Significant Topics Missed by the Parliament of World Religions


For those who read my previous blog, you may remember that I attended the Parliament of World Religions in Toronto in early November and reported on what I saw, heard and experienced. The reason I return to it again is because it made me think about what such a massive gathering was really about, and if we were, hypothetically, to organize something similar, what could or would the agenda include.

 I thought about this because of what was discussed in Toronto. The issues and their proposed resolutions were decidedly to the left of the political spectrum. That doesn’t make them unworthy of consideration, but it might make one question whether the participants from around the world representing over 200 faith groups,agreed with the thrust of what was presented. And it also made me think of what was missed and that definitely should have received attention.

What was missed? Consider the following:

1. Abortion. The statistics are stunning. Millions of humans each year will not see the light of day because of abortion. It represents a culture of death and of selfishness that is de rigueur in our time. While speakers at the Parliament argued passionately against nuclear weapons and their potential threat to humanity (an important concern), the question that comes to mind is, how many people have actually been killed or adversely affected by nuclear weapons over the last year? Over the last five years? Ten years? 25 years?

Google that question for yourself. Other than for nuclear radiation accidents in the late 1900s, none have been killed by nuclear weapons. Nuclear deterrence, while not ideal, appears to be effective. Yet the eradication of nuclear weapons prompted a passionate call to arms, so to speak, for the Parliament
crowd. Meanwhile abortion, which has slain its billions, by now, was left unconsidered.

2. Religious Persecution. This affects all faiths. The 20th century was one of the worst centuries for religious persecution, according to statistics, and this trend continues into the 21st century. Yet there was little mention of persecution at any of the Parliament’s plenary sessions. Check out Christine Farenhorst’s Year in Review time line for some sad statistics from 2018 alone.

3. Increasing Loss of Freedom. Tolerance only goes so far, and it does make judgments and leads to new laws.

4. Refugee Crisis. This ongoing, gut-wrenching story has no easy resolution. While attempting to deal with the results of war and persecution, few address the reasons behind the massive movement of people away from their homelands, a story that deserves an airing.

5. Euthanasia. The death culture manifests itself at both ends of the life cycle, from womb to old age. Death on demand has become the acceptable answer to life’s difficulties and the long term implications of such policies have yet to be acknowledged and fully considered.

6. Loss of Truth. In an age of relativism, this is a BIG one, and crucial if any meaningful direction is to be offered.You may have your own suggestions, and I’d be interested to have you share them with us.

In the mean time, as we begin a new year there are plenty of areas in this broken world in need of awareness,information, discussion, prayer and action.

John Van Dyk, Editor
Christian Renewal Magazine

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