Released on: March 9, 2008, 8:48 am

Press Release Author: Forum for Protection of Religious Pluralism

Industry: Non Profit

Press Release Summary: New York (March 7, 2008)- On April 18th, Pope Benedict XVI
will address the United Nations General Assembly as part of his first visit to the
United States as leader of the Catholic Church. In response to this event, the Forum
for the Protection of Religious Pluralism (FPRP) is organizing a peaceful march,
which will proceed at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 18 from the United Nations building
to the Gandhi statue in Union Square Park. Another demonstration and parade will be
held outside Yankee Stadium during the Papal address there from 1-4 p.m, on Sunday,
April 20. FPRP is holding these events to voice another view of religion,
international politics, and civil rights. A petition signed by members of ancient
religions and cultures across the World will be submitted to UN Secretary General.


Press Release Body: PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
Contact: Valerie Tarico
Phone: 847-462-4692
E-mail: protectreligions@gmail.com

Papal Visit Prompts Demonstration and Parade for Protection of Religions from
Exclusivism
http://protectreligions.org

1) United Nations, New York City
Friday, April 18th, 2008, 10-1PM
(Parade from UN to Gandhi Statue at Union Square Park)

2) Yankee Stadium Bronx, New York City
Sunday, April 20th, 1-4PM
New York (March 7, 2008)- On April 18th, Pope Benedict XVI will address the United
Nations General Assembly as part of his first visit to the United States as leader
of the Catholic Church. In response to this event, the Forum for the Protection of
Religious Pluralism (FPRP) is organizing a peaceful march, which will proceed at 10
a.m. on Friday, April 18 from the United Nations building to the Gandhi statue in
Union Square Park. Another demonstration and parade will be held outside Yankee
Stadium during the Papal address there from 1-4 p.m, on Sunday, April 20. FPRP is
holding these events to voice another view of religion, international politics, and
civil rights. A petition signed by members of ancient religions and cultures across
the World will be submitted to UN Secretary General.
FPRP is devoted to raising public awareness of religions that have been victimized
by aggressive proselytization campaigns that are grounded in religious exclusivism.
Catholic, Evangelical and Pentecostal Christians have had tremendous success in
recruiting new converts by closely linking social services with proselytizing. For
example, schools have been built by evangelicals in other countries to provide an
education to the poor, but the schools have also sought to persuade the children
that their parents' spiritual beliefs are wrong and that Christianity is the only
true religion. Many coercive campaigns, which are funded through a combination of
donations from churchgoers and government support, are still being conducted around
the world with little interference. Such acts of intolerance violate the religious
freedoms of smaller, less influential religions, and the FPRP is holding its events
to bring attention to the injustices faced by these lesser-known faiths. The statue
of Mahatma Gandhi is included as part of the parade route because of his symbolic
importance to the struggle for religions tolerance and for his passionate opposition
to proselytizations, which he called the deadliest poison that ever sapped the
fountain of truth.
According to the events' organizers, religious exclusivism is at the root of
religious injustice and sectarian violence around the world. This includes 9/11,
Rwanda and other genocides, inquisitions and many other atrocities done in the name
of God. "We represent faiths, including several Christian denominations, that do not
support proselytization and view the practice of it as a complete contradiction of
their beliefs," says Jonas Trinkunas from the World Congress of Ethnic Religions
(WCER), one of the organizations that is sponsoring the event. "When the members of
the U.N. say that they support religious freedom and then give privileged treatment
to the leader of a religion that regularly endorses deceptive proselytization
campaigns at the expense of others, we feel that we are being penalized for
remaining true to our faiths. If religious freedom is going to be shared by
everyone, this unequal treatment must stop."
While this event is designed to focus on the rights of minority ethnic religions,
other groups are encouraged to participate regardless of their religious or
non-religious backgrounds. Religious groups such as Hindus, Romuva, Druids, Slavics,
Greek, Wiccan and other ethnic religions from Europe, Africa and various parts of
the Americas have already confirmed their attendance at the demonstration, and the
organizers are hoping that more groups will participate.
"We are not against any religion" says Satyanarayana Dosapati, one of the organizers
of the event. "But the religious freedoms of cultures are being abused in many
countries and their ancient traditions are being lost at an alarming rate. We can
no longer afford to live in a world in which some religions spend billions of
dollars each year to spread intolerance and injustice under the guise of
humanitarian aid while other religions disappear as the result. If religious
pluralism is to have a future, we must act now."
Detailed information about the protest can be found at www.protectreligions.org.

Supporting Information
(Demo/Parade and Appeal to All Americans)
Demonstration and Parade for Preservation of Religions of the World during Papal
Visit to United Nations (& Yankee Stadium) in April 2008
http://protectreligions.org
1) United Nations, April 18th (Fri), 2008, 10AM - 1PM (Parade from UN to Gandhi
Statue at Union Square Park)

United Nations
Union Square Park
2) Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York City, April 20th (Sun), 2008, 1PM - 4PM

Context:

Religion is the one of the most potent forces shaping world affairs. It is universal
in scope, with a wide variety of spiritual beliefs, teachings and practices
nurturing the human spirit throughout the centuries in countless civilizations. Much
of the charity as well as the strife in the world today is inspired by religion.
When religion can be such a force for love, compassion and spirituality, why is it
also such a cause of strife and war? One specific aspect of some religions is the
root cause of the problems: exclusive truth claims which teach that other religions
are false and have to be eradicated through conversion, discrimination,
incarceration, and even killings.
Rabbi Harold Kushner summarized the \"Only my religion is right\" phenomenon as:
\"There\'s a sense that in order for me to be right, everyone who disagrees with me is
wrong. It makes religious interfaith cooperation more difficult. If I believe that,
I have to believe that other people\'s religions are worthless, invalid.\"
\"You have to understand that religion is not about getting information about God.
Religion is about community. The primary purpose is not to get us to heaven but to
put us in touch with other people. I can have fierce loyalty to my family without
denigrating other people\'s family. I can have fierce loyalty to my own religion
without denigrating other people\'s religion. In the same way, my neighbor can say
that his wife is the most wonderful woman in the world. I can take that as a
statement of love, not fact.\"
Diversity is the rule of the creation. Only in diversity can the human mind
survive. Such diverse religions include the Hindus, Zoroastrians, the Baha\'i,
Gnostics and Wiccans; the indigenous religions of Africa, Americas and Australia;
and Buddhism and Jainism and the ancient and subtle I-Kuan Tao. All of these faiths
are different shades of a grand prism expressing unique understandings of creator,
creation and the sacredness of being that unites every individual, every creature,
and all levels of creation itself.
But a great amount of this diversity was destroyed and continued to be destroyed by
religions professing exclusive access to the divine and labeling all other spiritual
traditions as evil. Though there are agreements and disagreements among religious
philosophies, some religious groups express their intolerance to the extent of
destroying other religions in order to establish their exclusivist claims of truth.
The degree of violence and hate perpetrated by such religions during last several
centuries has been colossal in the history of mankind. Mahatma Gandhi called the
religious conversions conducted by missionaries who convert and spread hate as the
deadliest poison that ever sapped the fountain of truth. Furthermore, such
aggression has left deep, lasting scars around the world, to the point where only
exclusivist groups have representation in all forums where religion is discussed-in
politics, in academia, and in cultural heritage.
During World Congress for Preservation of Religious Diversity in 2001, Swami
Dayananda Saraswati said that the ancient religions of the world have become like
endangered species. However, he said, unlike the endangered species, we can confer
and therefore come together to find out ways and means to see that diverse religious
traditions are saved. Conferences held by organizations such as World Congress of
Ethnic Religions, ICCSUS are helping to bring together traditions from around the
world. The Papal visit to United Nations, where the leader of the only religious
organization that is considered a nation state is given privileged access to world
leaders, will provide a great opportunity for ethnic religions of all kinds to bring
international attention to the threat of religious exclusivism and its consequences
for the world religions and humanity.
What is being planned? The plan is to do a Demonstration and a parade during Pope\'s
visit to UN on April 18th honoring native cultures of the world and highlighting
each culture that was destroyed and the atrocities committed. We also plan to meet
United Nations Secretary General to present our case. The message is not against
Christianity or any other religion, but against the practice of intolerance under
the mask of exclusive faith claim which happens to be the root cause. We plan to
highlight the works of eminent thinkers such as Mahatma Gandhi who stood against
religions conversions and intolerance. Mahatma Gandhi is greatly revered in the West
as the one who stood for brotherhood among all religions. A similar demonstration
and parade will also be held in front of Yankee Stadium, New York on April 20th.
Why is this important? History showed to us that change never happens by itself.
It requires a collective and determined action to bring about that change. Today,
most conversions activities are planned, executed and supported by funds from the
West--particularly the United States, where non-Christian religious groups only make
up less than five percent of the population. Many times, funds are contributed by
unwitting church goers who have little idea as to what their contributions are
causing. The Roman Catholic Church along with various Protestant and charismatic
groups are the prime movers of the global conversion enterprise. Media management
by the Church promotes the image that missionary activity simply is spreading a
gospel of love and compassion to the unfortunate peoples of the world. There is no
public voice for the victim\'s story.
Why now? The pope\'s visit to UN attracts worldwide attention, and we plan to use
this occasion to present the victim\'s side of the effects of missionary activity.
Through this demonstration and parade, we plan to bring international attention to
the relentless onslaught of religious conversion activity, what it has done and
continues to do to the cultures of the world. Our goal is to create a counter
discussion to missionary activity and the international conversion industry, to
raise awareness that these endeavors have a darker, more complicated side. Just as
multinational corporations utilize their ample resources and political influence to
unfairly exploit impoverished communities, multinational evangelical groups siphon
away followers from smaller, less aggressive religions to further their own
exclusivist agenda without a single thought given to the rich, unique traditions
they are destroying in the process.

Who is organizing this activity? The initiative to hold a demonstration and parade
was started by a small group of individuals representing various native cultures.
The word spread around the world through internet which resulted in tremendous
response from various native culture groups around the world. This is sponsored by
\'World Congress of Ethnic Religions\'.

What you can do?
Join Demo/Parade: We earnestly request the various cultures of the world to take
part in the Demonstration and Parade to present their case. This is a rare and
unique opportunity that should not be missed because it gives exposure to World
community the need for preserving all the cultures of the World. Register at
http://protectreligions.org
Endorse us: We request every organization that support this cause to endorse this
event for preserving cultures by sending email to protectreligions@gmail.com.
Include the name of your Organization name along with a comment on the reasons why
your organization support this activity. Endorsement can also be done at website
http://protectreligions.org.
Sign Petition: Sign Petition to United Nations Secretary General at
http://protectreligions.org. Contact members of your organization and friends to do
the same.

What arrangements are made?
. For those attending from outside NY area such as from out of state or country any
required hosting and transportation arrangements can be made upon prior
communication to protectreligions@gmail.com.
. Bus arrangements can be made for within NY Tri State area, if needed.
. All the required signs, banners will be prepared by volunteers but the
participants are encouraged to bring any such material they have for the event.
. Each native culture participants are requested to participate in their traditional
attire.

For more information.
Web: http://protectreligions.org
Email: protectreligions@gmail.com
Phone: 847-462-4692

APPEAL TO AMERICANS
http://protectreligions.org

Americans will never forget 9/11. A mere mention of the date 9/11 makes every
American angry, feels violated. Everyone has been asking: "Who are they? Why did
they do it to us? Why do they hate us? We are an open-minded people. We welcome
people of all religions and cultures of the world and treat them as fellow citizens.
Why us?" The answer to all of these is INTOLERANCE--intolerance towards other
religions.

International investigation proved that most of the funding for 9/11 terrorist act
was raised in the name of charity. It could be a samaritan--say, Ahmed in Saudi
Arabia who donated ten dollars to a charity organization. The common man might be
thinking that his or her donation went for a good cause. However, this money went
into the hands of agents of intolerance who, through their exclusivist
interpretation of their religion, found a divine mandate to destroy people of other
religions.

Are you one of those \'unsuspecting donors\' like Ahmed? Is it possible that your
donation is being used to cause violence many times more than the violence caused in
9/11? It could be YES, but in a different context. Your donations may have been
intended to help the poor, the suffering and those who have not heard the Lord\'s
name. However, conversion and other missionary activities done with your donations
causes enormous violence.
Missionaries have destroyed peaceful native religions of the world, destroyed many
African economies, and have split societies in otherwise relatively calm in India
and other parts of South Asia. They separate families, communities and the countries
that have co-existed for (in some cases) thousands of years. They showed little
mercy for even the children who were ruthlessly separated from their families in
many indigenous cultures from Canada to Australia for the purpose of forced
assimilation. To make matters worse, evangelicals bribe leaders, prominent men,
politicians and buy up news and TV media as part of their campaigns so that there is
no voice left for those who love and wish to follow their own culture and religion.


The whole conversion process is run as a marketing machine that preys upon the
weaknesses in others societies in order to advance the social, political and
economic interests of a single religion. It starts with most helpless and meek and
builds up to forcing the whole culture and community submit to their agenda. History
has shown repeatedly how conversion was used by missionaries all over the world to
benefit their own interests by grabbing their victims' land and property. Today, the
Vatican and other evangelical organizations are using the similar tactics in various
countries to increase their numbers to compensate for their membership losses in
Europe. In particular, India and other Asian countries, Africa in so called "10/40
window" (area from 10 degrees to 40 degrees North of equator that has largest number
of Non-Christians in the World) are being targeted for conversion, which in turn
cause upheavals in those cultures.

Is it possible that the very funds collected in the name of spreading love and help
the helpless be used to exploit those who are in desperate situation and those who
are in distress? During the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, the tsunamis in Indian
Ocean, and wherever distress and helplessness have taken their toll, missionaries
have used your charity donations to fly to those regions to offer help. Yet the
help was provided with a tag attached that read "Convert to Christianity". If you
reverse the roles, do you want to be abused by someone when you are in distress?
Would it be right when followers of non-Christian religions approached Katrina's
victims that food will be provided or house can be rebuilt only if you hear their
god or only if you convert to their religion? Would it be right if they target
weaker sections in inner cities of United States and spread message that their
condition is due to white man\'s Christianity in order to convert into their religion
and create hatred between communities? How can you justify the actions of
evangelical missionaries if you believe in the teaching of Jesus, "Do unto others as
you would have them do unto you"?
If we assent to the claims of divine mandate to actions of missionaries, how can we
oppose the claims of Islamic fundamentalists of their divine mandate to categorize
non-believers as pigs and infidels (Dhimmis) who can be raped, plundered and
murdered. How can we condemn actions of well educated Islamic fundamentalists who
committed the barbaric 9/11 crime based on their \"divine\" mandate? Can we look
into eyes of our own children and reconcile the actions of missionaries who
separated thousands of native american children from their parents because they have
divine mandate to bring God to \"savage\" cultures? Is there a room for reason?
What is the root cause of all this religious aggression and injustice? Intolerance
of other religions, and the desire to increase numbers in one's own religion by any
means. It is based on an exclusive view of faith, that only one religion deserves to
exist and all other are false and evil. This root cause begat the Jewish holocaust,
the Rwanda genocide, the Spanish inquisitions, the Goa (India) Inquisitions, the
Burning of Witches, the slavery and subjugation of Africans, women, gays, and
lesbians, and the continued destruction of cultures across the world.

Mahatma Gandhi gave his life for tolerance among religions. He held the Sermon on
the Mount with high esteem, but viewed missionaries as vendors of goods who do
enormous harm rather than good. He said, \"Stop all conversions, it is the deadliest
poison that ever sapped the fountain of truth.\" He asked why missionaries do not
approach those like him who can make weighed decisions about religion rather than
approach innocent, uneducated and unwitting tribals of India.
Could you do something to fix that?

Yes! A Christian need not be ashamed of his religion just because some bad elements
are trying to represent his faith. Stop supporting evangelism and be a proud
Christian. Next time when you go to your church, ask whether they support any
evangelism activities. If so, voice your protest! Encourage your family and friends
protest it, too. Tell your church authorities, "I want to be a proud Christian that
believes in peaceful co-existence with other faiths, so I oppose evangelism." When
you donate to church or charity, research what they do with that money. Question
why that money could not be used for those in need in this country, where 40% of our
population are without medical insurance, more than 50% of children are raised by
single mothers who are struggling every day, 1 out of 100 adults is incarcerated and
our children\'s educational performance is lacking when compared to several other
countries.

Please do not get carried away by propaganda that pleads, "Save the life of a child
in some third world country by donating to evangelist charities." Question them!
Account for every precious dollar you donated. Don't be another Mr. Ahmed of Saudi
Arabia.






Web Site: http://www.protectreligions.org

Contact Details: Contact: Valerie Tarico
Phone: 847-462-4692
E-mail: protectreligions@gmail.com