Shepparton Interfaith Network will conduct an interfaith dialogue on on faith and the family, and issues faced by families in our region on Friday, 24 March 2017. This event is part of Conversations for Change, Family Violence Awareness.
Our faith celebrates life. It calls on us to treat one another as we would like to be treated — with respect, compassion and kindness — however inequalities are abundant in our communities.
Women and girls are often treated with far less respect, compassion and kindness than they deserve. In our community and in communities around the world, violence is used to perpetuate power inequalities and violence against women. The terrifying physical, psychological and spiritual devastation that is a reality for too many of our sisters is an affront to our core values and beliefs. Violence against any member of the human family can never be justified. And so today, we join together in one voice as women and men of faith, ready to speak out in solidarity with those who have been silenced; we must advocate for their right to live healthy and dignified lives. We must prevent the violence from persisting unaddressed.
Many of us are already actively engaged with ending poverty, caring for the sick, and resolving conflict. We know that transformation is possible with these problems, and therefore we know there is reason for hope that our efforts to eliminate violence against women can also effect change. We will remember and draw lessons from our community’s long tradition of promoting peaceful and healthy relationships, as we continue to work together to promote justice and provide a safe environment for all.
In speaking out against violence against women and caring for survivors, we are not alone. Many religious communities and individual people of faith are committed to ending violence against women, and our actions will be stronger and more effective if we join together. We are all affected by a culture of violence, and we can all respond by creating a multi-religious community that is safe and healthy for all — women, men, girls and boys. As a proactive interfaith group within our own community, we must speak out against violence against women and girls in our sermons and religious instructions to ensure that the violence and suffering stops here and now.
Please join us during Cultural Diversity Week to explore how our faith traditions support the Family and abhor violence within families.
Event Details
Program: Interfaith and Cultural Diversity, The Family
Date: Friday , 24 March 2017
Time: 11:00 – 1:00pm
Place: St Augustine’s Hall
Location: 95 Maude St, Shepparton
More information: Frank Purcell, 5821 4362, or Chris Parnell, 5821 3483
Cost: Free
