ACWR

An Interfaith Peace Organization combining meditation practice, dialogue and a concrete peace and social justice agenda

* interfaith dialogue: exploring the sacred scriptures of the world religions for their common revealed Truth

* meditation : practically probing the mystical dimension of religional

* a practical agenda for peace and social justice.

ACWR has held a number of international conferences in the US, in Germany and in India and is currently planning the third conference at the UN, New York.

Mission Statement

A Centre for the World Religions serves to promote dialogue and collaboration between members of the world's faith traditions to promote equal partnership and genuine respect and explore age-honoured practice of meditation. A Centre for the World Religions seeks to foster peace and prosperity through an initiative for worldwide disarmament and funds release to address poverty and through an empowerment of a truly representative UN.

Principles that guide our work

We believe that all human beings have equal rights because God or the Supreme Essence resides in everyone. Thus, there is no justification from our sacred religious teachings for any action that deny or subvert these rights, or that afflict suffering on any human being.

We believe that all religions partake of the Truth through revelation and that all faiths contain some aberrations from the Truth through the element of fallible human conjecture. Truth is one and eternal, and therefore all religions converge to a common essence. This brotherhood of all human beings, based on their common Origin, implies that we should respect and love each other as members of one family. As we find the same Supreme Being revered in other religions we respect them as equal partners in dialogue. We refrain from proselytizing, but commit ourselves to dialogue with the aim of mutual learning and teaching.

We believe that no religion can claim exclusive representation of the Truth, that dialogue and interfaith co-operation will make us perceive the universal core of religion and that the approach to mystical unity through inversion (meditation) transcends the division between the religious traditions. From that perspective, no religion can claim superiority over others.

We believe that mutual respect does not demand reverence for anyone else's religious practices and beliefs. Whatever emerges from sincere dialogue as a shared core of teaching and practice is revered while divergent concepts must neither be coerced on others nor promoted controversially.

We believe that the passionate search for the Truth, for an expansion of our awareness, and for a more comprehensive approach to spirituality prevails across the entire religious spectrum and that the need to reassess and modify traditional articles of faith, on the basis of unprejudiced comparative studies and exchange, is felt by many.

We believe that meditation is a crucial approach to the Divine that crosses the boundaries of religious culture and is universally shared and accepted. Though mystical awareness implies a process with stages of perception it is yet guided by the self-revealing power of the Divine and therefore continuously inspired by a universal, all-pervading Consciousness.

We believe that in the Spirit we should strive for unity, while recognizing and accepting diversity at the physical, cultural and social levels as different flowers in the same garden.

We believe that dialogue must be conducted in a way that no one is asked to surrender any of the principles upheld by their respective religious tradition while all should be inspired to explore whether all their convictions conform to the original teachings of that religion.

In Promotion of these Convictions and Principles, A Centre for the World Religions Proposes

Universal Brother and Sisterhood: A Centre for the World Religions undertakes to promote universal brother- and sisterhood and to overcome the divisive forces between religious communities by unbiassed, careful study of and dialogue on the sacred scriptures. It invites mutual inspiration while its decision-making rules ensure that no member should pass judgements on the religion of another, as final authority always must lie with the representatives of the respective religion concerned. Regular conferences, both regional and international, as well as correspondence and internet dialogue on a subject-wise compilation of sacred texts serve to promote an awareness and acknowledgement of shared beliefs. Through scriptural studies by scholars, clergy and laity, mutually exclusive doctrines are explored for a level of understanding that underscores mutually confirming spiritual messages. While each sacred scripture derives its wisdom from the same eternal and perfect Source of revelation it is a tragedy that they are each interpreted to serve claims of sole, superior or more authentic representation of the Truth. A Centre for the World Religions calls for the courage to discover and acknowledge the element of human error in such deeply divisive doctrines. Findings that are unanimously acknowledged or affirmed by a conference, with equal representation of the world religions, are duly publicized for further discussion worldwide. This is done through the global infrastructure of the organization mutually to discover a harmonious understanding of religion that reconciles the claims to universal validity.

Global Spirituality: A Centre for the World Religions undertakes to further global spirituality. An increasing number of people seek to tap a source of wisdom inside each human being that leads beyond the confines of both intellectual conjecture and personal religious sentiment. Great mystics of different faiths and ages have referred to that mode of acquiring transcendental knowledge as a spiritual science, with coherent and congruent results. In meditation workshops, the organization provides space for instruction and practice of meditation taught in the world religions respectively. The purpose is to examine methods and results in a secure and amicable atmosphere and in a spirit of exploration that is appropriate to an age demanding verifiability. The organization accepts the challenge of revealed scriptures acording to which there is One ultimate treasure of divine wisdom and One straight inner path. Therefore, the society offers practical expertise at its exploration. Adapting the prophetic statement by the Catholic theologian Karl Rahner, it holds the conviction that the religion of the third millennium will be mystical or it will not be. In that dimension of religion, each human being is him/herself a sacred temple and entitled to finding that eternal inner Path to mystical awareness. From such global spirituality, accessible to all mankind across the boundaries of religious affiliation, an attitude will emerge that is governed by mutual respect, generosity, compassion and love for all. The organization offers itself as a competent agent and partner of the UN (through its respective departments) practically and effectively to promote such non-denominational, interfaith spiritual practice in harmony with the essential teachings of all the world religions.

Love in Action: As a result, A Centre for the World Religions undertakes to serve Love in Action. Awareness of the intrinsic unity of mankind inspires the peaceful resolution of disputes and conflicts, first on religious grounds and secondly in the political and social arenas. The same awareness inspires a unique kind of confidence both in others and in one's own strength. Most aggression derives from a) a sense of insecurity – both physically and metaphysically – and b) from injustice and deprivation on various social levels. Therefore, the society offers itself as an umbrella organization in close co-operation with likeminded societies and in close consultation and co-ordination with the UN. Together they will launch, supervise and carry out worldwide grassroots initiatives that provide food, shelter and clothes as and where they are most urgently needed. Such service will not be affected by any preference or discrimination on religious, ethnic, national or social grounds, because it is continually fuelled by spiritual practice and communion and thus guided by a sense of unity with all mankind. Such "Love in Action" initiatives are designed to snowball on a local level. The spiritual impetus will serve social justice and inspire a worldwide call for sustained and multilateral disarmament.

Love in Spirit: A Centre for the World Religions proposes a Global Defense System under the control of the UN. It offers to submit more detailed long-term proposals for a genuinely new world order - one that involves a global defense structure with continental, supra-national military forces, under the commandment of a reformed, globally representative and empowered UN. Such military forces would serve as a peace force only and be called at the respective level of conflict to avoid escalation. Such a reorganization and economizing of the global defense machinery is only thinkable on the basis of a global "spiritual revolution" as outlined above. The progressive disarmament at the national levels which such a scheme involved will release such massive financial resources that those, if substantially flowing into UN funds, would open massive and continuously increasing resources for a sustained, global "Love in Action" programme. In effectively addressing the burning issues of social injustice and deprivation, the "Love in Action" programme would serve as the shortest connection between the fund flow from disarmament and its application to prevent instability. Further, such resources would be utilized to launch a global education campaign, providing equal opportunities and curricula designed to further interfaith, intercultural, international and inter-ethnic acceptance. A special effort shall be made to promote more inexpensive indigenous, accessible and culturally acceptable health-care for all. Finally, the organization proposes to launch and support practical local grassroots projects of environmental protection in a scheme designed to raise the environmental consciousness and help cultivate respect and care for Nature. In India, A Centre for the World Religions has, in co-operation with related organizations, already created small models of combined education, health-care, self-help and reforesting programmes on an entirely non-governmental basis. These, in co-operation with the UN through its NGO sections and with due funding, could well serve as a model for similar programmes worldwide, particularly in underprivileged developing countries.

Sharing Religious Culture: A Centre for the World Religions undertakes to organize gatherings, both regionally and internationally, which invite members of different faith communities to exchange and share the traditions of their respective religious cultures. The research and exploration that the organization does, in the fields of interfaith dialogue and spiritual practice, creates an atmosphere of mutual acceptance. The supremacy of a spiritual approach to religion puts the differences in ritual and social culture into perspective as an aspect of human diversity. This diversity, that is to a large extent determined by a variety of social, historical and even climatic factors, does not determine our spiritual well-being. From that angle, it is a cause for shared joy and mutual enrichment, comparable to the diversity of flowers enhancing the beauty of a garden. Put into perspective, diverse religious culture does not lend itself to be exploited for political power, segregation and discrimination. To promote mutual cultural acceptance, sharing of religious festivities and customs, organized by A Centre for the World Religions, is designed to serve men, women and children of different faith traditions to enjoy each other's hopsitality, understand the symbolism of respective customs and feel at home with one another.

The society seeks and offersco-operation with other interfaith organizations and initiatives. It pursues religiousparity in its membership and leadership to ensure that its work is never governed by anysingle religious interest.
Since these are clear and far-reaching aims, principles and activities may best be realized inco-operation with the UN, the society seeks to be accredited as an NGO with the UnitedNations. It is opening an office in New York and plans to hold a first meeting on itspremises in the course of 2001. To summarize, A Centre for the World Religions seeksto promote peace in a substantial, sustained and comprehensive way that connects it with aspiritual approach to and impetus from the world religions: