We know this has little to do with animals, however, we find it extremely interesting and thought we would share it. We are not what we would call religious - just spiritual. We do believe that this has major bearing on all peoples of the Earth.
What if leaders of the world's major religions got together one day and denounced all religious violence? What if they unanimously agreed to make this plain, clear and bold statement to the world?
Violence and terrorism are opposed to all true religious spirit and we condemn all recourse to violence and war in the name of God or religion. It could change the world. At the very least, it would be big news, wouldn't it? Apparently not.
More than 200 leaders of the world's dozen major religions did get together January 24 in Assisi, Italy. Maybe you missed the story about it the next day. Most newspapers didn't carry it. And it was hidden inside many of those that did. There was a lot of other news that day. The Enron hearings opened in Washington. John Walker Lindh made his first court appearance.
It's no wonder the largest meeting of world religious leaders in history couldn't even make the front page. Pope John Paul II and a number of cardinals were at the meeting. So was Bartholomew I, spiritual leader of the Orthodox Christians. So were a dozen Jewish rabbis, including some from Israel. So were 30 Muslim Imams from Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan. So were dozens of ministers representing Baptists, Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists, Presterians, Pentecostals, Disciples of Christ, Mennonites, Quakers, Moravians, The Salvation Army and the World Council of Churches.
So were dozens of Monks, gurus and others representing Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and Zoroastrians and African religions. They ignored the personal and political risk of attending such a high-profile gathering.
They convened and talked and prayed. They unanimously agreed to condemn every recourse to violence and war in the name of God or religion. They also said "No religious goal can possibly justify the use of violence by man against man." And that "Whoever uses religion to foment violence contradicts religion's deepest and truest inspiration." They called their statement the Assisi Decalogue for Peace. It consists of 10 mutual commitments to work for peace and justice in the world.
Maybe you missed the story. It didn't even make the newspapers the next day, hidden inside. There was a lot of other news that day. Seven American soldiers were killed in Afghanistan. Israeli troops killed 17 people in the West Bank. Tyson got a license to box.
What if leaders of the worlds major religions got together and denouced all religious violence - and no one cared?
Do you care?
We do. Pass this to as many people as you want to. The world needs to know this information. If those in charge won't make this known, then we can.
Decalogue of Assisi For Peace
We commit ourselves to...
1. proclaiming our firm conviction that violence and terrorism are incompatible with the authentic spirit of religion, and as we condemn every recourse to violence and war in the name of God or of religion, we commit ourselves to doing everything possible to eliminate the root causes of terrorism.
2. educating people to mutual respect and esteem, in order to help bring about a peaceful and fraternal coexistence between people of different ethnic groups, cultures and religions.
3. fostering the culture of dialogue, so that there will be an increase of understanding and mutual trust between individuals and among peoples, for these are the premise of authentic peace.
4. defending the right of everyone to live a decent life in accordance with their own culture identity, and to form freely of his own.
5. frank and patient dialogue, refusing to consider our differences as an insurmountable barrier, but recognizing instead that to encounter the diversity of others can become an opportunity for greater reciprocal understanding.
6. forgiving one another for past and present errors and prejudices, and to supporting one another in a common effort both to overcome selfishness and arrogance, hatred and violence, and to learn from the past that peace without justice is no true peace.
7. taking the side of the poor and helpless, to speaking out for those who have no voice and to working effectively to change these situaitons, out of the conviction that no one can be happy alone.
8. taking up the cry of those who refuse to be resigned to violence and evil, and we desie to make every effort possible to offer men and women of our time real hope for justice and peace.
9. encouraging all efforts to promote friendship between peoples, for we are convinced that, in the absence of solidarity and understanding between peoples, technological progress exposes the world to a growing risk of destruction and death.
10. urging leaders of nations to make every effort to create and consolidate, on the national and international levels, a world of solidarity and peace based on justice.
