A benefit of the World Religions Conference is that questions about religious issues and religious stigma can be directly addressed. Those searching for information on religion can find answers from the source of their questions.
Source/Credit: Peace River Record-Gazette
By Haleigh Atwood | June 17, 2015
On June 27 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., the Belle Petroleum Centre will host the inaugural World Religions Conference. The event will inspire interfaith conversation by discussing the freedom of religious expression and respect for religious sanctities.
“It is an opportunity for various faith groups to come together and present their teachings of their faith about a particular topic,” said Sultan Mahmood, volunteer organizer. He says over the years topics have varied – exploring religious views on the environment, social justice, and even feminism.
“It is an equal opportunity platform to share ideas and thoughts,” said Mahmood.
The Alberta World Religions Conference, based in Calgary, has traveled throughout the province for the last 20 years. The conference was born from international religious organization, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (AMC), located in 200 countries and whose follower count jumps into the millions.
Mahmood says one of the objectives of the AMC is to inspire global interfaith dialogue. The World Religions Conference will have speakers from three religious groups: Christianity, Muslim, and First Nations spirituality.
“Yes, there are different religions, but that does not mean we cannot exist in a peaceful way and talk about why we believe in certain theologies,” said Mahmood. “I encourage the people of Peace River to take some time and attend the conference, I believe they will enjoy it.”
Doors will open at 2 p.m. for socializing and refreshments. The conference will begin at 2:30 p.m. and should wrap up around 4 p.m. Each speaker will talk for 15 to 20 minutes, then the audience can ask questions based on the chosen topic. After, speakers will stay to answer any remaining questions
Mahmood says many people who attend are surprised by the similarities they find exist between represented religions.
“One of our objectives is to bring out similarities,” he said. “At the end of the day the audience sees that so much is common between these faiths. You can bring out the similarities, while keeping your own faith. Something people notice is that no faith group will promote violence. When you look at the textual and cultural teachings of each faith, you do not find violence.”
Once the conference has finished addressing its chose topic, Mahmood encourages those attending to approach the speakers; they are willing to share their thoughts. Although many religions do not promote violence, there is an established stigma of violence -- which is occasionally justified -- associated with certain religious groups.
A benefit of the World Religions Conference is that questions about religious issues and religious stigma can be directly addressed. Those searching for information on religion can find answers from the source of their questions.
“Instead of sitting in our own corners learning about our own faiths, having no time to learn about others, these conferences motivate others to learn about other religions and get the information from the source,” said Mahmood. “It is always a great learning curb for me, Every time I come out to a program I learn a lot from the different religious speakers.”
Mahmood says the conference inspires civil conversation. It is an event that respects religious beliefs, all the while offering the chance to learn about other faiths -- no feelings will be hurt by asking frank, candid questions. Peace stems from comprehension and mutual respect.
“We live in a world where we have to interact with others and form friendships with others,” said Mahmood.
“If we understand others’ belief systems and we understand these concepts, then we’ll have a better, stronger society.
“We want to learn about birds, insects, and the environment… and everything else in the world. Why can’t we learn and understand one another and our religions and beliefs?”
Read original post here: Canada: Upcoming World Religions Conference set for June 27
This content-post is archived for backup and to keep archived records of any news Islam Ahmadiyya. The views expressed by the author and source of this news archive do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of Ahmadiyya Times. Ahmadiyya Times is not an organ of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, nor in any way associated with any of the community's official websites.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comments. Any comments irrelevant to the post's subject matter, containing abuses, and/or vulgar language will not be approved.