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By LORETTA FULTON

Our  little spot on the globe will be well represented when the Parliament of the World’s Religions meets in Chicago Aug. 14-18.

Representatives from the Abilene Interfaith Council and McMurry University will be taking in as many of the sessions as possible, and some of them will be participants. 

Attending from the Interfaith Council will be Angela Nicolini Starr, Linda Goolsbee, Tyler Gurley, and Mark Waters. Participating from McMurry will be Philip LeMasters, Russell Miller, Anthony Avina, and Waters. LeMasters and Waters teach religion courses at McMurry, Miller is assistant director of religious and spiritual life, and Avina is a student.  

Some of the Abilene representatives have attended multiple Parliaments in the past. The meeting in Chicago will be a return to where it all began. The Parliament’s origin is rooted in the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago and is the largest interfaith gathering in the world, routinely drawing up to 10,000 people to its global gatherings.

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Theme for the 2023 conference is “A Call to Conscience: Defending Freedom and Human Rights”
History: https://parliamentofreligions.org/history/
Main website: https://parliamentofreligions.org/

The experience, drawing dignitaries from numerous world religions, can be overwhelming, but also exhilarating and deeply spiritual. People attending the Parliament represent approximately 200 religious, indigenous, spiritual, and secular worldviews from over 80 nations. For Waters, who will be attending his fourth Parliament, that adds up to an overwhelmingly positive experience.

“The only overwhelming part for me is deciding which breakout sessions to attend,” he said. “There are dozens of breakout sessions at the same time throughout the day and all look interesting.”

That’s likely to be a problem for all of the 10,000 people expected to attend. Theme for the 2023 Parliament is “A Call to Conscience: Defending Freedom & Human Rights.” Several of the Abilenians will be presenting papers or will be on panels at the Parliament:

Members of a panel titled, “Navigating Obstacles: Interfaith Work in the Buckle of the Bible Belt” will be Linda Goolsbee, Nicolini Starr, and Waters.

LeMasters, who also is pastor of St. Luke Orthodox Christian Church in Abilene, will present a paper titled, “Human Rights and the Quest for Peace in Orthodox Christianity.” 

LeMasters gave the following overview of his paper.

“‘Human Rights and the Quest for Peace in Orthodox Christianity’ will focus on the resources for peacemaking within Orthodox Christianity, drawing primarily upon the church’s liturgical practices, spiritual traditions, and moral teachings. It will also address the legitimate place of human rights in Orthodox social engagement for peace. While rights language is often secular and individualistic, it provides a basis for calling the larger society to respect certain dimensions of the dignity of human person. 

“In Orthodoxy, that dignity is grounded in humans being in the image and likeness of God.  Though rights language does not convey the fullness of the dignity of persons from an Orthodox perspective, peaceable societies must do better rather than worse in respecting human dignity.  Such peace provides an imperfect sign of the eternal blessedness for which the Orthodox Church prays for the world in its services.”

Although several of the Abilenians attending the conference have been to multiple events in the past, none will surpass the number attended by former Abilenian Rob Sellers, who now lives in Waco. Sellers, religion professor emeritus at Hardin-Simmons University, served seven years on the Parliament’s board of trustees, including three as chairman. His tenure ended Dec. 31, 2018, and he sent a farewell letter to the Parliament. The conclusion follows: 

“Now, looking back on my seven years as a Trustee, the last three as Board Chair, and then gazing ahead into the Parliament’s hopeful, bright future, I end by quoting UN Secretary General and Nobel Peace Laureate, Dag Hammarskjöld, whose sentiment summarizes my own feelings:  “For all that has been, thanks–for all that shall be, yes!”

The Parliament’s hopeful, bright future continues later this month. For Mark Waters, who teaches Religions of the World at McMurry, the experience is invaluable on both an intellectual and spiritual level. 

“Comparing and contrasting what I believe with what others believe challenges me to think deeper. I don’t say ‘contrasting beliefs’ in a judgmental way, but just out of curiosity about others,” he said. “Plus, witnessing teachings and practices in person is more educational than reading about them in a book. Spiritually, I find it engaging and sometimes mystical in the best sense of the word mystical.”

Loretta Fulton is creator and editor of Spirit of Abilene