World's religions gather at conference
By Geneive Abdo
Chicago Tribune
BARCELONA, Spain — In a quiet room, spiritual leader Hum Bui and his followers, women dressed in sky-blue tunics with cone-shaped headscarves, enlighten a mesmerized crowd about their Vietnamese faith. The CaoDai founder established the movement in 1926 to deliver a message: "There are many religions, but all religions are one, have one origin, one principle."
In a chaotic conference hall downstairs, where about 7,000 people mill about, Ayatollah Hahdi Tehrani, an Iranian cleric from the holy Shiite city of Qom, is holding his own seminar. "There is a difference between movements and cults, and real religions such as Islam, Christianity and Judaism," he said. "It is up to those from bona fide faiths to guide the misguided."
Such is the debate — and paradox — here at the weeklong Parliament of the World's Religions. The assembly is attended by representatives of the major faiths and other spiritual movements, some of which have emerged only in the past 30 years.
The parliament — where Sikhs hand out free lunches of curried chickpeas and rice, and hand-holding is plentiful among Buddhists, Muslims and Christians — appears to be in harmony.
But underlying the touchy-feely atmosphere is a search to define a true faith. Mullahs, cardinals, gurus and cult followers are asking: What is religion? For the free-spirited, represented in great numbers, the answer is a matter of semantics.
No matter what the term — "faith" or "movement" or "path" — everyone has the right to call their beliefs "religion," the participants say. For many, that produces a wide range of definitions.
Dadi Janki quickly became known as the "cookie guru" for handing out sweets at the parliament. Her followers, some dressed in white saris, said the treats, made with "love and peace," are in keeping with an ancient Indian tradition to spread good will. Janki is a leader in the Brahma Kumaris, a movement based in northwestern India.
"We say religion is two things," said Sister Jayanti, a follower. "It is our connection to God and religion also shows us how to live."
The search for meaning in an unstable world is the reason many gave for their spiritual journey. Deepak Chopra, author of 29 books who has made the transformation from holistic health expert to Eastern guru, drew a packed audience. With his closing remark, "When we heal the rift in our collective soul ... we will be filled with love," he received a standing ovation.
The big attraction to nonconventional and non-Western religions is not new. In fact, one of the goals of the first parliament in 1893 was to open its doors to non-Western traditions.
Hans Kung, a Swiss Catholic theologian who is head of the Global Ethic Foundation in Germany, said the parliament should accept all organizations that consider themselves religions. "You can't say this religion is real and this one is false," he said. "Religion is a personal thing."
