serving the faith communities of the Goulburn Valley
Daoism has existed as a tradition in China for at least 2,500 years. It takes its name from the Dao or “The Way,” as described in the Dao De Jing, “The Classic of the Way and Its Power,” attributed to the legendary Laozi, which means simply “the Old Master.” This work of great depth and beauty is one of the most translated books in the world.
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There can be no solution to the climate crisis that does not recognize the rights and spiritualities of Indigenous peoples, according to religious leaders who gathered for the official COP26 side event ‘Making Peace with Nature.’
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The President of the National Council of Churches Australia shares prayers and meditations for success at the forthcoming Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Sunday, 31 Oct 2021 – Friday, 12 November 2021.
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The Interfaith Declaration on Climate Change for COP 26 – called the Joint Appeal – was signed by over 40 religious leaders of the World’s Religions in the Vatican on October 4, 2021. At this event, Pope Francis gave a short talk wherein he identified our common humanity living on our common home. Pope Francis took up three themes in his address: openness to interdependence and sharing, the dynamism of love and the call to respect.
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A major aim of Buddhism is to relieve suffering, the root causes of which are greed, ignorance, and hatred. The monks see the destruction of the forests, pollution of the air and water, and other environmental problems as ultimately caused by people acting through these evils, motivated by economic gain and the material benefits of development, industrialization, and consumerism. As monks, they believe it is their duty to take action against these evils.
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Whereas hurmans – men and women – pray to the gods and make supplications, offerings and sacrifices to these gods, in Hinduism, the Earth itself is one of the gods – She is One Goddess with many names – Mother Earth, Bhu-devi, Bhumi-devi, Prithvi, Mother Nature. Hence, the Earth is sacred, Nature is sacred and all who live upon her are obliged to make sacrifice and live in harmony with the Earth and all its creatures. This includes mineral life, plant life, animal life and all that exists in the wind, the waters, the heat and the soil.
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For Bahá’ís the goal of existence is to carry forward an ever-advancing civilisation. Such a civilisation can only be built on an earth that can sustain itself. The Bahá’í commitment to the environment is fundamental to our Faith.
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It is the task of humans to respect and care for the Seven Bounteous Creations and to work against evil forces which oppose right order, and in so doing to bring the world back to its original state of harmony. Thus Zoroastrianism requires humans to protect the environment; to avoid harm, pollution, and waste; and to restore what has been damaged.
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According to Islamic law, the basic elements of nature – land, water, fire, forest, and light – belong to all living things, not just human beings. Allah commands human beings to avoid doing mischief and wasting resources as these acts cause degradation of the environment. Here we bring you excerpts from the Qur’an and Hadith on care for the Environment, the Statement on fossil fuel divestment by the Fiqh Council of North America and the Green Ramadan movement.
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As part of the Interfaith Call to Action auspiced by United Nations Environment Program and other multifaith organisations, we will, each month, present the view of one religion on the Environment and Care for the Environment. Religions to be covered include Indigenous Traditions, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism, the Bahá’í Faith, Hinduism, the Jain Religion, Buddhism, the Sikh Religion, Confucianism, Daoism, Shinto, and in summary, Environmental Ethics: Points of Agreement among the World’s Religions. This month, Care for the Environment features the teachings of Christianity.
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In Commemoration of the World Interfaith Harmony Week The Permanent Mission of Egypt to the United Nations and The Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations in partnership with the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and sponsorship of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity have the pleasure to invite you to an interactive panel dedicated to the celebration of The International Day of Human Fraternity A Pathway to the Future
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As part of the Interfaith Call to Action auspice by United Nations Environment Program and other multifaith organisations, we will, each month, present the view of one religion on the Environment and care for the environment. Religions to be covered include Indigenous Traditions, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism, the Bahá’í Faith, Hinduism, the Jain Religion, Buddhism, the Sikh Religion, Confucianism, Daoism, Shinto, and in summary, Environmental Ethics: Points of Agreement among the World’s Religions.
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The climate insights report is published each year through a partnership between Future Earth, the Earth League, and the World Climate Research Programme.
Emissions from thawing permafrost are likely to be worse than expected.
Other key findings from 2020 include that climate change can affect our mental health, tropical forests may have reached peak uptake of carbon, electrification in cities is pivotal for just sustainability transitions, and going to court to defend human rights can be an essential climate action.
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The Shepparton Interfaith Network seeks to promote (and achieve) harmony, co-operation and understanding among the faith communities of the Goulburn Valley. We also actively promote and seek peace in our region, as shown by our fulsome support of the Picnic 4 Peace event over its many years of celebration of World Peace Day.
Peace on Earth is also our shared aspiration. To this end, we support an end to war, and the nuclear weapons ban treaty. There is no Planet B. Our planet – our home – cannot afford nuclear testing (it poisons the environment) nor nuclear war. Hence, we bring you this Entry-into-Force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, brought about by an Australian organisation that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017: the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.
In October 2020, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons acquired its 50th ratification, triggering its entry into force 90 days later. This entry into force occurs on Friday the 22nd of January, 2021. That is the day nuclear weapons will be illegal under international law.
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For the sake of future generations, the Dalai Lama tells journalist and activist Franz Alt, we must develop a sense of universal responsibility — for the earth and all humanity. Working together as one is the only way we’ll survive the climate crisis.
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The Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority is hosting two online workshops to gather feedback on the recently released Goulburn Broken Regional Insights Paper on 3 December and 7 December 2020. The Shepparton Interfaith Network considers that “we are a river people” and how we manage our natural resources (water, land, biodiversity) in the face of climate change is a critical matter for us all. Hence, we recommend these workshops.
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The Australian Academy of Science celebrates NAIDOC Week with a presentation on Land, water and fire: the science of a continuous culture online, on Monday 9 November at 5:30pm. You are invited to join in as they explain how Indigenous knowledge and science of land, water and fire can inform and improve the management of the natural world.
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Lion’s Roar Magazine and Tibet House US are delighted to announce a first-of-its-kind event: The Dalai Lama Global Vision Summit. With the personal endorsement of the Dalai Lama himself, this historic 6-day global summit offers an unprecedented opportunity to experience the Dalai Lama’s example of wisdom, compassion, and visionary insight from an extraordinary panel of 22 Buddhist teachers, spiritual leaders, scientists, and devoted students.
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Churches are coming together to toll their bells and hold prayer services to mark Earth Overshoot Day. The tolling bells will warn demise for God’s Creation as we know it on Earth – if we do not repent but instead continue down the destructive path that we have been following.
This year Earth Overshoot Day will fall on 22 August. To maximise publicity about this solemn milestone day, church bells will toll shortly before midday on Friday 21 August to alert people to Earth Overshoot Day the next day.
Earth Overshoot Day is the day when humanity’s demands for ecological resources (fresh water, fish, forests, etc), exceeds what the Earth can renew in a year.
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