Shared Wisdom - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sacred & Foundational Texts

Religious and spiritual traditions typically store their treasure – the narrative, wisdom, and values informing each faith family – in some sort of record. This documentation can come in the form of holy scripture, writing set aside, historically authorized in some way, revered, studied, and used in meditation and worship. Scripture is so important in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam that they are frequently called religions “of the Book.”
      Orally transmitted stories take the place of authorized scripture in other traditions, particularly indigenous communities. Whether canonized or open-ended, the form and content of humankind’s sacred words are manifold… poetry, songs, religious tales of every kind, history, ethics, all providing guidance, nourishment for believers and practitioners as well as interested outsiders.
      Most followers in most traditions find their own sacred texts fully adequate for spiritual and communitarian concerns. Many are learning, though, what a pleasure it is to hear the sacred words of other traditions, particularly in ritual settings. Grassroots interfaith activity is sprouting up across the country, with communities sharing their stories and scripture with each other for the first time, an experience humbling and empowering all at once. Over and over people who worried that the experience might be strange or threatening find themselves enriched when it happens.

If there is any limitation in these wonderful words that knit together the meaning of life for us, it might be that very few traditions mention the religious other in tones of appreciation or goodwill. When other religions are mentioned, it tends to be judgmental, without much room for mutual respect. The Guru Granth Sahib, the sacred text of Sikhs, is a book of devotional songs, and it includes Hindu and Muslim hymns in a display of spiritual magnanimity hard to imagine in other faiths. Sikhism is an exception to the rule. Most traditions until recently have done little to create or encourage a level playing field of mutual respect for interreligious dialogue. But the tide is turning.
      As noted above, Catholic theologian Hans Küng observed that until religions make peace, the world will be at war, and that religions will not be in peace until they are in dialogue. To inspire and inform the interreligious dialogue Küng calls for, sacred texts by themselves don’t suffice. We need a new literature, not more scripture but a series of foundational, shared documents holding up the value of every human being and the importance of religions working together to heal the world.
      Let us hope a library accumulates around the care of the whole human family. The selections discussed below, at this point in time, seem foundational, critical texts for the care and sustainability of the human family.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
In 1948 the United Nations passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a Magna Carta for the whole human race. Human rights till then were defined, enforced, and evaluated nation by nation, with ‘mind your own business’ the international ethic of the day. But the opening clause to the 1948 Declaration proposed that the “recognition of the inherent dignity of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world.”

Some, like this writer, may have assumed as children that the ethic in the faith you grew up with –valuing every human being as an invaluable child of God – would be a high priority for everyone. You may have assumed that since the United States of America Constitution is grounded in the inalienable rights of every human being to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, that Americans would be supportive of inalienable rights for us all, in this country and everywhere else. Those turned out to be false assumptions.

To be sure, most religions have a high conception of human beings. But the horrors of the holocaust spurred the world’s leadership to craft the 1948 Declaration. It passed the United National General Assembly as a resolution, and did not carry the force of international law. Yet it has become one of the 20th century’s most significant documents, a bill of rights for all people, regardless of race, religion, or nationality.

Ironically, in the family of nations, the United States, with its own shining Bill of Rights, has turned out to be one of the least enthusiastic about the UN Declaration, much less the implication that international law should enforce its values. The same cannot be said at the grassroots, where millions of Americans hunger with the rest of the world for an end to violence and poverty for all. More than half a century later, studying the Declaration is an excellent starting point in defining the kind of world we wish to create for our children and grandchildren.

Towards a Global Ethic – An Initial Declaration (1993)
A second document emerged from the 1993 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago, a centennial celebration of the 1893 gathering where Buddhist, Hindus, Muslims, and other religious minorities were given their first public forum in this country. Professor Küng, working with many others, drafted a text titled Towards a Global Ethic – An Initial Declaration that was signed by more than 200 leaders, scholars, and theologians from dozens of the world’s communities of faith.

The preamble begins as a confessional exhortation about a world broken and full of pain.

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...

Between the litany of failure and the affirmations that follow comes the notion of a global ethic bursting forth.

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 a common set of core values is found in the teachings of the religions, and that these form the basis of a global ethic.

We affirm that this truth is already known, but yet to be lived in heart and action.

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.

The idea of a Global Ethic remains controversial and has spawned dozens of conferences, classes, and books. Agree or disagree, though, the morning news each day suggests that it may be the soundest, safest idea still available to us, locally as well as globally. The second half of the preamble offers a series of powerful affirmations.

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 from 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 the world community, practicing a culture of solidarity and relatedness.

     We consider humankind our 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.

It concludes with a spiritually nuanced commitment:

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.

The Declaration continues for another half a dozen pages, focusing on commitments to a culture of…

nonviolence and respect for life,
solidarity and a just economic order,
tolerance and a life of truthfulness, and
equal rights and partnership between men and women.

The document is short and was purposely endorsed with a sense of tentativity and newness by including “towards” and “initial.” It is full of interesting notions and suggestions, a curriculum by itself about religious values, their effectiveness, and the future of the human race.

The Charter of the United Religions Initiative (2000)
In 2000, the United Religions Initiative (URI) was signed and a network of interfaith groups around the world joined in a shared commitment. As the Charter says,

The purpose of the United Religions Initiative is to promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence and to create cultures of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living beings.

Any group of interfaith people with at least seven members representing at least three religious, spiritual, or indigenous traditions is welcome to apply for membership in URI if they are committed to URI’s purpose as unfolded in the Charter. At this writing there are over 250 “Cooperation Circles” in 50 countries participating.

The preamble of the Charter covers much of the same territory as the affirmations found in Towards a Global Ethic. But a new series of principles were also enunciated, built on shared values, that provide diverse groups of people a way to safely, fruitfully interact with each other. Here are the principles:

The URI is a bridge-building organization, not a religion.

We respect the sacred wisdom of each religion, spiritual expression and indigenous tradition.

We respect the differences among religions, spiritual expressions and indigenous traditions.

We encourage our members to deepen their roots in their own tradition.

We listen and speak with respect to deepen mutual understanding and trust.

We give and receive hospitality.

We seek and welcome the gift of diversity and model practices that do not discriminate.

We practice equitable participation of women and men in all aspects of the URI.

We practice healing and reconciliation to resolve conflict without resorting to violence.

We act from sound ecological practices to protect and preserve the Earth for both present and future generations.

We seek and offer cooperation with other interfaith efforts.

We welcome as members all individuals, organizations and associations who subscribe to the Preamble, Purpose and Principles.

We have the authority to make decisions at the most local level that includes all the relevant and affected parties.

We have the right to organize in any manner, at any scale, in any area, and around any issue or activity which is relevant to and consistent with the Preamble, Purpose and Principles.

Our deliberations and decisions shall be made at every level by bodies and methods that fairly represent the diversity of affected interests and are not dominated by any.

We (each part of the URI) shall relinquish only such autonomy and resources as are essential to the pursuit of the Preamble, Purpose and Principles.

We have the responsibility to develop financial and other resources to meet the needs of our part, and to share financial and other resources to help meet the needs of other parts.

We maintain the highest standards of integrity and ethical conduct, prudent use of resources, and fair and accurate disclosure of information.

We are committed to organizational learning and adaptation.

We honor the richness and diversity of all languages and the right and responsibility of participants to translate and interpret the Charter, Articles, Bylaws and related documents in accordance with the Preamble, Purpose and Principles, and the spirit of the United Religions Initiative.

Members of the URI shall not be coerced to participate in any ritual or be proselytized.

Decalogue of Assisi for Peace (2002)
In January 2002 Pope John Paul II called together 200 religious leaders from the world religions to pray and craft a new ten commandments, one which provides the groundwork for peace and dialogue among religions.

We commit ourselves to proclaiming our firm conviction that violence and terrorism are incompatible with the authentic spirit of religion, and, as we condemn every recourse to violence and war in the name of God or of religion, we commit ourselves to doing everything possible to eliminate the root causes of terrorism.

We commit ourselves to educating people to mutual respect and esteem, in order to help bring about a peaceful and fraternal coexistence between people of different ethnic groups, cultures and religions.

We commit ourselves to fostering the culture of dialogue, so that there will be an increase of understanding and mutual trust between individuals and among peoples, for these are the premise of authentic peace.

We commit ourselves to defending the right of everyone to live a decent life in accordance with their own cultural identity, and to form freely a family of their own.

We commit ourselves to frank and patient dialogue, refusing to consider our differences as an insurmountable barrier, but recognizing instead that to encounter the diversity of others can become an opportunity for greater reciprocal understanding.

We commit ourselves to forgiving one another for past and present errors and prejudices, and to supporting one another in a common effort both to overcome selfishness and arrogance, hatred and violence, and to learn from the past that peace without justice is no true peace.

We commit ourselves to taking the side of the poor and the helpless, to speaking out for those who have no voice and to working effectively to change these situations, out of the conviction that no one can be happy alone.

We commit ourselves to taking up the cry of those who refuse to be resigned to violence and evil, and we desire to make every effort possible to offer the men and women of our time real hope for justice and peace.

We commit ourselves to encouraging all efforts to promote friendship between peoples, for we are convinced that, in the absence of solidarity and understanding between peoples, technological progress exposes the world to a growing risk of destruction and death.

We commit ourselves to urging leaders of nations to make every effort to create and consolidate, on the national and international levels, a world of solidarity and peace based on justice.

Taken together, these pioneering documents and others coming in their wake give the human family essential tools for creating a peaceful future. Here at last, in spiritually inclusive language, is the groundwork for including and honoring each one of us, wherever we come from and whatever our race and religion.

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FOR REFLECTION OR DISCUSSION

To what kind of religious tradition do you belong? Is yours a tradition that has a form of holy scripture or is your tradition transmitted orally?

Have you ever explored the written or orally transmitted words of another tradition? What was your experience? What did you learn about the other tradition in this encounter? How did the encounter enrich your understanding of your own tradition?

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

How do you feel about the fact that the United States has been the least enthusiastic about the UN Declaration?

What was the part of the UN Declaration that moved you the most? Why? What part of the UN Declaration was most surprising to you? Why? If it were to be re-voted today, would you add anything, or cut anything out?

Towards a Global Ethic – An Initial Declaration

Questions about the global ethic can be found on page 10.

The Charter of the United Religions Initiative

What was your response to The Charter of the United Religions Initiative? What did you like about it? Why?

What did you feel about The Charter’s call for a grassroots movement? Do you think that this is an effective approach? Is this something that you would like to be involved in?

Decalogue of Assisi for Peace

What did you think of the Decalogue? Do you think that these commitments will foster peace and dialogue among religions? Why? Which do you find the most important?

What were you most moved by in the Decalogue? Why?

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