Morality and ethics
The Declaraton of a Global Ethic
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"There will be peace on earth when there is peace among the world religions."
"No world peace without peace among religions;
no peace among religions without dialog between religions."
From "Global Responsibility," a book by Hans Küng,
Theologian
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The following declaration was prepared by about 200 scholars who
represented many world religions after a two year consultation. It was
presented at the 1993 Parliament of the World's Religions, held in
Chicago, IL on 1993-SEP-4.
The declaration, with The
Principles of a Global Ethic appended, was signed by 143 respected
leaders from all of the world's major faiths, including the Baha'i Faith, Brahmanism,
Brahma Kumaris, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Indigenous, Interfaith,
Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Native American, Neo-Pagan, Sikhism, Taoism,
Theosophist, Unitarian Universalist and Zoroastrian. The Council for a
Parliament of the World's Religions offers it to the world as an
initial statement of a group of rules for living on which all of the world's
religions can agree.
Towards a Global Ethic (An Initial Declaration)
The world is in agony. The agony is so pervasive and urgent that
we are compelled to name its manifestations so that the depth of
this pain may be made clear.
Peace eludes us...the planet is being destroyed...neighbors live
in fear...women and men are estranged from each other...children
die!
This is abhorrent!
We condemn the abuses of Earth's ecosystems.
We condemn the poverty that stifles life's potential; the hunger
that weakens the human body; the economic disparities that
threaten so many families with ruin.
We condemn the social disarray of the nations; the disregard for
justice which pushes citizens to the margin; the anarchy
overtaking our communities; and the insane death of children from
violence. In particular we condemn aggression and hatred in the
name of religion.
But this agony need not be.
It need not be because the basis for an ethic already exists.
This ethic offers the possibility of a better individual and
global order, and leads individuals away from despair and
societies away from chaos.
We are women and men who have embraced the precepts and practices
of the world's religions:
We affirm that there is an irrevocable, unconditional norm for all
areas of life, for families and communities, for races, nations,
and religions. There already exist ancient guidelines for human
behavior which are found in the teachings of the religions of the
world and which are the condition for a sustainable world order.
We Declare:
We are interdependent. Each of us depends on the well-being of
the whole, and so we have respect for the community of living
beings, for people, animals, and plants, and for the preservation
of Earth, the air, water and soil.
We take individual responsibility for all we do. All our
decisions, actions, and failures to act have consequences.
We must treat others as we wish others to treat us. We make a
commitment to respect life and dignity, individuality and
diversity, so that every person is treated humanely, without
exception. We must have patience and acceptance. We must be able
to forgive, learning form the past but never allowing ourselves to
be enslaved by memories of hate. Opening our hearts to one
another, we must sink our narrow differences for the cause of
world community, practicing a culture of solidarity and
relatedness.
We consider humankind a family. We must strive to be kind and
generous. We must not live for ourselves alone, but should also
serve others, never forgetting the children, the aged, the poor,
the suffering, the disabled, the refugees and the lonely. No
person should ever be considered or treated as a second-class
citizen, or be exploited in any way whatsoever. There should be
equal partnership between men and women. We must not commit any
kind of sexual immorality. We must put behind us all forms of
domination or abuse.
We commit ourselves to a culture of non-violence, respect,
justice, and peace. We shall not oppress, injure, torture, or kill
other human beings, forsaking violence as a means of settling
differences.
We must strive for a just social and economic order, in which
everyone has an equal chance to reach full potential as a human
being. We must speak and act truthfully and with compassion,
dealing fairly with all, and avoiding prejudice and hatred. We
must not steal. We must move beyond the dominance of greed for
power, prestige, money, and consumption to make a just and
peaceful world.
Earth cannot be changed for the better unless the consciousness of
individuals is changed first. We pledge to increase our awareness
by disciplining our minds, by meditation, by prayer, or by
positive thinking. Without risk and a readiness to sacrifice
there can be no fundamental change in our situation. Therefore we
commit ourselves to this global ethic, to understanding one
another, and to socially beneficial, peace-fostering, and
nature-friendly ways of life.
We invite all people, whether religious or not, to do the same.
References
- Joel Beversluis, Ed, "A SourceBook for Earth's Community of
Religions", CoNexus Press, Grand Rapids, MI & Global Eductional
Associates, New York, NY, (1995), P. 131 - 138. It
is currently out of print. However, Amazon.com online book store may
be able to obtain a used copy for you
- Hans Küng, "Explanatory remarks concerning a 'Declaration
of the Religions for a Global Ethic,' ". Essay includes the
declaration itself. See: http://astro.ocis.temple.edu/~dialogue/Antho/kung.htm
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