United Religions Initiative North American - Briefings

From Dave Randle, Utah URI:

Thirty people gathered today for a Utah URI hosted meeting of people from twelve countries in the world to discuss Religion and Community.

Persons from India, Kenya, Madagascar, Micronesia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudia Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Zambia.

From Utah URI there were clergy from six different faith traditions and professions included a medical school professor, rocket scientist, retired aerospace engineer, school teachers, Catholic Social Justice Director, to name a few.

From the visitors from around the world the group included professors, consultants, educators, clergy, a Supreme Court Justice, youth directors to name a few.

Our visitors from around the world were most interested in the role that fundamentalists are having on politics and the affect that is having on the rest of the world by the choices that the American people are choosing to elect.

Persons shared stories of the fear that is running throughout the world of the fundamentalist americans.

It seemed a shared perception from Utah URI members that it is a paradox that religion in america is the group most likely to want to defend personal freedom and the group most likely to want to take away personal freedom.

The group also talked about the role that culture plays in the criminal justice system. The Supreme Court Justice shared how he was arrested once in Guam while visiting for child abuse because his small child ran outside without clothes on… a custom that is part of daily life in the island where he lives.

We also talked about some of the ironies in cultural tradition such as how americans get so upset about punishing a young man by hitting him with a cane but think nothing of it being cruel or unusual punishment to execute people, a practice which much of the world does not allow.

The visitors from around the world were most interested in the role that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Saints (the Mormons) play in Utah politics and in learning about the examples that Utah URI has initiated in the community.

It seemed hopeful for all to know that there are many people in very different parts of the world who want to end the reign of terror of fundamentalist religions and work together on issues such as peace, poverty, and the planet.

(Originally posted at http://homepage.mac.com/globalhealing/UtaURI/Personal52.html).

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