DELEGATES

The 2009 Invitees have not yet been chosen. This information will be posted by July 1, 2007. If you know someone who would fit in with our Models, please let us know! All of your suggestions will be collected and given to the Selection Committee as they make the final decisions. 

 

Keep in mind, while our delegates are classified by their belief systems, they are not asked to represent an entire tradition, only their own!

 

A model panel with moderators (these are not the invited delegates):

Representing his own Buddhist Tradition: His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the head of state and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. Among countless other honors, he has been awarded the Nobel Peace prize for his consistent and powerful message of non-violence.

 

Representing his own Catholic Tradition: Father Andrew M. Greeley has been a priest, sociologist, author, and journalist for more than five decades, and is the author of over 50 best-selling novels and more than 100 works of non-fiction.

 

Representing his own Christian Tradition: Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu was, for many years, a leading activist in the South African struggle against apartheid. He led the drive for and chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Panel, designed to begin to heal the wounds of the apartheid system.

 

Representing her own Hindu Tradition: Ela Gandhi, a granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, lives in South Africa and has been an integral part of her country’s recent history. She spent years battling apartheid, including nine years under house arrest. When apartheid was dismantled, she was elected to the South African parliament as a member of the African National Congress and served there from 1994 to 2003.

 

Representing his own Jewish Tradition: Elie Wiesel is one of the most well known survivors of the Holocaust. He has turned his personal experience into more than 30 books, and has earned the Nobel Peace Prize and the Congressional Gold Medal of Achievement for his tireless work to memorialize this terrible, and inherently Jewish, history.

 

Representing his own Muslim Tradition: Yusaf Islam was first known to the world as Cat Stevens, one of the biggest solo musical artists of the 1960s and 1970s. Then, in 1977, he embraced Islam, changed his name, and walked away from his music career. His subsequent humanitarian and relief work has crossed many war-torn borders and influenced many lives, in particular the lives of children. In 2003 and 2004, he was awarded the ‘World Social Award’ and was honored with the ‘Man for Peace’ award by a committee of Nobel peace laureates.

 

Representing her own Pagan Tradition: Margot Adler has been a correspondent and producer for National Public Radio since 1978. She was an instructor in religion and ecology at the Institute for Social Ecology, Vermont, and is the author of Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and other Pagans in America Today.

 

Representing his own Scientific Tradition: Dr. Larry Dossey, M.D. is a data-driven scientist and physician with the soul of a poet. He has become an internationally influential advocate for the role of the mind in health and the role of spirituality in healthcare.

 

Representing his own Self-Empowerment Tradition: Dr. Wayne W. Dyer is affectionately called the “father of motivation” by his fans, and is one of the most widely known and well-respected minds in the field of self-empowerment.

 

Representing his own Taoist Tradition: Mantak Chia is one of the world's leading teachers of practical Taoism, overseeing a world-wide network of nearly 1000 certified instructors of his Healing Tao system, and the controversial author of more than a dozen books, including The Multi-Orgasmic Man: Sexual Secrets Every Man Should Know.

 

Representing her own Atheist Tradition: Annie Laurie Gaylor is co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation and editor of Freethought Today. She has published three books, Woe To The Women: The Bible Tells Me So, Betrayal of Trust: Clergy Abuse of Children, and Women Without Superstition: 'No Gods, No Masters, the first collection of the writings of historic and contemporary women freethinkers. 

 

Representing her own Universalist Tradition: Marianne Williamson is an internationally acclaimed author and lecturer, who has published eight books, four #1 New York Times bestsellers. Ms. Williamson also founded The Peace Alliance, an international network of peace activists, currently steering the campaign to establish a US Department of Peace.

 

 

Moderators:

Friends of Faith moderators will be chosen for unparalleled skills in communicating and interviewing, fair and articulate viewpoints, and most important, for visibly seeking out the role “seeker of truth.”

 

Tom Brokaw has spent nearly 40 years reporting the news. He covered every US Presidential election from ‘76-‘04, and retired as anchor of the NBC Nightly News, after 22 years, on Nov. 30, 2004.

 

Barbara Walters has interviewed countless statesmen and stars in her journalistic career. She has been inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ Hall of Fame “for being acknowledged worldwide as one of television’s most respected interviewers and journalists.”

 

Oprah Winfrey is an actress, talk-show host, publisher, and humanitarian. She has built a media empire and an exceptional life, grounded in openness, philanthropy, and helping people learn to live their best lives.  

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