p03pr

Global Ethic

By John Taylor; 2008 March 04, 03 Ala, 164 BE

Readers of my recent work will know well how much I admire Keith Ward's apology for religion, "Is Religion Dangerous?" Ward is a Christian with dogmatic commitments, and he waters his defense down more than a Baha'i would feel comfortable with, but nonetheless this is a clear, effective argument against the attacks of the New Atheists. I was especially grateful for his reminder of the great significance of the second Parliament of World Religions,

"The document Toward a Global Ethic, drafted by Hans Kung for the 1993 Parliament of World Religions and signed by representatives of all world religions present, is an attempt to spell out some of those commonalities. Commitment to four key issues is noted: to a culture of nonviolence and respect for human life; to a just economic order; to tolerance and truthfulness; and to equal rights and partnership between men and women.

"That, it seems to me, is a strong basis for cooperation between religions, in a new world in which many diverse faiths must live together in peace and in which they have opportunity to undertake programmes of common ethical action. Only if Christianity and Islam, as the two dominant world religions, do this at the highest level - and great efforts are being made to ensure it is done - will there be hope of avoiding that disastrous clash of cultures that would result from a polarisation of stereotyped and mutually hostile images of the `other.'

"Religion can create such images. But it also has the greatest power to overcome them. Religion may not be unequivocally good. But if it is dangerous at times, that is far outweighed by the fact that it is one of the last great hopes the world has for peace and a positive future." (Is Religion Dangerous?, p. 188)

 Ward is right, if believers in God are ever to gain ground in our siege against the assault of anti-theism, we will have to take the initiative by deflating the insinuation that we are unwilling to reconcile our differences. Doing that will require that we come to grips with the ethical foundations of our convictions and with whatever else is common to all faiths. God created us, so it is not a big stretch to think that belief in Him can unite us all, no matter what the differences among our religious backgrounds, if only we have faith.

The text of this document, signed by the members of the many faiths represented at the 1993 Parliament of Religions, is available at:

<http://www.weltethos.org/dat-english/03-declaration.htm>

Baha'is will notice that the pdf version of the Declaration has as its headpiece a nine-pointed star. I do not yet have access to the book version of this declaration mentioned by Ward, "Towards a Global Ethic" by Hans Kung, but I was interested to discover and scan over a preliminary draft of the Declaration by Leonard Swidler Toward a Universal Declaration of a Global Ethic by Leonard Swidler,

<http://astro.temple.edu/~dialogue/Center/intro.htm>

This earlier version of the Declaration has the advantage of footnotes and attributions; I found the section on the Golden Rule especially illuminating, and not only because it contains a quote from Gleanings.

I have gone over the Declaration this morning, and it seems like a wonderful document. But it is only a start. For one thing, it is virtually unknown. It must be publicized, promulgated and be taught in every seminary, Sunday School and even in Public Schools, for ethical reconciliation is in the highest interest of all.

It is one thing to declare our commonalities but it is quite another to enact and enforce what they imply. The Declaration must be improved, strengthened and implemented. A standing world religious parliament needs to be instituted to legislate ways and means of putting these common ideals into action within religions themselves, as well as by actively mediating disputes and conflict among faith groups.

Although you would never know it by reading the press, this is gradually being done. The Wiki article, "Parliament of Religions," explains how subsequent Parliaments have carried on the process.

"More than 8,900 individuals attended the 2004 Parliament in Barcelona, Spain. Having created the declaration Towards a Global Ethic at the 1993 Parliament and attempted to engage guiding institutions at the 1999 Parliament, the 2004 Parliament concentrated on four pressing issues: mitigating religiously motivated violence, access to safe water, the fate of refugees worldwide, and the elimination of external debt in developing countries. Attendees were asked to make a commitment to a `simple and profound act' to work on one of these issues." (Wikipedia, Parliament of Religions)

I was not there and did not commit, but it seems to me that the most simple and profound act that anybody can do is to put that epoch making document, the Universal Declaration of a Global Ethic, to good use. It was written for that. So take it to your local church, mosque, synagogue or LSA, and form study groups to discuss it in detail. Take it to your local newspaper and ask why there is so little publicity or discussion of this essential document in the media. Take it your local school and ask why they are not teaching it in history, in ethics and social studies classes. The Parliament's Mission Statement says it all, that we should come together to,

"Cultivate harmony between the world's religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its other guiding institutions in order to achieve a peaceful, just, and sustainable world". (in Wiki, Ib.)

Most of all, use the Declaration to gear up for the next Parliament of Religions, whose program is described in the same Wiki article:

"Melbourne, Australia has been awarded the bid for the 2009 Parliament of the World's Religions, according to The Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions. The 2009 Parliament will take place December 3 through December 9. Based on attendance at previous events, the Melbourne Parliament is expected to bring together 8,000 to 12,000 people. The Melbourne Parliament will address issues of aboriginal reconciliation. The issues of sustainability and global climate change will be explored through the lens of indigenous spiritualities. Environmental issues and the spirituality of youth will also be key areas of dialogue."