.