Red Deer College is holding its 12th annual Interfaith Symposium to mark the World Religions Conference.

“This is an event that is a collaboration between the Red Deer College Department of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Community out of Calgary,” RDC Dean for the School of Arts and Science Torben Anderson said. “Every year, we choose a large theme or topic of general public interest and then we invite a panel of speakers that can speak to the topic from different spiritual belief systems, reflecting on the topic from their standpoint.”

This year’s topic ‘Global Conflicts and Need for Justice’ will have panel members of multiple faiths and belief systems discuss the causes of global tensions.

“We have chosen that topic because we live in a time where there are many conflicts in many different places around the globe,” Anderson said. “Many of those conflicts are ones that stem from people of different communities, nations or belief systems coming into conflict with one another—sometimes out of a lack of understanding or tolerance.”

Anderson said the symposium is an opportunity for people of different faiths and belief systems to come together and have respectful and thought-provoking discourse on world issues.

“We have found in many of the last conferences that ultimately people have remarkably similar values and remarkably similar aspirations for the well-being of all people,” Anderson said.

“We promote that through this conference, where people in the panel and audience listen respectfully to one another and try to engage with one another in respectful, civil conversation.

“There is also an opportunity for members of the audience to submit questions for the panel to respond to after the speakers have each offered their comments.”

The event will take place on Oct. 25th from 6-8:30 p.m. at the RDC Arts Centre Main Stage.

“It is a free event and people who come are asked to bring a donation of non-perishable items for the Red Deer College Students’ Association Food Bank,” Anderson said.

“There will be refreshments and people can register for the conference online. That is recommended but is not necessary.”

todd.vaughan@reddeerexpress.com

Like us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RedDeerExpress/ and follow us on twitter at https://twitter.com/RedDeerExpress.