LA Nuclear Disarmament

Ask Obama to work for world nuclear disarmament:
wagingpeace.org/appeal

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Nuclear Age Peace 
Foundation

nuclearweaponsfree.org

Beyond War

Nuclear Free Future

LA Catholic Worker 
YouTube Vandenberg protest

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• Moral and Spiritual Transitions
• Ethics and Civilization
• Aug 22, 3-5 PM Interfaith Celebration - Moral and Spiritual Transitions
• The Challenge of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• Who Are We? An Exciting New Venture
• From Independence to Interdependence
• Interfaith Responses to the Gulf Oil Spill
• Reason and Passion in a Global Civilization
• Unity-and-Diversity in Worship
• Cooperation in the Interfaith Movement
• Volunteers Needed at UDC Office - May 30, 2010

DECLARATION OF INTERDEPENDENCE

We the People, hereby declare our interdependence -- our connection to the Source of All Life and to all life forms.  We affirm that diverse individuals, groups, and networks are necessary for the creative development of humanity, and that to strengthen UNITY-AND-DIVERSITY throughout the universe is our individual responsibility and privilege.

We therefore pledge --

• To affirm the existence of a Supreme Beingness, called by any name or no name;
• To advance both individual initiative and human fellowship through mutual trust, understanding, and respect;
• To seek the truth in the spirit of love;
• To integrate reason and faith, science and religion;
• To ensure that all aspects of life be kept in dynamic balance for maximum health and well-being;
• To respect the teachings of the prophets and sages of all times and cultures;
• To provide present and future generations with the opportunity for full realization of their potential; and
• To build with joy a new civilization of freedom, justice, and peace founded on reverence for life.

There will established on earth a new Consciousness and Power which will shape a race of wise spiritual beings and take up into itself all of earth-nature that is ready for this new transformation. -- Sri Aurobindo, Science and Spirituality, page 171

"Moral and Spiritual Transitions" has been our theme for the past year, which ends with this Interfaith Celebration.  Our Steering Committee felt that we should revisit the subject as a way of seeing where we are now with regard to that theme and where it might lead us for the coming program year.

Many events have taken place during this past year which show that our world is in a global crisis that could challenge us beyond our limits, or it should stimulate us to change our ways and learn how to get these happenings under control.  Two such events in recent times stand out in my mind: the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the even more recent monsoon flooding in Pakistan.  Several destructive events have taken place in China, and the relation between Israel and the Palestinians continues to be a major stumbling block in the Middle East.

One of the lingering problems, which has until very recently dropped out of getting media attention, is the very major problem of nuclear weapons.  Recently more and more people are calling for nuclear abolition. 

In the midst of these crises, important positive changes have been taking place that promise a brighter future for people and other life forms around the world.  The ethic of reverence for life, proclaimed decades ago by Dr. Albert Schweitzer, offers great hope for a new attitude toward life and the world.  The interfaith movement has begun to bring the world's faiths together, both in large conferences and in individual communities in various parts of the world.  Modern spiritual movements are also adding to the picture of change in our outlook toward life.

At the core of the transition that is inevitably coming is a new kind of faith that arises out of this age, with its scientific and technological dimensions.  The balance of reason and faith, science and religion is a key component of the transition beginning to be widely felt.  The historic faiths have much to add to this picture, but in addition there are new teachings and a new kind of perspective emerging.  The major challenges of our time help to force us to search more deeply and to change to meet the demands that confront us.    

I pray that the Spirit of Unity-and-Diversity will help to shape the world that is being manifest at this time.

May peace prevail on earth!!!

C/o Unity-and-Diversity World Council, P.O. Box 661401, Los Angeles, CA USA 90066.  Phone: 310-391-5735; Email: udcworld1@yahoo.com; Website: www.udcworld.org. 

Ethics consist...in my experiencing the compulsion to show to all will-to-live the same reverence as I do to my own.  There we have given us that basic principle of the moral which is a necessity of thought.  It is good to maintain and to encourage life; it is bad to destroy life or to obstruct it. ...Ethics are responsibility without limit towards all that lives. --Albert Schweitzer, The Philosophy of Civilization. pgs. 309 - 311

We are living in a time now where the most basic questions as to the meaning of life and civilization must be brought into our consideration.  The existence of nuclear weapons, the challenges of social and economic justice, and the environmental stresses that are confronting us force us, if we are at all aware of the seriousness of their implications, to ask ourselves as to what the value of life is, and what must we do in order to preserve it.  Some major changes need to take place if we are to come through this time alive and having a future.

A civilization is a society which has been able to bring itself together and to function well.  It is in our case a global society which has begun to live according to its highest principles and to help its citizens to come together in cooperation and mutual support.  In order for that to happen, all of us need to live according to ethical principles such as showing mercy to others, having reverence for all life, and being considerate of people of all races, cultures, and religions and for all other forms of life.

Dr. Albert Schweitzer, who grew up in Europe, got doctoral degrees in philosophy, religion, music, and finally medicine, was one of the wisest people of our time.  Having completed his studies, he went to Africa as a medical missionary to establish a hospital and to continue his ministry and his music.  One day on the Ogowe river he had a revelation concerning the ethic of reverence for life.  He then knew that ethics needed to extend to all human beings and to all life, and that the practice of ethics is at the heart of what makes a civilization possible.

Our society is now in a major transition.  It is moving from values which may have been suitable for the western world, to new values that are adequate for our global, scientific, technological, and increasingly democratic society of the 21st century.  We now seem to be largely in a state of limbo, without a clear sense of right and wrong, and a weakened commitment to truth in the spirit of love.

For us to have a future, now is the time when our ethical and spiritual values must be brought into the center of our lives and the place of guidance for our every thought and action.  It is time for us to abolish nuclear weapons, to end war in general, to get over our various prejudices, and to take care of our environment.  Instead of tattooing our bodies, violating our sexual integrity, and killing each other, we need to take a new lease on life and start living in tune with our spiritual nature and practicing our ethical principles.

Perhaps in order to begin this process we would do well to take off time to meditate and to pray for guidance in order to know what is right and how we can be in tune with the best in our nature.  Our existence in the big cities has tended to distract us from our deeper selves and to cause us to live on the surface of life.  British historian Arnold Toynbee has talked about withdrawal-and-return as a balancing of our inner and outer lives.  Let us see what we can do to find that balance and to live accordingly.

In the Spirit of Unity-and-Diversity!!!

C/o Unity-and-Diversity World Council, Inc.
P.O. Box 661401, Los Angeles, CA USA 90066-9201
Phone: 310-391-5735, FAX: 310-827-9187 (call UDC first)
Email: udcworld1@yahoo.com; Website: www.udcworld.org

The Unity-and-Diversity World Fellowship is a specialized affiliate of Unity-and-Diversity World Council, Inc.  Its work is to develop the moral and spiritual dimension of our work, to hold sacred services, and to train ministers to carry out its work.

Three Unity-and-Diversity Ministers will be ordained for this purpose on September 11th, Albert Duffy (a Buddhist), Mary Mann, Ph.D. (a playwright and author), and Rev. Jan Chase (a Unity minister with a great involvement in interfaith work). 

Date:   SUNDAY, AUGUST 22, 3-5 P.M.   Refreshments courtesy of Brahma Kumaris
Venue:   BRAHMA KUMARIS CENTER, 908 So. Stanley Ave., Los Angeles 90036.
From east, take Santa Monica Fwy. W. to LaBrea, rt. to Olympic, left 11 bl. to Stanley, rt. to 908. Park on street. -- From west, take Santa Monica Fwy. E. to Fairfax, left to Olympic, rt. 6 bl. to Stanley, left to 908.  Park on street.

 BACKGROUND:  This Interfaith Celebration is the last one in the 2009-2010 monthly series at faith communities in greater Los Angeles.  These events are sponsored by World Interfaith Network, a Specialized Affiliate of Unity-and-Diversity World Council, Inc.  They include music, meditation and prayer, interfaith candlelighting, and dialog.

"Moral and Spiritual Transitions" has been the year's theme and is this month's theme as well.  This meeting will focus on the deeper meaning of the many transitions now taking place in the United States and the world as seen by our various faiths. 

PARTICIPANTS INCLUDE:
Sister Gita -- Director, L.A. Center, Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University
Howard Mungo -- Ongoing Representative, Brahma Kumaris Center
Rev. Stephen Longfellow Fiske -- Singer/songwriter; producer of Venice Eco-Fest
Mary Mann, Ph.D. -- Playwright; coordinator, Science and Spirituality book project 
Al Duffy -- Al Al Duffy -- Buddhist tour guide; Unity-and-Diversity ministry student 
Rev. Laura Hunter -- Sant Mat disciple; Unity-and-Diversity Minister
Cheryl Ann Nichols -- Representative, Los Angeles Center for JKP (Hindu)
Fred & Margaret Bayer -- Both and members of Temple Beth Emet (Judaism)
Rev. Wilma Striebeck -- Metaphysical Minister; former UDC staff person
Keki Gandhi -- Representative, Zoroastrian Association of California
Rev. Jill Soyars -- Staff minister, L.A. Science of Mind Spiritual Center
Rev. George Hines -- Minister, Downey Church for Spiritual Enrichment (tentative)
Rev. Leland Stewart, B.S.E., B.T. -- UDC Co-founder/Central Coordinator

Others are cordially invited

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Sun. Aug. 22, 5:30-6 p.m. -- Meeting of WIN steering committee.  Please join in.  We will be further examining UDC's Vision Statement plus looking to 2010-11 season.
Sun. Sept. 19, 3-5 p.m. -- Next Interfaith Celebration.  Watch for details.

WORLD INTERFAITH NETWORK, C/o Unity-and-Diversity World Council, P.O. Box 661401, Los Angeles, CA 90066; Phone: 310-391-5735 Email: udcworld1@yahoo.com, Website: www.udcworld.org

               I do feel that there is orderliness in the universe, that there is an
               unalterable law governing everything and every being that lives
               and moves.  The law and the law giver are one.
                             Mahatma Gandhi, Science and Spirituality, page 134

This Sunday lies between August 6th and August 9th, the dates of the atom bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States.  No other country has used nuclear weapons against another nation. This time of year it is especially important to consider our own personal future, that of our children and grandchildren, and of the human race in general. This matter is not just a political issue; it is perhaps the most serious moral and spiritual issue before humanity today.

I was most encouraged by the fact that Bishop William Swing, the founder of the United Religions Initiative, wrote a letter to those involved in URI informing them that they are forming a cooperation circle (CC) to deal specifically with this matter and to give it the utmost international attention. They are scheduled to take a year organizing a plan for presenting this concern to the world and then do a public campaign starting next August. 

There was a time when people seemed to feel that the threat of nuclear weapons was taken care of, and that it would somehow work itself out. These people have been turning their attention to other crucial matters and ignoring the present and future risk.  Now we realize that such weapons in the hands of terrorists, or by accident, could put every city at risk, and in fact every citizen of this planet on a moment's notice. Millions of people could be killed from a single nuclear weapon, and a simultaneous attack could jeopardize the future of the entire planet. 

The point is that such weapons anywhere on the planet put everyone at risk, so the only way to eliminate that risk is to abolish nuclear weapons altogether and to set up a system for verification that does not allow anyone to create or use them. Since the United States was the only country to use them so far, we are the ones who have the greatest moral obligation to see that we and everyone else participate in this process.

We can begin by praying for peace among all peoples and all life. We can meditate on a world without nuclear weapons, a world of peace, justice, happiness, and a sustainable environment. Our sacred services can help create the needed climate of faith and transformation that will permit such a goal to be realized. All change of this kind requires time and focus. Often it necessitates people in the streets insisting on their wishes being fulfilled. To sustain life in this century and beyond will need to have people stand up and be counted for truth and love. And regarding nuclear weapons, the sooner the better!

In the Spirit of Unity-and-Diversity!!!

Unity-and-Diversity World Council, Inc.
P.O. Box 661401, Los Angeles, CA USA 90066-9201
Phone: 310-391-5735; FAX: 310-827-9187 (contact UDC first)
Email: udcworld1@yahoo.com; Website: www.udcworld.org

ADVANCE NOTICE

Sun. Aug. 15, 2 p.m. -- U. S. Security in the 21st Century with Capt. Paul K. Chappell, U.S. Army; author of The End of War.  First Congregational Church, 241 Cedar Ave., Long Beach.  2587 cranes hang from the ceiling of that church, reminding us of the lessons to be learned from Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  Paul Chappell currently works for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation in Santa Barbara.

Sat. Aug. 21, 9-11 a.m. -- UDC General Assembly meeting at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, 11555 National Blvd., Los Angeles 90064.  Will focus on nuclear disarmament, environmental sustainability, and other social concerns of participants.  Newcomers are cordially invited.  Refreshments served.  Suggested donation: $10, $8 for members.

Sun. Aug. 22, 3-5 p.m. -- Interfaith Celebration, meeting at Brahma Kumaris Center, 908 S. Stanley Ave., Los Angeles 90036, near corner of Olympic Blvd. Includes prayer, meditation, music, and sharing among faiths.  Theme: Moral and Spiritual Transitions.  Refreshments courtesy of Brahma Kumaris.  Suggested donation: $10, $8 for members.

We can bring a new world into being through all the scientific advances that allow us to communicate, to engage in dialog, and to create that global mirror in which all cultures (and all religions) can shine in their uniqueness. --Fatema Mernissi, Science and Spirituality, page 192

There are times in every organization, whether at the beginning or later on in its evolution, when a reevaluation is called for.  This time has come now for the Unity-and-Diversity World Council, though for a different reason than on a couple of previous occasions.  What is being called for now is a closer look at UDC's Vision Statement.   The present statement was actually put together by our Executive Board to replace the original statement which I wrote not too long after UDC was founded in 1965 during International Cooperation Year. 

Thus it appears that UDC has had two vision statements so far, one written by me in the early years, the second written by the Executive Board about a decade ago, and now the call has come through UDC's Interfaith Network for another revision.  This time we need to give everyone in UDC an opportunity to participate in this process whether on our database or on our much more used email list, or through meetings called for this purpose.  This is an exciting moment in the clarification of "Who Are We?" and a way of being able to speak with one larger vision of our very important role in the emerging global civilization.

One additional consideration in this process is the possibility of having a blog of our own, which will allow us to link up with other related organizations and thus to expand our outreach.  We have been hampered by not being able to send to our full email list at one time.  Instead, it presently takes a period of about ten hours, 100 people at a time, to reach everybody just on our email list.  This has meant that we rarely communicate with our full email list, let alone our much larger list for whom we do not yet have emails.

Recently we have been working most of all with the emerging interfaith movement, which is expanding rapidly around the world.  We are somewhat involved with the environmental movement and the nuclear disarmament movement.  There are many more areas in which we need to be involved as we find leadership to head them up.  These include education, health and healing, scientific research, the arts, media, and the list goes on. 

Our General Assembly in theory includes all of these areas, but they will only emerge as leaders step forward to champion their causes.  If you are one of the people who has a concern that needs to be expressed, especially if you could be a leader in one of these fields, by all means let us know.  Right now the General Assembly is focusing on nuclear disarmament, especially the upcoming Hiroshima/Nagasaki commemoration.  Please let us hear from you in areas of your expertise.

Most of all, please help us fully express our Vision Statement so that it includes you.  At that point UDC can become your organization because you have aided in creating it in its current form.  Thank you kindly for your cooperation.

In the Spirit of Unity-and-Diversity!!!

P.S.  The success of our efforts depends on contributions as well as meeting donations.  Kindly send your contribution, being as generous as you can, to the address below, with your check made out to Unity-and-Diversity World Council.  All contributions and meeting donations are tax exempt.  Thank you.

Unity-and-Diversity World Council, Inc.
P. O. Box 661401, Los Angeles, CA USA 90066-9201
Phone: 310-391-5735; FAX: 310-827-9187 (contact UDC first)
Email: udcworld1@yahoo.com; Website: www.udcworld.org

We the People hereby declare our interdependence -- our connection to the Source of All Life and to all life forms.  We affirm that diverse individuals, groups, and networks are necessary for the creative development of humanity; and that to strengthen UNITY-AND DIVERSITY throughout the universe is our individual responsibility and privilege.  -- "Declaration of Interdependence", Science and Spirituality, p. 28

What I notice, however, is that our celebration is to a large extent more about setting off fireworks than it is about reflection as to how far we have come and where we are to go from here.  Independence is one stage in a process.  It is not enough to be independent.  We must also become interdependent within the United States and with the world at large.  Much of the flag-waving that occurs at this time of the year, and any time for that matter, can be a substitute for tuning into the meaning of other flags and how much they mean to their respective nations.

We are needing to be the exemplar of democracy, since we have had more time to develop our democracy than any other country.  Instead of insisting that other countries develop their ways of doing things in the same manner that works for us, we need to be helping other nations to develop in the ways that work for them.  Instead of fighting what looks like "wars without end", we need to vastly improve our diplomacy with other nations and show what the benefits of cooperation can be. 

Some of us have wanted to see a new statue built, perhaps in Long Beach harbor, that would be focused on interdependence, on the search for "a world that works for all".  It is a question as to whether July 4th's time of independence can convert itself into a time of interdependence.  I suggest that it can, but that it take a great deal of soul-searching and inner discovery as to how we must change.  It is not just a change of name but of attitude toward ourselves, our nation, and the world.

This change needs to begin by broadening our understanding of Ultimate Reality, of God called by any name or no name.  It is the Spirit that is unified, though it will be understood quite differently from one religion to another.  Several of the world's religions are based upon a personal God, who is seen by them in terms like that of a human person.  Other religions, most clearly in Buddhism, do not have a personal God.  Yet they understand that there is a sacredness of life that must be cultivated through meditation and personal practice.  Hinduism recognizes both the personal God and the more mystical aspects of the Atman-Brahman relationship.  Neale Donald Walsch, in his book, Tomorrow's God, gives us some guidelines as to how to understand this inner presence in the days ahead.

Beyond the understanding of Spirit there is the realm of ethics that must be changed and strengthened so that it can be applied universally.  Whether people consider themselves religious or not, there are standards of living that must be followed if we are to have a society at all.  One of the most basic is "You shall not kill".  Dr. Albert Schweitzer's "ethic of reverence for life" presents a modern ethic that expands morality beyond human to human, aiming instead to include all forms of life.

Let us take time on this Fourth of July to reflect upon our accomplishments and our need to improve our life attitudes.  We need to become more responsible human beings in protecting life in all its forms and working toward a world that does serve the needs of all beings, human and non-human.  Having made this transformation of consciousness, we truly have a reason to celebrate!

In the Spirit of Unity-and-Diversity!!!

C/o Unity-and-Diversity World Council, Inc.
P.O. Box 661401, Los Angeles, CA USA 90066-9201
Phone: 310-391-5735; FAX: 310-827-9187 (contact UDC first)
Email: udcworld1@yahoo.com; Website: www.udcworld.org

Yesterday in many parts of the country, sponsored by the Sierra Club and other environmental organizations, there were linkings of hands across the sand in support of a ban on oil drilling on our coasts.  The United States has been experiencing, and apparently will continue to experience for some time to come, the worst oil spill in its history.  It is hard to believe that in such a technologically advanced nation as ours there would be a disaster very much out of control for such a long period of time. 

The damage from this spill has now reached Florida and may well be heading up the east coast from where it started in the Gulf of Mexico.  It has killed untold numbers of wildlife and put countless individuals and businesses out of work if not out of existence. How could we be so careless that we would allow oil drilling a mile deep in the ocean and without ways of handling the potential damage?  What will it take for us to handle our affairs with wisdom and with caution?

One of the major aspects of the religious life is the desire to serve, to meet human needs wherever they occur.  Here is a prime example where service is called upon to help those people and also other forms of life that are struggling to survive this disaster.  What can we do individually and collectively?  Most of all we can pray for a miracle or a series of miracles to alleviate this pressure on all forms of life, so that the clean-up can begin and the suffering gradually eliminated.  Those who are free to do so can go to the area and help save the wildlife that is perishing.  Those that can contribute money can lend their support to humans who have lost their livelihoods.

It is increasingly a time to come together and to find collective ways of solving the many problems that face our nation and the world.  Cooperation is key to gathering the strength it will take to create a global society that serves the wellbeing of all.  It will take dedication and patience, courage and determination.  We are being tested as to how much we care and how willing we are to focus our energies where the real needs are.  Our meditations and prayers are needed to bring that strength and clarity of vision.  We need the guidance in order to know how best to serve.

In the Spirit of Unity-and-Diversity!!!

World Interfaith Network
C/o Unity-and-Diversity World Council, Inc.
P.O. Box 661401, Los Angeles, CA USA 90066-9201
Phone: 310-391-5735; FAX: 310-827-9187 (contact UDC first)
Email: udcworld1@yahoo.com; Website: www.udcworld.org

            And the priestess spoke again and said:
            Speak to us of reason and passion.  And he answered, saying:
               Your soul is often a battlefield, upon which your reason and your
            judgment wage war against your passion and your appetite.
               Would that I could be the peacemaker in your soul, that I might
            turn the discord and the rivalry of your elements into oneness and
            melody. ...
               Your reason and your passion are the rudder and the sails of your
            seafaring soul.
               If either your sails or your rudder be broken, you can but toss and
            drift, or else be held at a standstill in mid-seas. ...
               And since you are a breath in God's sphere, and a leaf in God's 
             forest, you too should rest in reason and move in passion.

                             Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, "On Reason and Passion"

We are living in a time when the meaning of life is being challenged and reshaped to align itself with the emerging global civilization, which is having to meet up with a whole new set of guidelines not known previously.  The historic religions can help, yet we must be open to new truth shaped also by modern science and the coming of democracy.  New teachings are being discovered, and many of the former teachings are being found inadequate to this age.

Religions have emerged to help people who have similar beliefs find each other and to gather into fellowship that supports those particular beliefs.  Often the differences of language and culture help to determine how different faith groups are formed.  However, in today's very diverse world, there is also a need for transcending these differences and finding another level of common ground.  This might be called the universal community, which can be manifest in each geographic community and also at a national and global level.  One does not need to be a world traveler in order to find those of different paths who have areas of common ground though there is real value in traveling the world for those who are privileged to do so.

The Unity-and-Diversity Fellowship seeks to unite people of every possible faith and culture throughout the world who seek to respect each other and to learn from one another.  At the same time, we encourage unity-and-diversity fellowships to form wherever there are enough such people to create this kind of gathering.  Its kind of spiritual service will reflect its diversity of culture and faith, including the music of these cultures and faiths, the practice of prayer and meditation, and the sources of its teachings from the various faiths, both ancient and modern. 

If you have this kind of interest, please contact us, and let's increasingly be in touch with the larger global fellowship that is forming in this time of rapid change.  We have very important work to do together in our own communities and with others worldwide that help us find our common ground in helping to create a world that works for all.  In our quest, be sure to include individuals, groups, and networks.  There is more common ground than we would ever imagine when we truly begin to share what we believe and what our aspirations are.

In the Spirit of Unity-and-Diversity!!!

Unity-and-Diversity World Fellowship
C/o Unity-and-Diversity World Council, Inc.
P. O. Box 661401, Los Angeles, CA USA 90066-9201
Phone: 310-391-5735; FAX: 310-827-9187 (contact UDC first)
Email: udcworld1@yahoo.com; Website: www.udcworld.org

NOTE:  We now have more copies of World Scriptures, Vol. 2, which is focused on the future and the kinds of scriptural type writings which move us in the direction of global unity in the midst of diversity.  Copies are $20 including tax and handling.  Make checks to Unity-and-Diversity Council and send to the above address. 

The diversity in the human family should be the cause of love and harmony, as it is in music, where many different notes blend together  in the making of a perfect chord. --Baha'i Faith, Science and Spirituality, page 192

On Thursday, April 29th this year, all that changed, as the two churches came together to worship for the first time.  There had been misunderstandings because of their lack of contact, and this was a move to help overcome those differences.  The result was a great sense of joy in coming to know each other and to discover common ground.

The work of Unity-and-Diversity World Council is to encourage this kind of crossing over so as to discover that there is common ground, and that the things we can do better together than separately need to be found and pursued.  The goal is not to pretend that there are not differences of culture and faith, but rather to seek those areas of cooperation where the combined energies can accomplish what can only be done if the crossovers do occur. 

Currently the Unity-and-Diversity Council's Interfaith Network is exploring common ground with the Culver City Area Interfaith Alliance.  The two organizations are centered quite close to each other on Los Angeles's Westside, and they have interfaith in common.  On May 16th, the Council (UDC) is being given an award for its interfaith work at a banquet in Redondo Beach by the Southern California Committee of the Parliament of the World's Religions.  (Call UDC if interested in coming to the banquet.)  In 2008 UDC was given a similar award by the South Coast Interfaith Council.

Hans Kung, creator of the Global Ethic introduced to the 1993 World Parliament in Chicago, has said that world peace will only occur when the faiths of the world get their energies together.  He appears to be right, and the fact is that the convergence of faiths is taking place more and more at this time. 

This convergence includes not only the historic religions but also the more recent religions and spiritual movements.  The contributions of science to this process are also most important to recognize.  In our spiritual logo the atom, which symbolizes science, is shown as holding the various religions together.  Certainly science is playing an increasingly important role is helping faiths to modernize and to be relevant to the emerging global civilization.

In the Spirit of Unity-and-Diversity!!!.

Unity-and-Diversity Fellowship
C/o Unity-and-Diversity World Council, Inc.
P.O. Box 661401, Los Angeles, CA USA 90066-9201
Phone: 310-391-5735; FAX: 310-827-9187 (contact UDC first)
Email: udcworld1@yahoo.com; Website: www.udcworld.org

NOTE:  An additional person, Greg Stewart, has now entered the Unity-and-Diversity Ministry Training.  He has an art and media background and is interested in helping develop an interfaith congregation in the Los Angeles area.  Dave is now serving in a leadership role with the Freemasons and has had extensive experience with lesser known faiths. 

By community I mean places in which the bonds between people and those between people and the natural world create a pattern of connectedness, responsibility, and mutual need. --David W. Orr, Science and Spirituality, page 132

A major change in the relation of religions and spiritual movements has been the rapid rise of cooperation among them both in Los Angeles and around the world.  Religion, from its Latin root, means to bond together, to unify.  Religions have tended in the past to compete with each other, and even to fight with each other, as is still happening among Muslim sects in Iraq, and among Jews and Muslims in the Middle East.  A similar attitude is also being seen in the United States among Christian denominations, and between Christianity and other religions.  As a result, many people have turned away from religion, feeling that it is irrelevant to today's world.

Now that the interfaith movement is changing that attitude, all of us need to take another look at the potential of the historic religions, and the more recent spiritual movements, to provide leadership in achieving peace, justice, and a sustainable environment.  This change provides a real step forward in the emergence of a global civilization that works for all.  Science also has a role to play in the process of unification among religions, especially as it bridges between the religions and other dimensions of consciousness.

Cooperation is a simple word, yet it carries powerful meaning in terms of what has to happen in the world now in order for global society to emerge, and for people to feel safe to have a home, to raise a family, and to know that they will have a future. 

Two examples come to mind that are crucial in this process.  One is the need to do away with nuclear weapons, and in fact war in general, as a way of resolving conflicts.  As our cooperation increases, reliance on war and violence will decrease, and finally we will come to understand that we must get along with each other if our planet earth is to be a safe place on which to live.

The second example is that of creating a safe environment.  Instead of plundering the earth, we must come to see the earth as sacred and do everything possible to preserve it in all its beauty.  As we become more sensitive to these needs, we will lessen the pressure toward imminent collapse of ecosystems and the threat to all life which this involves.  It is high time that we did awaken to this urgent need.

At this time I put forth a challenge to the peoples of earth to rise to the occasion of changing our attitude toward the future.  We are one people, though we have many races, religions, and cultures.  Now is the time to come together, to get to know each other in more depth, and to cooperate for the well-being of all.  We can and we must heed this challenge if we are to have a dynamic and creative future.

In the Spirit of Unity-and-Diversity!!!

NOTE:  The Unity-and-Diversity World Council will be honored at the upcoming banquet of the Southern California Committee of the Parliament of the World's Religions on Sunday, May 16th, 6-9 p.m., at the Center for Spiritual Living, 907 Knob Hill Ave., Redondo Beach, California.  Theme: Joining Hands to Save the Planet.  Workshops will be presented 4-5:45 p.m. before the banquet.  For more information contact Ruth Broyde Sharone at radsharone@aol.com or on the website www.sccpwr.org. 

The Stewart residence has now taken a major step forward to becoming UDC's office and, to a limited extent, a Unity-and-Diversity Center . Its books, files, and other materials, which for a number of years now have been in storage, are once again in the office and being utilized.  When UDC is ready to go the next step, then everything can be moved to a larger venue, but for now we are ready to begin more of a group effort to carry on the very important work of the Unity-and-Diversity World Council.

Perhaps you will ask -- what kind of volunteer help is needed?  We have a good computer which has UDC's mailing list and other files, so it is ready to be used for this purpose.  Help is needed to develop our membership, to write letters, to sell books and tapes, and generally to make sure that UDC keeps up with its needs and obligations.  A number of people should be part of this process.

As UDC does develop its office and staff toward this end, the income will also increase.  When it does become possible to begin paying its staff, those who have devoted themselves to its volunteer work will be the first to be considered.

UDC is a worldwide interfaith and intergroup cooperation council.  We work with individuals, groups, and network to maximize participation in programs in all fields based on needs and availability of leadership.  Right now the fields showing the greatest interest are interfaith and nuclear disarmament.  Environment is also very important but needs leadership to carry on specific projects.  Education is a major concern, but again we need leaders to continue an active effort.

What is being called for here is the office staff to support the work and to see that it helps fulfill the dreams which have been with us for so many years.  Your help is what will make the difference.

If you can give a few hours per week or month, contact UDC at 310-391-5735 or email us at udcworld1@yahoo.com.  Thank you kindly for your help. 

Unity-and-Diversity World Council 
Contact Information

Leland P. Stewart, B.S.E., B.T., 
       Founder/Central Coordinator
P.O. Box 661401
Los Angeles, CA USA 90066-9201
Phone: 310-391-5735
FAX: 310-827-9187 (contact UDC first)
Email: udcworld1@yahoo.com
Website: www.udcworld.org