Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), an International Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), will be conducting a series of lectures in March intending to engage 1,500 religious leaders worldwide to deepen their understanding of the scriptures and foster peace.
The HWPL’s annual International Religious Peace Academy (IRPA) initiative will take place on March 2 and 9, where HWPL will invite prominent religious leaders from various faiths to deliver lectures.
As part of this initiative, HWPL aims to deepen religious exchange and understanding beyond a basic level of comprehension of different religious scriptures.
Ms. Amanda Dixon, the Administrative Manager of HWPL New York Branch, explained that the lectures will serve as a platform for comparative research, promoting a culture of peace, and interfaith unity.
HWPL will leverage its expertise in planning and conducting seminars and events both online and offline to ensure the lectures reach a diverse and international audience.
The HWPL team of experts and interpreters will facilitate the international delivery of the lectures via Zoom, allowing for wider accessibility for three objectives.
First, religious and cultural exchanges through the study of scriptures promote understanding of different religions and cultures.
Second, through the provision of educational opportunities for learning the scriptures, the number of religious leaders who deeply understand the scriptures of other religions increases, and inter-religious exchanges are expanded.
Third, since the scriptures are the essential teachings of religion, efforts to understand the scriptures can overcome unnecessary misunderstandings and baseless accusations that lead to violence and extremism against religions, thereby spreading a culture of peace.
The HWPL International Religious Peace Academy aims to overcome unnecessary misunderstandings and exclusive attitudes among religions through religious lectures.
This is part of the effort toward positive peace, aiming to understand and communicate with other religions more deeply through the study of other scriptures.
Dixon hopes that this initiative will build and expand a new and innovative culture of peace among religions.
Dixon emphasized that the participation of world religious leaders will contribute to the success of this initiative for peace.
Religion, especially the scriptures, which are the foundation of faith, has the answer to achieve a world of peace and perpetuate the prosperity of mankind.
IRPA will seek the role of religious leaders who have the responsibility to lead human society based on their understanding of religion.
The HWPL has been operating the World Alliance of Religions’ Peace (WARP) Office globally since 2014 to promote understanding among religions, prevent conflicts caused by religion, and seek the role of religion for peace.
These include a comparative study of scriptures by religious leaders, religious peace camps that promote respect and understanding among younger generations from religious backgrounds, and the HWPL Solidarity of Religions’ Peace Committee, which delivers messages of unity about peace to the world as world religious leaders.
In line with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 16 “Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions” and the principle offered by the UN General Assembly resolution (A/RES/53/243, 1999) and HWPL’s ‘Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War’ (DPCW) Article 10 “Spreading a Culture of Peace” through education, IRPA was planned to promote peace and harmony among different religious communities worldwide.
