BV Foundation Commemorates International Day of Peace 2023

Summary
The BV Foundation for Peace and Harmony, a member group of the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF), hosted a special event in honor of the International Day of Peace on September 21, 2023. The event was conducted at SVVP Degree College in MVP Colony, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, under the chairmanship of Prof. Prakasa Rao.

Lighting the Lamp of Peace
The day began with the time-honored tradition of lighting a lamp to signify the commencement of the celebrations. Dr. K. Jagadeshwara Rao, the Principal of SVVP Degree College, served as the chief guest for the occasion. A multi-faith prayer session was conducted to unite all attendees in a solemn commitment to peace.

Advocating for Global Harmony
The focal point of the event was a series of speeches highlighting the critical need for fostering global peace. Prof. Prakasa Rao took the audience on a historical journey, elaborating that the International Day of Peace was established by the United Nations General Assembly on September 21, 1981. The goal behind this designation is to promote nonviolence, peace, and ceasefire among nations and individuals worldwide.

This Year’s Theme: End Racism and Build Peace
The current year’s theme resonated strongly with the audience, emphasizing the necessity to “End Racism and Build Peace.” Prof. Rao stressed that maintaining social harmony is of utmost importance, especially in an era where antisocial elements are disturbing the peace through violent activities.

Allocating Resources for Peace Over War
The speakers also discussed how nations often allocate extensive budgets for defense at the expense of vital sectors such as healthcare, food security, social welfare, and education. They argued for a reevaluation of priorities, emphasizing the significance of peace for societal wellbeing.

A Standing Ovation for UNO’s Efforts
Dr. K. Jagadeshwara Rao applauded the relentless efforts made by the United Nations to uphold peace despite numerous challenges. He suggested that educational institutions have a pivotal role to play in sensitizing the youth about methods to maintain global peace.

Taking the Peace Pledge
The event concluded with all attendees taking a pledge for peace, thereby symbolizing a collective commitment to promoting harmony across communities, nations, and religions.

For more information on upcoming events and how you can participate, please contact the BV Foundation at [email protected].in.

Visakhapatnam Commemorates Hiroshima and Nagasaki

by Prof. Narava Prakasa Rao, IC Member, IARF and Chairman, BV Foundation for Peace and Harmony Member Group

VISAKHAPATNAM, INDIA – From August 6th to 9th, 2023, the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF) in collaboration with the BV Foundation for Peace and Harmony conducted a series of commemorative meetings at various schools and colleges across Visakhapatnam. These meetings marked the somber anniversaries of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atom bomb explosions, aiming to educate and inculcate a quality mindset among the public, with special emphasis on the student community.

Under the guidance and coordination of Prof. Narava Prakasa Rao, IC Member and chairman of the Foundation for Peace and Harmony, these annual meetings have been successfully held to shed light on the tragedies of August 1945. This year, it commemorated the 78th anniversary of the devastating nuclear attacks which took the lives of at least 129,000 innocent individuals, marking a dark day in global history. This stands as the sole instance of nuclear weapons being employed in warfare.

Speakers at the commemorative meetings highlighted the peaceful applications of atomic energy. Through comprehensive PowerPoint presentations, the importance of nuclear power, application of non-conventional energy resources, and the necessary safety measures were emphasized. Attendees were informed about the potential benefits of nuclear energy in societal development, such as cost-effective methods to desalinate seawater, medical uses like MRI scans and radiotherapy, among other treatments. However, they also emphasized the essential need for proper nuclear waste management to prevent the severe hazards posed by radiation and toxins.

A strong message resonated across all sessions: while nuclear energy has the potential to propel societal advancements, the devastation caused by nuclear bombs and the consequential radiation cannot be ignored. To reinforce this message and promote peace, a PEACE pledge was undertaken by students at every meeting.

Complementing the series of meetings was a powerful photo exhibition, which offered attendees a visual journey through the tragic events of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Documentaries depicting the historical events and their aftermath were also screened, making the significance of the incidents even more palpable.

In these trying times, initiatives like these underscore the importance of peaceful coexistence and the prudent use of powerful resources. The dedicated efforts of organizations like the IARF and BV Foundation serve as a beacon of hope for a world aspiring for peace and harmony.

by Prof. Narava Prakasa Rao, IC Member, IARF and Chairman, BV Foundation for Peace and Harmony Member Group

IALRW’s Congress to Follow the IARF Congress on 7-9 September 2023

The International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF) is delighted to announce that our member organisation, the International Association of Liberal Religious Women (IALRW), will be hosting their World Congress in Cluj-Napoca (Kolozsvár) from the 7th to the 8th of September, 2023. This congress comes directly after the IARF World Congress, presenting a unique opportunity to attend both events in succession.

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The congress will be held under the theme “Religion in Action: From Reconciliation to Inclusive Diversity”, reflecting the IALRW’s ongoing dedication to fostering dialogue and understanding among women of diverse faith traditions. Although the speakers for the event have not yet been confirmed, we assure you that the lineup will consist of some of the most insightful voices in the field. We will be publishing the program shortly, so please keep an eye on our website for updates.

The World Congress will be graciously hosted by the Hungarian Unitarian Church at the House of Religious Freedom, a historic 15th-century townhouse located in Cluj-Napoca. Known as one of the oldest and most significant townhouses in the city, the House of Religious Freedom has been lovingly restored by the Hungarian Unitarian Church and is dedicated to promoting the ideals of religious freedom and tolerance.

IALRW’s history is rooted in the IARF, and its focus on women’s issues in religious communities and interfaith cooperation remains a cornerstone of its mission. The organisation welcomes women from liberal faith communities around the world, fostering an environment of mutual support in the search for spiritual enrichment and identity. We are confident that this upcoming World Congress will be a testament to this mission, offering attendees the chance to engage in enriching dialogue and meaningful action.

For further information about the World Congress, please contact Dr. Esther Suter at [email protected]. You can also visit the IALRW website at https://www.ialrw.org/ to learn more about their ongoing projects, recent research, and member organisations.

The IARF and IALRW look forward to welcoming you in Cluj-Napoca (Kolozsvár) for these back-to-back congresses. Please mark your calendars and join us in fostering interfaith dialogue and inclusive diversity.

Save the date: 28/11, “Religious discrimination and the misappropriation of symbols” – Motivational Dialogue with Morgana Synthove from the Pagan Federation

The Meeting

The next meeting in the second series of our Motivational Dialogues will be held on Sunday the 28th of November at 5pm CET on Zoom (see below for different time zones). You can watch recordings of previous meetings here.

Morgana Sythove, a leading figure in the International Pagan Federation and the Pagan community in the Netherlands, as well as a member of the Dutch Chapter of the IARF, will speak on “Religious discrimination and the misappropriation of symbols”:

At the recent Parliament of the World’s Religions / PWR virtual 2021 PF Scotland, in collaboration with PFI and PF, presented a panel about ‘Anti-Pagan Discrimination the Untold Story’.

A survey had, and still is being held, to research into ‘anti-pagan discrimination’. One of the major problems is that of long history of ‘bad publicity’ and the use of the word, ‘paganism’. In this presentation Morgana will be highlighting the problems ‘people of the earth’ suffer as having, apparently, ‘no faith’.

As well as being ridiculed there is also the misappropriation and abuse of symbols such as the Swastika, 5-pointed star, runes.. and many more. It’s time for a closer look at these issues.

The format of the series is simple – a speaker talks for 10 to 20 minutes, and a conversation follows. These are open meetings and everyone is welcome to participate, ask questions and speak their mind.

The time of the meeting for different time zones:

Location	Local Time	Time Zone	UTC Offset
USA – California	08:00:00	PST	UTC-8 hours
USA – Massachusetts	11:00:00	EST	UTC-5 hours
United Kingdom – England	16:00:00	GMT	UTC
Netherlands	17:00:00	CET	UTC+1 hour
Israel	18:00:00	IST	UTC+2 hours
India	21:30:00	IST	UTC+5:30 hours
Japan	01:00:00	JST	UTC+9 hours

The speaker

Morgana is Anglo/Dutch and lives in the Netherlands. She is a practising pagan and is a Wiccan Priestess. As International Coordinator for PFI/Pagan Federation International, she travels extensively giving talks and workshops about Wicca and Paganism.
She is also active in Interfaith and is a Global Trustee URI and Gen. Secr. for URI Netherlands. She represented PFI & URI at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in 2004/ Barcelona , 2015/ Salt Lake City, 2018/ Toronto and PWR Virtual 2021.

Save the date: “Does religion set you free?” – EME Online Conference 2021 on 8-11 May 2021

The Europe and Middle East region of the IARF, IARF EME, will hold an online conference on Saturday 8 May – Tuesday 11 May 2021. It is scheduled as follows:

Saturday: from 6:30pm to 10pm CEST
Sunday: from 10am to 6pm CEST
Monday: from 4:30pm to 9:30pm CEST
Tuesday: from 4:30pm to 9pm CEST

The complete programme and registration details will be published within two weeks. The times given above may change slightly.

The theme of the conference is Does religion set you free? The connection of religion and liberty will be explored in lectures, workshops and circle groups as well as by an interfaith panel comprising representatives of five different religious traditions.

Originally, the event was planned as one of EME’s quadrennial regional conferences and was supposed to take place last year in Hungary. It was cancelled due to travel restrictions, and, seeing as the situation may not improve in 2021, a completely new, all-online formula was chosen. As much as we regret not being able to provide an opportunity for face-to-face interaction, we hope more people will be able to attend and that the experience we obtain will help us in the future, for example in holding hybrid events.

Motivational Dialogue #8: January the 24th at 4pm GMT

The next meeting in the second series of our Motivational Dialogues will be held on Sunday the 24th of January at 5pm CET on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86951947910 (see below for different timezones). You can watch recordings of previous meetings on our Youtube Channel.

The formt is simple – a speaker talks for 10 to 20 minutes, and a conversation follows. These are open meetings and everyone is welcome to participate, ask questions and speak their mind.

The time of the meeting for different timezones:
PST (California): 8am
EST (Washington): 11am
GMT (UK): 4pm
CET (Central Europe): 5pm
IST (Israel): 6pm
IST (India): 9:30pm

The speaker will be Dr. Yehuda Stolov from the Interfaith Encounter Association, and IARF member group from Israel whose mission is to “build bridges between Jews, Muslims, Christians and others, based on tradition and culture without any political agenda.” Over the years, IEA has held innumerous interfaith encounters and inspired many forms of interreligious cooperation in the region. Dr. Stolov, the Executive Director and former Council Member of the IARF, will share with us some of the abundant experience the IEA accumulated pertaining to ways, tools and atitutedes that help bring people together even in the most challanging circumstances.

We hope to meet you there, and please follow our website and our Facebook page for details of upcoming meetings.

Winner of the Dana McLean Greeley Award for young adult interfaith work

After carefully considering the 12 applications we received this year, each well-prepared and outlining a valuable project we would love to support, the Greeley Award Committee, tasked with this difficult duty, decided to award the project submitted by The Sanctuaries: Interfaith Arts Education.

This is how The Sanctuaries elaborate on their mission to ignite the sacred power of the arts for social change:

The Sanctuaries is the first interfaith arts community in the United States. Founded in Washington, DC, by a group of twenty young adults in 2013, we use the arts to transform two of the most divisive global issues of our time – race and religion – into forces for personal growth and social change. We fulfil this mission in two ways. First, through our multicultural community of over 150 artists, we deepen interfaith understanding by hosting regular events, retreats, and multimedia arts showcases. These programs are often the only structured opportunities in the city for young adults of different religious backgrounds to build lasting relationships of mutual care and support. Second, through our Art for Social Impact training program, we educate interfaith artists how to be leaders in their local communities. Participants in this highly selective program gain first-hand experience working on the front lines of grass-roots justice campaigns to address the systems that keep us divided in the first place.

What distinguishes our approach:
– It centers young adults. Too often, programs are created for young people, not by them. This project positions young adults as valuable teachers of this work for audiences of all ages. In the process, it builds trust and understanding across lines of social and generational division.
– It builds collective capacity. Too often, programs perpetuate dependency on an outside expert. This project equips teachers to share frameworks and skills that enable communities to move this work forward on their own. In the process, it builds long-term capacity, not clients.
– It scales by invitation. Too often, programs grow for numbers rather than for needs. This project relies on individuals and communities inviting teachers into their context to advance this work. In the process, it builds a replicable and respectful model of collaboration. As Dana McLean Greeley once exhorted: “Let us find something worthwhile to love, and something worthwhile to do, and give ourselves away, and we shall find ourselves again.” At the heart of our approach is this spirit of embodiment. This work is something that’s not just done, but lived.

You can learn more about the project and the organization on its website, thesanctuaries.org, and its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/SanctuariesDC/

The Background of the Dana McLean Greeley Award

In 1969, Rev. Greeley [was] a pivotal force in giving the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF) the name it still carries, and new, committed leadership from both Shinto and Buddhist traditions in Japan. He loved IARF’s heritage, and boldly moved it into its future. The Award was created by the IARF to respond to the intention of the Dana McLean Greeley Foundation for Peace and Justice to honor Rev. Greeley’s memory and life achievements for peace through the gift of a $50,000 endowment to the IARF, announced at a service and celebration held in Concord, MA, on November 5, 2006.

The Founding Purpose: The historical Mission of the Award has been to celebrate the achievements of young adults within a religious and/or interfaith community with a strong commitment to human rights, justice, and peace. The award supports an ongoing or new project of a group, featuring the collaborative engagement of young adults with their community, providing the group with material support. In turn, the group is committed to work with young adults, to develop leaders within the next generation, and to expand understanding of human rights, justice, and interfaith dialog within the context of religious freedom.

Goals of the Award: The primary goals of the award are to support organizations of young adults, and the communities within which they are engaged, to conduct programs of leadership development, human rights education, and engagement in understanding one another’s beliefs within the context of commitment to religious freedom.
The Award (or awards) will be presented at each IARF Congress, currently held at 4-year intervals. They will be celebrated and promoted at a special ceremony, and through publicity within and beyond the IARF.

Registration and call for programme suggestions for the 35th Congress open: early registration discounts!

Registration is now open for the Conference “Reimagining Interfaith Cooperation”, which will be held on 29 July – 1 August 2018 in Washington DC and incorporate the 35th World Congress of the IARF. Please fill in this form to register. You will benefit from early registration: there is a significant discount for those who register before 15 December! Should you experience any difficulties, contact our Administrator at luke[at]iarf.net. Below, as well as on the registration form, you will find more details concerning registration rates and our cancellation and refund policy:

Early Registration Deadline:
Early General Registration is $295. Rate increases to $365 on 31 January. Rate increases to $400 on April 1.
Registration Closes:
Monday, June 25
Cancellation and Refund Policy
Cancellation before December 31, 2017: 75% Refund
Cancellation before March 31, 2018: 50% Refund
Cancellation after March 31, 2018: 25% Refund
There will be no refunds after June 25th.

Programme Tracks (more about these here) will be curated by a team of people with passion and expertise in each subject area. The teams are open to your ideas and suggestions for presentations, trainings and other skill-building events to take place within the program track they are developing. All program suggestions should be submitted by January 15, 2018 to the co-chairs of the Program Committee: Sari Heidenreich (sari[at]uri.org) and Megan Weiss (maweiss[at]csbsju.edu).

Congress 2018: programme outline, venue and accommodation

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Save the Date: The 35th World Congress: August 2018, Washington DC

We are pleased to announce the Interfaith Conference that will incorporate the 35^th World Congress of the IARF: Reimagining Interfaith Cooperation.

The Conference, to be held on 29 July – 1 August 2018 in Washington DC, USA, is a joint project of the IARF, the Unitarian Universalist Association, our member group, and our partners: the United Religions Initiative, the United Church of Christ and Religions for Peace. We’re very excited to be working with so many fantastic partners and hope to meet you all in Washington next year.

The venue of the Conference, one of local Universities, will be announced in October, which is also when registration will open. The registration fee is 325 USD per person and 100 USD for young adults (under 35), and includes meals as well as local transportation and conference kit. Updates, including names of speakers, detailed programme and helpful practical information, will be posted on the Conference’s website, www.reimagineinterfaith.org, as well as on our website – both will be regularly updated. You can pre-register to receive notifications here or follow us on Facebook for the latest news.

You may read more about our Congresses here.

Please contact IARF Administrator with any questions at luke[at]iarf.net.