A DECLARATION FROM THE EUROPEAN CONGRESS OF ETHNIC RELIGIONS (English Version) We, the delegates from twelve different countries convened at the European Congress of Ethnic Religions in Vilnius, Lithuania, on this 9th day of July 2014, join our voices together to make the following declaration: We are members of diverse European indigenous ethnic cultures who seek to revitalize and reclaim our ancestral religious and spiritual traditions. We honor those who went before us, who gave us our life and our heritage. We are bound to the lands of our ancestors, to the soil that holds their bones, to the waters from which they drank, to the roads that they once walked. And we seek to pass that heritage to those who come after us, whose ancestors we are in the process of becoming – our children, our grandchildren, and the many generations yet to be born. We send solidarity and support to those other indigenous nations, races and religions who are also engaged in the struggle to preserve their own ancestral heritages. Our ethnic religions are the product of the history of this continent; they are the living expressions, in the present, of our most ancient traditions and identities. At a time when the world is precariously balanced on the edge of environmental and economic upheaval, largely as the result of imbalanced individualism and rampant greed, our religions promote very different models of spiritual and social values: living in harmony, balance and moderation with the Earth; the importance of family and cooperative community; and respect and honor for all forms of life. Yet, in many countries of Europe, the practice of our religions is impeded, restricted, and sometimes forbidden. We urge all European governments to fully comply with, and actively enforce, the provisions guaranteeing freedom of religion to all citizens as stipulated in the Treaties of the European Union, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, the European Convention of Human Rights, the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and other similar conventions and agreements, and to refrain from granting preferential treatment to some religions over others. We also ask that this equality of religious preference be reflected in the European educational systems. We urge all our governments to actively engage in the preservation and protection of European indigenous sacred sites – be they human-made structures or natural settings. We further ask that free and open access to those sites be given to ethnic European religions which seek to use them for the purposes of worship and spiritual celebration. We do not seek ownership or exclusive rights to those sites – the land does not belong to us, we belong to the land. We object to the use of the term “pagan” by extremist political groups of any kind, as it reflects negatively on our reputation. Finally, we urge all peoples and all nations to place the well-being of the Earth – who is, literally, our Living Mother – above any and all other priorities. We send this message in kinship, love, and respect. Andras Corban Arthen (President), Anamanta, Spain/U.S.A. Ramanė Roma Barauskienė, Lietuva Martin Brustad, Norway Nina Bukala, Werkgroep Hagal, Netherlands Alexander Demoor, Werkgroep Hagal, Belgium Valentinas Dilginas, Kuzšei Žemaicĭai, Lithuania Sören Fisker, Forn Siđr, Danmark Federico Fregni (Board Member), Societas Hesperiana, Italia Marianna Gorronova, Czech Republic Lars Irenessøn (Board Member), Forn Siđr, Danmark Irena Jankutė-Balkūnė (Board Member), Romuva, Lithuania Runar Kartsen, Forn Sed, Norway Daniele Liotta (Board Member), Movimento Tradizionale Romano, Italia Silvano Lorenzoni, Federazione Pagana Italiana, Italia Anna Lucarelli, Movimento Tradizionale Romano, Italia Sachin Nandha, United Kingdom Zdenek Ordelt, Czech Republic Elisabeth Overgaauw, Werkgroep Hagal, Netherlands Eugenijus Paliokas, Šventaragis Romuva, Lithuania Staško Potrzebowski, Rodzima Wiara, Polska Prudence Priest, Romuva, U.S.A. Marina Psaraki, Y.S.E.E., Greece Vlassis G. Rassias, Y.S.E.E., Greece Valdas Rutkūnas, Romuva, Lithuania Ignas Šatkauskas (Board Member), Romuva, Lithuania Øyvind Siljeholm, Forn Sed, Norway Dovile Sirusaitė, Lithuania Eleonora Stella, Societas Hesperiana, Italia Inija Trinkūnienė, Romuva, Lithuania Ram Vaidya, United Kingdom
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 01:13:01 +0000
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