Eighteenth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

This paper announces a breakthrough in the global interfaith movement; a synthesis of past efforts to foster diversity and navigate conflict among faith traditions. April 2018 marks 125 years of such efforts as the 7th Parliament of the World’s Religions meets in Toronto following the first Parliament in Chicago in 1893. As the “world’s oldest, largest, and most inclusive gatherings” of faith communities, it will host “more than 200 diverse religious, indigenous, and secular beliefs [among] more than 80 nations.” The challenge of correlating identities and affinities across such a spectrum is daunting. This paper takes up that challenge with key case studies that showcase a millennial method of correlation: correlating affinities rather than identifying similarities. Pluralism or relativism too often erases or minimizes differences. By contrast we will see how the rituals and beliefs, symbols, and narratives in one tradition constitute “functional equivalents” of comparable phenomena in other faith traditions, thus updating Joel Beversluis’ milestone effort following the 1993 centennial parliament in his (revised) 1995 book, “Sourcebook for Earth’s Community of Religions.”