Two Australian members are appointed to the 2009 Parliament of the World's Religions to help organize the Youth Program
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VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA
Two Church members, Sharon Kloester, 26, and Juanita Afamasaga, 27, of Victoria, Australia, have been appointed as members of the interfaith youth committee for the 2009 Parliament of the World's Religions to help organize the Youth Program.
To be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Center from Dec. 3 – 9, the 2009 Parliament of the World's Religions is the largest inter-religious event in the world. The Youth Program will reveal what young people think about religion, spirituality and global issues at daily youth sessions and workshops, service projects, an after-hours gathering and an evening youth plenary session.
For Sister Kloester, joining the Youth Committee has fulfilled a desire to learn more about the similarities and differences in religious beliefs and ways of life. "Since joining the Youth Committee I've had numerous opportunities to share our Christian beliefs and discuss our core values with people from Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Baha'i, Brahma Kumaris, Sathya Sai and other faiths. Being on the Youth Committee has paved the way for many of the Jewish, Christian, Muslim and other interfaith networks, events and conferences that I now attend and participate in within local and state communities."
Likewise, for Sister Afamasaga, a returned missionary, the Youth Committee gives her the opportunity to continue to fulfill her desire help others understand more about the Church by talking with young people from other religions and being able to ask questions about the social aspects of their religions; such discussions, she feels, has helped break down various misunderstandings and stereotypes.
"Being part of the Youth Committee has helped bring us [Latter-day Saints] out of obscurity," Sister Afamasaga said. "We are now increasingly being recognized as a Christian denomination."
Seeing the personal impact interfaith involvement can have has reinforced Sister Kloester's view about this work's potential positive impact. "The more I learn about other faiths and religions, the more I understand my own. It has helped strengthen my own testimony of the truth of our gospel and the importance of its teachings in my daily life," Sister Kloester said.
As Sister Kloester and Sister Afamasaga engage with the other 24 committee members to prepare for the Parliament, they relate to what President Howard W. Hunter, then President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said: "As members of the Church of Jesus Christ, we seek to bring all truth together. We seek to enlarge the circle of love and understanding among all the people of the earth. Thus we strive to establish peace and happiness, not only within Christianity but among all mankind."
The Youth Program for the 2009 Parliament will build on the idea that being able to listen and talk openly with others without judgment can have a profound impact.
Sister Kloester and Sister Afamagasa are preparing a regional young single adult fireside to introduce the Parliament and invite all young single adults to attend and get involved in events leading up to and included in the December Parliament of World's Religions. After Parliament, Sister Kloester plans to continue her involvement with the Jewish Christian Muslim Association (JCMA) and both women plan to encourage more young adults to become involved with future local interfaith events and networks.
