Parliament Named a Champion of the Compassion Games During 11 Days of Global Unity
THE PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD’S RELIGIONS • 2016 CHAMPIONS OF COMPASSION
HOLDS THE COMPASSION TORCH FOR THE COMPASSION RELAY, DAY #8
For the 2016 Compassion Games – titled “The Global Unity Games, Tomorrow Together” – the Parliament of the World’s Religions has agreed to participate in the next five years of mobilizing young people around the compassion movement in this vital campaign for Global Unity.
Our Ambassadors are playing their hearts out in the games, while our staff completes daily missions as Secret Agents of Compassion. Even the Parliament Executive Director is getting involved in the fun of doing good, and has invited the global interfaith world to join in our efforts.
The Parliament is participating as a Champion of Compassion and will be receiving the “Compassion Torch” on its virtual relay around the world, receiving points of light from other Champions and passing it forward. During our day, we will be highlighting the connections that compassion has made, and the communities that have been united through the benefits of interfaith organizing. We are especially proud of these accomplishments and look forward to sharing some of their insights with you on September 18th, 2016
The Jane Goodall Institute, Chief Phil Lane Jr. and the Dalai Lama Fellows, from whom we will receive the torch on Sunday, have imbued it with so many points of light that we can consider it a solar blast of loving, compassionate action toward the work toward Global Unity. We are equally honored to pass the torch to our partners and friends at the United Religions Initiative who are working around the clock and around the world to support the growth of interfaith cooperation and organizing at the grassroots level
A Look Back Over Years of Friendship between
the Parliament and the global Compassion movement:
2015
Dr. Karen Armstrong is awarded the Paul Carus Award, honoring the legacy of the convener of the first World Parliament of Religions, at the 2015 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Salt Lake City.
The Charter for Compassion is awarded the Ahimsa Award, an inaugural recognition of a global commitment to nonviolence and a monetary gift from the Jain community, presented by the Parliament of the World’s Religions.
Dr. Karen Armstrong delivers a keynote address at the Confonting War, Hate and Violence with Compassion and Love plenary of the 2015 Parliament, as well as speaks on the panel, “Kill Them (Qu’ran), Do Not Spare Them (Torah), and Cast Them into Everlasting Fire (New Testament): Context of Difficult Religious Texts,” alongside Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, Jonathan Brown, and the Rev. Chloe Breyer.
The Compassion Games are awarded one of the five Parliament of the World’s Religions Grants for Grassroots Interfaith Movements, to be allocated toward the upgrade and advancement of digital outreach and social organizing for projects leveraging interfaith participation in alliance with the mission of the Parliament.
The Charter for Compassion works as a strategic partner to bring “compassionistas” around the world to the 2015 Parliament of the World’s Religions and hosts a global conference call featuring Global Chair of the Charter, Rev. Joan Brown Campbell, and Dr. Mary Nelson for the Parliament of the World’s Religions.
An official “Compassion” track of programming devoted to compassion, and co-organized by the Charter for Compassion, is hosted at the 2015 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Salt Lake City. View the program schedule of Compassion at the Parliament here. Fun photographs of the Compassion Games Survival of the Kindest’s Pass the Torch activity at the Parliament are here to view.
2014
The Parliament of the World’s Religions welcomes Karen Armstrong to its Board Meeting and later the Trustees of the Board and Armstrong are inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel Hall of Fame. Dr. Armstrong goes on to receive the Gandhi King Ikeda Award. During that ceremony, Atlanta’s Faiths Against Hate project in cooperation with the Parliament, “Compassionate Atlanta,” meets its goal to become an official Compassionate City through proclamation by the Atlanta City Council.
While together in Atlanta, the Parliament of the World’s Religions signs a strategic partnership with the Charter for Compassion. (Video Here)
The theme of the 2015 Parliament of the World’s Religions is adopted: Reclaiming the Heart of Our Humanity: Working Together for a World of Compassion, Peace, Justice and Sustainability.
Charter for Compassion then-Executive Director Andrew Himes joins the Parliament’s executive team of Dr. Mary Nelson and Chair Imam Malik Mujahid, the Mayor of Salt Lake City, URI North America Chairwoman Sande Hart, and Parliament Trustee Emeritus Arun Gandhi to announce the 6th Parliament of the World’s Religions.
Karen Armstrong and the Dalai Lama become the first luminaries of the 2015 Parliament to be announced as keynote speakers.
The Parliament hosts a webinar with Compassion Games Founder Jon Ramer entitled, “How Are We Connecting Everyone with Compassion?”
In a follow-up to 2013’s “Survival of the Kindest: How to Win the Compassion Games” webinar, Jon Ramer returns to the Parliament Webinar Series sharing the newest opportunities to join the movement all started by Karen Armstrong’s Charter for Compassion. Viewers will learn a brief history of the Compassion movement – from the Games to the upcoming World Compassion Festival, including how to do Compassion Relays, or champion a Compassionate City campaign The discussion centers on the Golden Rule principles of Compassion and how this works well in starting a movement, especially in the interfaith sphere! Examples of Compassionate Action successes discussed demonstrate how the model of compassion can win over any environment from a town park to a high security prison, or even a city council! And as always, a Q/A with Jon Ramer is included.
2013
Through its Faiths Against Hate program, the Parliament invites the founder of the Compassion Games, Jon Ramer, to do a webinar to train and empower the Parliament’s community around the world to play “Survival of the Kindest” in the annual Games.
The United Religions Initiative Challenges the Parliament to a Compassion Games “coopetition” showcasing a newfound visibility of cooperation and partnership to invite interfaith organizations into the Compassion movement.
This September 11 through 21st (International Day of Peace), communities and cities are competing together again for 10 days of “Coop-etition” through the 2nd annual Compassion Games.
Compassion Games Director Jon Ramer joins CPWR on this webinar special to the Parliament of the World’s Religions to introduce interfaith leaders to this year’s challenge through the principles of the Charter for Compassion. As cities vie to become “Compassionate Cities,” everyone wins.
The Compassion Games is in a process of attracting “first followers,” described by Jon Ramer. Tips included cover the scoring process, how to receive points for kind actions on the worldwide compassion map through planned projects or secret missions, and why “Coop-etition” is a proven strategy to reach a tipping point when creating movements. Many will discover that projects already ongoing may jumpstart their score, and what collective impact from the Interfaith community can do to transform cities and their government leaders by joining the games.
