31st World Religions Conference
Theme: Who is God? - Nature and Characteristics
Held Saturday, October 1, 2011
Time: 10:00 am through 6:00 pm
University of Waterloo's J. G. Hagey Hall (Humanities Theatre)
Moderator and Speakers
Largest Multi Faith Event in Canada
The 31st World Religions Conference was held on October 1, 2011 at the University of Waterloo. As always, Scholars from various religions and philosophical traditions participated.
The World Religions Conference (WRC) is an multi-faith event which brings together well-known scholars from the world’s major religions to speak on a common topic from the point of view of their respective religious traditions. For thirty years, the WRC has served as an invaluable forum for different religious and ethnic communities to gather in the spirit of tolerance, peace, cooperation, and understanding. The WRC serves the noble purpose of educating members of the community regarding interesting and relevant topics by providing a platform where all major religions can pool their collective wisdom and teachings regarding the topic. Continually on the rise in terms of organizational standards, quality of content, and attendance, the WRC has become the largest multi-faith event of its kind in Canada.
With its ever-growing profile in the Waterloo Region and Canadian society in general, the WRC has become a central meeting place for religious leaders and their communities. The conference has had the honour of being noted by prominent figures including the Prime Minister of Canada, and the Chief Justice of Canada, in addition to dozens of other local, provincial and national leaders.
The speakers are specially sought out and invited by the organizing committee to ensure that each faith is represented by a knowledgeable scholar of that particular faith, who does justice to the topic and the religion that he or she represents.
The premier organizer and sponsor of the event is Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama`at Canada. Cooperation and partnership includes several cities, academic institutions, faith based associations, student clubs and numerous other organizations.
With free admission and lunch, and a great chance to learn and meet others from a multitude of faith and philosophical communities, it is a small step to make this world a more peaceful world to live.
Participating Religions and Philosophical Traditions:
Aboriginal Spirituality, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, and Humanism (Atheism and Agnostics)
Format of Event:
This year’s conference ran from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm and consisted of three sessions:
(a) Opening Session: Opening Ceremony, Introduction to this year's theme, Introduction by the speakers of their respective faiths (5-minutes each) followed by greetings from dignitaries.
(b) Theme Session: To discuss the topic whereby each speaker will be given 15 minutes followed by a 5-minute religious or cultural singing presentation by a members of the faith group.
(c) Concluding Session: A 45-minute interactive session to allow speakers to respond to questions from the audience.
Lunch, Dinner and refreshments served at the conference venue.
For more info call: 519-623-2786 / 519-722-0841 / 1-877-INFO-WRC
Electronic Brochure: