CELEBRATING THE SPIRIT:
TOWARDS A GLOBAL ETHIC

A Project of the Berkeley Area Interfaith Council
A United Nations 50th Anniversary Event
A Project of the San Francisco Bay Area Interfaith Coalition
Fiscal Agent: Berkeley Area Interfaith Council

The Conference has come and gone, but the work continues! Watch this space for updates on the Presidio Interfaith project and other work being done to promote interfaith dialog and the concept of a Global Ethic.

Also check out Origin Global Ethic Project for more discussion of a Global Ethic.

In communities all over the earth a stirring phenomenon is occurring. Seeking to embrace the wonder of life, thousands of people are setting out on a spiritual quest. Last summer, in Chicago, more than 8,000 people of faith were moved to gather for the Parliament of the World's Religions. Together we shared our personal religious visions and a strong desire for uniting in a covenant for peace. To give voice to this intention, religious and spiritual leaders the world over created a powerful testament: Towards a Global Ethic: An Initial Declaration. Recognizing the world's great need for ethical guidance, nearly 150 members of a special Leaders' Assembly meeting at the Parliament endorsed and signed the Global Ethic declaration. Religious leaders as varied as H.H. the Dalai Lama, Prof. Diana Eck of Harvard University, and H.Em. Joseph Cardinal Bernardin endorsed and recommended the Global Ethic as a vital beginning.

Enthusiastically endorsed by the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions (CPWR), CTS carries forward the spirit and substance of the Global Ethic.

We are already engaging individuals, communities, and organizations in incorporating the Global Ethic into their own agendas. We want people to read it deeply, talk about the content and significance of the declaration, meditate and pray on it. To accomplish this, we have been distributing the text and collaborating on workshops, courses, and seminars which address the Global Ethic between now and June `95.

On June 20th - 21st 1995, in the San Francisco Bay Area, we will host a two-day conference on the Global Ethic and its international implementation. CTS will also coordinate local religious congregations in a series of services dedicated to the principles of the Global Ethic on the weekend before the conference (June 16th - 19th). Organizations the world over are developing plans to meet as part of the "Nine Weeks for the Earth" in 1995, between the 25th Anniversary of Earth Day on April 22nd and the United Nations 50th Anniversary Celebration (UN50) on June 26th. Celebrating the Spirit: Towards a Global Ethic will be held in conjunction with these events. Many of the spiritual and secular leaders at these events will participate in an Interfaith service at Grace Cathedral, which President Clinton, Vice President Gore, and UN Secretary General Boutros-Ghali are also expected to attend.

Now we are reaching out to you!

We, the Board of Celebrating The Spirit, invite you to participate in the creation of this world event. Your contributions of tax-deducible donations, creativity, time, and other resources are encouraged and will be well used.

When we join together it will happen!