DECLARATION
We, the delegates of the World Congress of Ethnic Religions, held in Vilnius, Lithuania, from 20 to 24 June 1998, have gathered to express our solidarity for the ethnic, indigenous, native and/or traditional religions of Europe and the other regions ofthe world.
All cultures as well as native religions and faiths should be equally valued and respected Each region and each people have their distinctive local traditions (native faith, world outlook, mythology, folklore etc.) which articulate their love of their land and history, and cultivate a regard for the sacredness of all life and the divinity of Nature. Just as Nature survives through a wite variety of species, so can hurnanity be allowed to develop freely and without interference along a wide variety of cultural expressions.
According to our ancient traditional ethics, the Earth and all creation must be valued and protected. We as human beings must find our place within the web of all life, not outside or separate from the whole of creation.
We share a common understanding of our position in the world, based upon our common historical experience of oppression and intolerance. Ethnic and/or “Pagan” religions have suffered great injury and destruction in the past from religions claimmg they possess the only truth. It is our sincere wish to live in peace and harmony, and to strive for cooperation with the followers of all other religions, faiths and beliefs.
We believe that the dawn of a new era of individual and intellectual freedom and global exchange of views and information gives us an apportunity to start again to return to our own native spiritual roots in order to re-claim our religious heritage. We are worshippers of Nature just as most of mankind has been for the greater part of human history.
True indigenous religions should give us love and respect for all that we see and feel around, to acccpt all forms of worship which emphasize sincere hearts, pure thoughts and noble conduct at every moment of our life, towards all that exists.
Let us be proud of our reborn ethnic religions. Our new Universalism induces people not to remain closed within walls of hatred and jealousy against those who are not inside our walls. Let us break these walls and expand the horizan and vision ofthe whole humanity.
We established the “World Congress of Ethnic Religions” (WCER) to help all ethnic religions groups survive and cooperate with each other. Our motto is “Unity in Diversity.
“Oyvind SILJEHOLM ARNESEN (Norway), Hans BERGHMANS (Belgium), Janis BRIKMANIS (Latvia), Denis DORNOY (France), Audrius DUNDZILA (USA), Arwind GHOSH flndia), Morten GROLSTED (Denmark), Surinder Paul ATTRI (India), Vadim KAZAKOV (Russia), Stefan KLUGE (Germany), Todor KASHKUREVICH (Belarus), Koenraad LOGGHE (Belgium), Giuseppe MAlELLO (Czech), Halina LOZKO (Ukraine), Geza von NEMENYI (Germany), Stashko POTRSHEBOVSKI (Poland), Vlasis RASSIAS (Greece), Rajinder SINGH (India), Nikolaj SPERANSKIJ (Russia), Michael Strmiska (USA), Jonas TRINKUNAS (Lithuania), Lila WIBERG (Sweden), Catrin WILDGRUBE (Germany)
Vilnius, Lithuania, 23rd June l998
2nd Declaration (25th October 1998)
The WCER is primarily concerned with the protection and development of ethnic Cultures and Identities. We understand the term “Ethnic” as referring to religions and cultures that are related to a particular people’s cosmology as it is expressed in cultural and social terms as well as ancestral. We recognize that many factors makes up people’s identity.
Historically those of other ethnic backgrounds have been adopted into new ones if they took on the beliefs and mores that are a larger part of the identity of that people. Although we are convinced that every human being has the best possibilities within his/her own culture to re-establish the harmony with the divine aspect, it does not, however, exclude anyone from participation in their activities.
The WCER is therefore categorically opposed to discrimination, suppresion or persecution based on race, color, social class, religion or national origin.
Read the Declaration translated in the following languages
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Declaration (Czech) / Declaration (Danish) / Declaration (Dutch) / Declaration (France) / Declaration (Greek) / Declaration (Italian) / Declaration (Latvian) / Declaration (Lithuanian) / Declaration (Russian) / DEKLARATION (German)
3nd Declaration (9th July 2014)
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
Darius Ramancionis, Latvia
Valdis Celms – president of Latvijas Dievturu Sadraudze, Latvia
Andrejs Broks – chairman of board of Latvijas Dievturu Sadraudze, Latvia
Gunta (Saule) Dombrovska– member of board of Latvijas Dievturu Sadraudze, Latvia