In the Midst of the World's Crises, What Are We Called to Do?

Our human community is in a deepening spiral of conflict, and the planet, which sustains us and all life, careens towards climate disaster.

At the recent COP25 climate summit, the voices of scientists as well as grassroots and Indigenous Peoples were sidelined in favor of business and political interests that deny or diminish the climate crisis, while Indigenous peoples, their ancestral lands and the Earth itself are under attack.

We are at this very moment witnessing refugee crises on every continent, as well as the systematic ethnic cleansing of our Uighur (China), Rohingya (Myanmar), Nuer (South Sudan), Yazidi (Iraq and Syria) and the Darfuri (Sudan) sisters and brothers, while many other ethnic and religious minorities suffer from brutal injustice and violence.

In the United States, India, Hong Kong and in countries around the world, voices calling for democracy and the equal rights and inclusion of all people are being met with increasing hostility and violence, while globally, conflict between people of different beliefs and cultures is being encouraged by those wishing to seize or maintain political power in a divide and rule strategy.

 

And the cloud of nuclear destruction hangs over each of our days. 

How are we people of diverse religions, spiritual expressions and Indigenous traditions throughout the world who comprise URI called to respond?

The Preamble, Purpose and Principles (PPPs) of the URI Charter form the basis of how we are called to be in the world. In the PPPs, our stated values include: We respect the uniqueness of all traditions. We value voices that respect others. We unite to build cultures of peace and justice, to heal and protect the Earth, to build safe places for conflict resolution, healing and reconciliation, to use our combined resources only for nonviolent, compassionate action. These are but a few of the values in the PPPs that guide our actions in the world.

But today I would like to call your attention to another part of the URI Charter, a lesser known part, URI’s Guidelines for Action, which specifically move our beliefs and values into action.

 

URI’s Guidelines for Action (page 8 of the URI Charter)

In light of the essentially self-organizing nature of URI, which gives members freedom to choose what they want to do, the following Agenda for Action is offered as guidance for URI activities. Inspired by a Javanese phrase, Memayu Hayuning Bawano, which translated means “to work for the safety, happiness and welfare of all life,” URI seeks to serve as a moral voice and a source of action grounded in contemplation in each of the following areas:

Sharing the Wisdom and Cultures of Faith Traditions

• Actions to promote dialogue, education and kinship among the diverse religions and spiritual expressions and Indigenous traditions of the world.

Nurturing Cultures of Healing and Peace

• Actions to develop cultures in which all people can live without fear of violence.

Rights and Responsibilities

• Actions to uphold human rights.

Ecological Imperatives

• Actions to uphold the welfare and healing of the entire Earth community.

Sustainable, Just Economics

• Actions to bring a spiritual perspective to the tremendous gap between rich and poor.

Supporting the Overall United Religions Initiative

• Local, regional and global actions to support all URI  

In this complex moment in history, in which so many are suffering and the Earth itself is in peril, may these Guidelines for Action inform our daily responses to contemporary and future challenges, and may we continue to stand together and act in solidarity to promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously-motivated violence and to create cultures of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living beings.