More than 1,000 participated in the “Universal Multicultural Dialogue of 2012,” a spiritual and cultural festival held at the Archeological Museum in Guadalajara, Mexico, August 29-September 2. The five-day conference included 140 events: panel discussions, dialogues, workshops, performances, meditations, ritual celebrations, yoga instruction, and a keynote by neurosurgeon Dr. James R. Doty of Stanford University. His talk centered around scientific research of the beneficial effects of meditation on the brains of a group of Buddhist monks.

Addressing nearly 900 delegates and guests at the Seventh World Congress of the International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA), Denton Lotz, a noted Baptist minister and IRLA president, summarized the purpose of this three-day event: “We’re here today because we believe that freedom of religion is basic to all human rights.”