BBC Pause for Thought – Make a World of Difference

By admin on January 8, 2010 • ( 0 )

The final of this week’s pause for thought on BBC Radio 2 covers the recent world religion’s parliament the Parliament brings together the world’s religious and spiritual communities, their leaders and their followers to a gathering where peace, diversity and sustainability are discussed and explored in the context of interreligious respect and understanding.

Today’s broadcast can be heard by clicking on the play button below:

[audio:http://www.saviarora.com/Audio/pft8thJan2010.mp3%5D

Transcript from today’s PfT (agreed with the producer):

Make a World of Difference
I suppose it’s understandable, when you catch the news headlines, how some people believe that the world’s troubles seem to be caused by the world’s religions and that the world would be a far better place without religion.

Of course, that would be to ignore the fact that so often these problems and conflicts arise as the result of a crude misrepresentation by minority groups of the message at the heart of the various world religions, and would ignore the vast amount of good work done to relieve poverty and suffering in our world by people of all faiths.

And what better way of acknowledging and displaying that cooperation is there than at the recent conference in Melbourne, Australia held by the Parliament of the World’s Religions?

First held in Chicago in 1893, the Parliament brings together the world’s religious and spiritual communities, their leaders and their followers to a gathering where peace, diversity and sustainability are discussed and explored in the context of interreligious respect and understanding. In December, over 5,000 people from more than 200 faiths and from 80 countries attended the event to explore the theme Make a World of Difference: Hearing Each Other, Healing the Earth. It focussed on such global problems as poverty, ignorance, and environmental concerns.

There’s a Sikh saying: “In the whole wide world that I see around, Nothing can be gained without good actions.” It’s a sentiment that does us well whether we’re members of a faith or of none. Because only together, through our patient conversations, mutual understanding and trust can we strive to create a just and fairer world, sustainable for all.