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Interreligious Work
 

The Associations manifested common interreligious work by their participation in the Parliament of the World´s Religions in Barcelona. The multilingual website will continue to be a window, showing our interreligious engagements, which we consider to be a central peace promoting work of major significance in the world today.

We perceive the significance of this work in the light of the Tibetan master Djwhal Khuls words about “the sixth seedgroup” and its growth in the world (the growing group of universally oriented, spiritually working people), and the famous words from 1882 by the Mahachohan, that the Theosophical Impulse has the possibility to participate in world changes by being “the cornerstone, the foundation of the future religions of humanity.”

From the world wide interreligious work we believe that a new, universal spirituality will gradually emerge, which will be global in character, and at the same time the existing religions and spiritual traditions will continue to keep their specific characteristics, just like the different nations and cultures will continue to influence the world in a united global community. Unity will be able to manifest in diversity. Harmony will prevail in the midst of differences. We deeply respect the unique character of the different traditions, and we emphasize all that unites.

All our Associations are united in practising interreligious work by helping an Institute for Interreligious Dialogue in Iran – a group we made contact with in Barcelona. Several of our Associations also work to establish United Religions Initiative (www.uri.org) in the Nordic countries.

 

Formation of URI-Cooperation Circles in Denmark

Following the initiative of Mr. Søren Hauge, chairman for Theosophical Association Aarhus, a group of dedicated Theosophists in Aarhus and Copenhagen decided to engage specifically in the United Religions Initiative and to aim at promoting interreligious bridgebuilding through this international network. On 11. and 24. september 2004 two Cooperation Circles for United Religions Initiative (URI) started in Aarhus and Copenhagen in Denmark - these being the first of its kind in Scandinavia.

 

The meetings were held in the Centres for Theosophical Association Aarhus and Copenhagen with a total of more than 40 people from different kinds of traditions like Islam, Buddhism, Bahai, Theosophy, Sufism, The Liberal Catholic Church, The Evangelical Lutheran Church, The Catholic Church, Unitarianism, Brahma Kumaris, Sikhism, Reiki, The Diamond Approach and more. Each group consists of around 25 people. On 20. october the two Cooperation Circles were approved  by the URI Global Council Approval Committee and are now officially part of the International United Religions Initiative.
 

The Cooperation Circles have the same purpose as URI, namely “To promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, stop religiously motivated violence and create cultures of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living beings.” At the same time the two circles have dedicated themselves to  working for greater understanding and mutual respect between people of diverse faiths and taking initiatives and participate in visible projects that build bridges between people of diverse faiths and create hope for the common future of Humanity. Through the meetings and activities the groups want to further openness and harmonic co-existence, respect for diversity, care for the wholeness and hope for the future.
 

Interested persons that would like to know more about URI are very welcome to look at the website www.uri.org and to get information about the Danish circles, the coordinators in Denmark can also be contacted: Sonja Ohlsson for Copenhagen (Brahma Kumaris): Kbh@brahmakumaris.dk and Søren Hauge for Aarhus (Theosophy): sophia@post6.tele.dk
 

The pictures show some of the people attending the founding meetings of URI-Aarhus on 11. september 2004
 

and URI-Copenhagen on 24. september 2004. Several people could not physically attend at the first meeting, but approved in absence.