WORLD RELIGIONS
GLOBALFoundation
THIC For inter-cultural and inter-religiousRESEARCHEDUCATIONENCOUNTER
UNIVERSAL PEACEUNIVERSAL PEACEGLOBAL ETHICGLOBAL ETHIC
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Why a Global Ethic?
Imagine a ball game in which all the
players are simply running around
and knocking the ball about aimlessly.
They’ve no idea what game they’re
playing, what is permissible and what
isn’t. Rules are needed if a game is to
be fair and enjoyable. And such rules
are also required wherever people live
together and want to achieve parti-
cular aims.
◗ Even a school class can prosper
only if the pupils have a sense of
fairness, if they can trust one another
and not be afraid of theft, bullying,
discrimination and violence – and if
they feel fairly treated by the teacher.
For this to happen, regulations are
needed which are observed by all
those involved in school life.
◗ Profit is important in a business,
but if the enterprise is to flourish
there is also need for a basis of trust
between employer and staff, among
the staff, and between customers and
firm. Honesty in business practices,
in accounting and financial reporting,
is important, as is reliability and
mutual esteem. Business and employ-
ment regulations are required which
are supported by all concerned.
◗ No community can exist unless
a legal order is affirmed, unless
differences are resolved without
important to discover the common
features in the ethic of the different
religions and philosophies and make
people aware of them:
◗ for the individual as personal
orientation;
◗ for society as the presupposition
for its cohesion;
◗ for nations and religious commu-
nities as a basis for understanding,
collaboration and peace.
On the basis of these common
ethical standards, called a ‘global
ethic’ for short, people of all cultures
and nations can live together and
work together for a more peaceful
and juster world.
What is a global ethic?
As early as 1990, in my book
Global Responsibility, I presented my
reflections on a global ethic to the
public. In it I developed program-
matically the idea that the religions
of the world can make a contribution
to the peace of humankind only
if they reflect on the ethic that they
already have in common: on a fun-
damental consensus concerning
existing binding values, irrevocable
standards, and fundamental personal
attitudes. The decisive step was then
taken by the Parliament of the World’s
Religions, an interreligious gathering
in Chicago in 1993 with more than
6000 participants. At it, more than
200 delegates from every religion and
continent signed a ‘Declaration
Toward A Global Ethic’ which I drafted
in a process of interreligious consul-
tation. Since then it has become the
fundamental document for the
development of the idea of a global
ethic.
violence, unless its members deal
with one another confidently, and
those who hold office exercise it fairly
and honestly. A balance must always
be found between the interests of the
individual and the common good.
So a consensus on some fundamental
rules of social life is indispensable for
holding a community together.
◗ Time and again peoples, nations
and states have different interests,
priorities and rivalries. A just balance
of interests and lasting peace can be
achieved only if relations are not
shaped by force, and if dialogue and
cooperation take the place of aggres-
sion and confrontation. Politics and
diplomacy, in matters great and small,
also need rules of behaviour.
Ever since there have been human
societies, ideas have been developed
of how to achieve a flourishing social
life and a good life for the individual.
Ethical standards – an elementary
ethic – have been developed in all
cultures. Religions and philosophies
above all have spelt out these stan-
dards and systematized them. But in
our present-day pluralistic world no
single religion, philosophy or ideology
can lay down such an ethic for the
whole of society. Yet it is possible and
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The Global Ethic project is based on
four fundamental convictions:
No peace among the nations
without peace among the religions.
No peace among the religions
without dialogue between the
religions.
No dialogue between the religions
without global ethical standards!
No survival of our globe without a
global ethic, supported by both
religious and nonreligious people.
The Chicago Declaration first of all
formulates the common features of
the ethic of the religions in two
principles:
1. The principle of humanity: every
human being must be treated
humanely.
2. In practically all cultures and
religions of humankind there is a
second rule which develops this
formal basic principle – the ‘Golden
Rule’ of reciprocity: ‘What you do
not wish done to yourself, do not do
to others.’
These two principles include concrete
directives for four central spheres of
life which are formulated as
commitments:
◗ Commitment to a culture of non-
violence and respect for life;
◗ Commitment to a culture of
solidarity and a just economic order;
◗ Commitment to a culture of
tolerance and a life of truthfulness;
◗ Commitment to a culture of equal
rights and partnership between men
and women.
Building on the Chicago Declaration,
the idea of a global ethic has been
extended further at various levels. The
following documents are particularly
important:
◗ 1997: The proposal of the
InterAction Council of former heads
of states and governments for a
‘Universal Declaration of Human
Responsibilities’;
◗ 1999: The ‘Call to Our Guiding
Institutions’ by the Third Parliament of
the World’s Religions in Cape Town;
◗ 2001: The manifesto on the dia-
logue among civilizations, ‘Crossing
the Divide’, worked out by the ‘Group
of Eminent Persons’ convened by
the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan
for the year 2001, the International
Year of Dialogue among Civilizations.
The Chicago Declaration and the
Global Ethic Project seek to stimulate
an individual and collective change of
consciousness in the interest of the
survival of our planet. The Global
Ethic Foundation in Tübingen, Ger-
many, founded in 1995, is working
particularly intensively on furthering
this change of consciousness at
different levels: in intercultural and
interreligious research, education and
encounter, both national and
international.
Visualizing the global ethic:the exhibition‘World Religions – UniversalPeace – Global Ethic’
An educational contribution to this
change of consciousness is being
made by the media developed by the
Global Ethic Foundation: books,
videos, CD-ROMs, the Internet and
above all the exhibition ‘World
Religions – Universal Peace – Global
Ethic’ described in this booklet.
Of course ethical norms do not fall
from heaven, even if at all times in
the various religions they have been
and still are called to mind with the
authority of divine revelation and by
mediators of that revelation. Ethical
norms and values have been deve-
loped by human beings themselves
in an extremely complicated social
and dynamic process during the
course of human evolution. That
means that where urgent human
needs have emerged, regulations for
governing human behaviour have
imposed themselves: priorities,
conventions, laws, commandments,
directives and customs; in short,
specific ethical norms. Thus much that
is proclaimed as God’s commandment
in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testa-
ment and also the Qur’an, in other
words in the cultures of Semitic
origin, can also be found in the reli-
gions of Indian and Chinese origin.
In this exhibition they are all depicted
on the six panels of those religions
which can be called world religions
by virtue of their historical influence
and global dissemination.
The first six panels show:
◗ portraits of the key figures and
founders: Shiva, Confucius, Buddha,
Moses, Christ and Muhammad (the
last only in lettering, as the Prophet
may not be portrayed);
◗ central sacred texts from the
religions, specifically on ethical
aspects;
◗ a text by me on the nature of each
religion;
◗ a brief description and a time
chart;
◗ pictures from the world of the
religions and portraits of modern
representatives of them.
At the same time the fundamental
ethical standards common to all these
religions need to be expressed clearly.
This is done most clearly in the panel
on the Golden Rule. Here one and
the same norm is expressed in
different writings and formulations; it
was formulated by Confucius 500
years before Christ and today should
apply not only between individuals
but also between groups, nations,
races and religions.
The Golden Rule already makes more
precise the still more elementary
fundamental principle of humanity
which has been called for at all
times by the great humanists – from
Immanuel Kant through Henry Dunant,
Rosa Luxembourg and Thomas Mann,
Hannah Arendt and Albert Schweitzer
to Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela
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and Yehudi Menuhin: ‘Every human
being, man or woman, white or
coloured, rich or poor, old or young,
should be treated humanely, that is,
not inhumanely or bestially.’ This de-
mand is implicit in what is really com-
mon to all human beings, namely being
human, and the inalienable human
dignity associated with it. This is also
the starting point for human rights.
The last four panels develop and
spell out these two basic ethical
principles; at the same time they
translate them into the present day
with the four great ethical directives
of all religions as formulated in the
Chicago Declaration. It is becoming
clear that they are by no means
fortuitous but are focussed on
decisive spheres of human life and
human society.
The global ethic is what holds our
exhibition together. Those who look
at these twelve panels can see the
ethical heritage of humankind: it
embraces both secular traditions from
the humanist ethic and the traditions
of the religious ethic. World peace can
be furthered only in a coalition of
men and women inspired by ethics on
both a religious and a nonreligious
basis.
Global ethic in practice:The Global Ethic Foundation
The Global Ethic Foundation owes its
origin to Count K.K.von der Groeben,
who in 1995 read Global Responsi-
bility and was so impressed that
he donated a substantial sum towards
the dissemination of the idea of a
global ethic. The interest on the
capital guarantees the long-term
future of the work of a small research
team under my direction in the
service of a global ethic. The program-
matic basis for the work of the
Foundation is the ‘Declaration Toward
A Global Ethic’ of the Parliament of
the World’s Religions.
3. The sponsoring and support of
intercultural and interreligious
encounter necessary for research
and education.
◗ Encouragement and sponsoring
of initiatives in the sphere of society,
politics and culture in the interest
of an understanding between people
(e. g. ‘confidence-building measures’
between the religions);
◗ The encouragement of encounter
between people of different cultures
and religions (colloquia, study trips,
congresses);
◗ The development of the existing
network of intercultural and inter-
religious relations to encourage
a global ethic.
◗ The creation of access to key
documents and literature with the
help of modern communications
technologies (www.global-ethic.org).
Since its establishment in 1995 the
activity of the Foundation has exten-
ded into a great variety of practical
fields and areas of society like
schools, business and politics and has
aroused great interest, extending as
far as the United Nations Organi-
zation. It has been possible to create
further Global Ethic Foundations: in
1996 in Switzerland, in 1999 in the
Czech Republic, in 2000 in the
Netherlands, and in 2001 a ‘Global
Ethic Initiative’ in Austria. The
positive response to the activities
of the Foundation shows that the task
of putting globalization on an ethical
basis is becoming increasingly
necessary.
Hans Küng
The foundation is active in three
fields:
GLOBALFoundation
THIC For inter-cultural and inter-religiousRESEARCHEDUCATIONENCOUNTER
1. The implementation and
encouragement of intercultural and
interreligious research:
◗ Research into the foundation of
religions in theology and religious
studies, especially by the production
and encouragement of scholarly
publications (books, articles) in the
interest of intercultural, interreligious
and interdenominational under-
standing.
2. The stimulation and implemen-
tation of intercultural and inter-
religious education:
◗ Teaching and lectures to dissemi-
nate the results of scholarship, in
particular the ideas of a fundamental
ethic common to all human beings,
a global ethic, in schools, academies,
colleges, associations and interest
groups of all kinds, national and
international;
◗ The education of those interested
by conferences, lectures, seminars
or workshops to deepen the theme
of a global ethic;
◗ Public activity in the service of a
global ethic with the help of the
media (newspaper articles, interviews,
radio and television).
◗ The preparation of media such as
the multimedia project ‘Tracing the
Way. Spiritual Dimensions of the World
Religions’ which consists of seven
video films, a CD-ROM (in german
only) and a book (available also in
english), or the present exhibition.
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Hinduism
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The name Hinduism was invented
by us Europeans for Indian religion.
In reality it does not denote a single
Indian religion but a whole cluster of
religions, a confederation of religions.
Indians themselves usually call their
religion eternal order.
In Sanskrit, the old classical language
of India, this is Sanatana dharma –
a term which was very often used
by Mahatma Gandhi. This central
concept of dharma determines
everything: it means order, the law,
obligation.
Order here is not a legal order but
an all-embracing cosmic order which
governs all life. All men and women,
regardless of the caste or class to
which they belong, are to observe it.
Here we are reminded of something
like the fundamental ethic that can
already be found among the Aboriginal
people in Australia, a fundamental
order which is there from the start,
right from the beginning.
A Hindu’s FOUR CLASSIC AIMS IN LIFEStriving for what is pleasant and the delight
of the senses (kama).Striving for what is useful and attaining
prosperity (artha).Working for justice and virtue (dharma).Striving for liberation and redemption
(moksha) from the cycle of birth, deathand reincarnation.
The seven modernSOCIAL SINS of humankindPolitics without principlesBusiness without moralityWealth without workEducation without characterScience without humanityEnjoyment without conscienceReligion without sacrifice(according to Mahatma Gandhi)
Virtues of the YOGA WAYNon violence, doing no harm (a-himsa)Truthfulness (satya)Not stealing (a-steya)Chastity, purity of life (brahmacharya)Lack of desire (a-parigraha)(according to Patanjali)
But here already it is also clear
that Hinduism is not primarily
a matter of statements of faith,
dogmas, orthodoxy. Hinduism
has no official doctrinal
authority, but is about right
action, the correct rite, morality
– everything that makes up the
practice of religion.
Hinduism is not primarily about
specific rights either. It is about
our great human destiny, the
responsibilities that we have:
responsibilities towards family,
society, God and the gods.
Muhammad
Jesus
ConfuciusBuddha
AncientIndianWritings(Vedas)
Kandariya Mahadev temple, Khajuraho
Varanasi, the city of Shiva
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Most Hindus believe in one God,an Absolute, but depending on the path theychoose they associate themselves witha quite particular divine revealer figure,like Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti, Krishna or Ram.
Hindus are convinced that the human soulis eternal, that it is identical with the primalground of the world and according to the lawof karma undergoes several earthly existences.
Karma means that all actions have causesfrom earlier life and effects on later existences.
The four Vedas are regarded as classicalsacred scriptures of the Hindus, but theBhagavad-Gita, a book from the Mahabharataepic, is also extremely popular.
There are more than 800 million Hindusworld-wide; most of them live in India.
Truth, self-control, asceticism,
generosity, non-violence,
constancy in virtue – these are
the means of success, and not
caste or family.
(from the Mahabharata)
One should not take what
belongs to others, that is an
eternal duty.
(from the Mahabharata)
◗ The union of hearts and minds and
freedom from hate I will bring you.
◗ Love one another as the cow loves
the calf that she has borne.
◗ Let son be loyal to father and
of one mind with his mother.
◗ Let not a brother hate a brother,
nor a sister hate a sister; unanimous,
united in aims speak your words in
friendliness.
(Atharva Veda 3.30)
◗ One should speak the truth and
speak it pleasingly.
◗ One should not speak the truth
in an unpleasant manner nor should
one speak untruth because
it is pleasing; this is the eternal law.
(Manu Smriti 4, 138)
Mahatma Gandhi
Vivekananda
Shiva
A Vishnavite priest
Temple frieze with tantric scenes
Morning prayer in the Ganges
Sarvapalli Radakrishnan
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It is not authoritarian patriarchalism
that stands at the centre of the
teaching of Confucius, but what
is truly human.
Humanity (ren) in the sense of
loving care, goodness, benevolence,
is the ethical term that is used most
frequently of all in the Analects
of Confucius.
Humanity could very well also be
the basis today for a fundamental
ethic – not only in China, but in
humankind as a whole. According
to Confucius, humanity is to be
understood as mutuality (shu), as
mutual respect, as he explains it in the
Golden Rule: What you do not wish
for yourself, do not do to others.
Good and evil can be distinguished
by the basic norm of true humanity
in a quite elementary way, one that
is valid for all. For the Chinese there
is nothing beyond good and evil.
Confucius is said to have remarked
that there are only two ways:
humanity or inhumanity.
So the Chinese in particular
greatly approve of the statement
that the universal basic criterion
for a global ethic is that what
helps human beings to be truly
human is what is in principle
good for them.
That means that:
◗ Human beings, whether
individuals or societies, should
not behave in an inhuman,
antihuman, bestial way, as so
often happens.
◗ Rather, human beings, as
individuals or in community,
should behave in a truly human
way, a humane way: towards
their fellow men and women,
society, and nature.
The foundations of Confucian ethics areFIVE BASIC RELATIONSHIPSSuperior – subordinateFather – sonOlder brother – younger brotherHusband – wifeFriend – friend
Confucian VIRTUESProper behaviour (li)Humanity (ren)Doing one’s duty (yi)Knowing what is right (shi)Reciprocal care of others (shu)Respect, fulfilling the obligations
of a child (xiao)
The MASTER SAID:At fifteen, I bent my mind on learning;at thirty, I was established;at forty, I was free from delusion;at fifty, I knew the mandate of Heaven;at sixty, my ears became subtly perceptive;at seventy, I was able to follow my heart’s
desire without overstepping the rules
of propriety.
(Confucius, Analects 2.4)
ConfucianWritings
TaoistWritings
Taoist priestess
Yue Hai Qing temple, Singapore
Muhammad
Jesus
ConfuciusBuddha
ChineseRelig ion
‘Temple of heaven’, Beijing
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Early Chinese culture, around 5,000 years old,is a shamanistic culture with a strong religiousstamp, at the centre of which standsthe veneration of ancestors and rites.
The era of Chinese humanism begins in Chinain the sixth century BC with the emergenceof wisdom teachers – the most famousof them is Confucius. There is a transitionfrom magical religion to a rationality centredon human beings and their ethical decisions.
To some degree as a counter-movementto that, at this time Taoism arose. It is a returnto nature and its harmony, inspired by thewisdom writing Tao te Ching, which isattributed to the legendary wise man Lao-tsu.This is a philosophical-mystical doctrineof the Tao, the way, the primal law and primalfoundation of all being, in which humanbeings are to be embedded and with whichthey are to live in harmony.
Later this became a separate religiousmovement which adopted many elementsof the old Chinese religion.
There are about 1.3 billion Chinese, someof whom – in so far as they are religious at all– are Confucians or Taoists; others areBuddhists, Christians or Muslims.
Carsun Chang
Liang Qichao
Mou Tsung-san
Kang Youwei
If one has sinned against
Heaven, there is no one
to pray to.
(Confucius, Analects 3.13)
If a man is not humane,
what can he do with the rituals?
If a man is not humane,
what can he do with music?
(Confucius, Analects 3.3)
To apply oneself to the duties
of men and, while revering the spirits
and gods, to keep away from them
– this may be called wisdom.
(Confucius, Analects 6.22)
A benevolent man extends his love
for those he loves to those he does
not love.
(Mencius 7B.1)
Treat the aged of your own family
in a manner befitting their venerable
age and extend this treatment
to the aged of other families.
Treat your own young in a manner
befitting their tender age and extend
this to the young of other families.
(Mencius, 1A, 7)
Confucius
Foretelling from the hand
Morning t’ai-chi meditation in Beijing
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Buddhism
It has often been asserted that
Buddhism is not really a religion
but a philosophy.
However, Buddhism is not
a philosophy. It is a religion;
it is a doctrine of liberation and
a way to liberation.
And in fact the Buddha understood
himself as something like a doctor
who wants to help suffering people to
find liberation and redemption.
However, everyone has to try out the
means of healing for themselves.
Here the Buddha is something like
a present-day psychotherapist who
helps people to overcome crises in
life, to understand the causes of
suffering and so cope with it, to be
content with their limitations, finitude
and mortality. But the Buddha is more
than a psychotherapist. He is more
radical. He himself has experienced
in Enlightenment that human beings,
if they see through everything, can
recognize that all that they see is not
The EIGHTFOLD PATHRight viewRight understanding of the origin
of suffering,right understanding of the cessation
of suffering,right understanding of the path leading
to the cessation of suffering.Right intentionsIntentions of renunciation,intentions of goodwill,intentions to do no harm.Right wordTo refrain from lying,to refrain from slander,to refrain from harsh speech,to refrain from chattering.Right actionTo refrain from killing living beings,to refrain from taking what is not given,to refrain from an immoral love life.Right livelihoodTo earn one’s living by legal means and
without violence.Right effortThe effort of the will,not to allow to come into being
unwholesome things which have notcome into being,
to make unwholesome things that havecome into being disappear,
to make wholesome things that havecome into being unfold.
Right mindfulnessDeveloping awareness of the body so that
greed and hatred are reduced.Right concentrationTo enter deep levels of mental calm through
developing one-pointedness of need.(from Mahasatipatthana-Suttanta 21)
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stable, that nothing in the world
is permanent. Everything is
changeable; even the self, to
which we so cling, basically has
no abiding substance, but is just
as transitory.
So the suffering from which
human beings are to be cured is
this illusion of a real self. Human
beings are to learn through the
therapy of the Buddha to free
themselves from their own
selves.
They are to find the way from
a concern with the self and
entanglement in the self to
a selflessness which makes
them free for an all-embracing
compassion.
That is something which really
should not be so remote for
Christians either.
BuddhistPalicanon
Buddhist monks at the autumn feast in Nara
Simplicity and transparency: a zen garden
Muhammad
Jesus
ConfuciusBuddha
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Tibetan sand mandala
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Buddhism has its historical origin in thesixth century BC with Siddharta Gautama.
In the Four Noble Truths he taught insightinto the cause of human suffering and withthe Eightfold Path showed a way towardsovercoming it.
Through this insight Siddharta Gautamabecame the Buddha, the Enlightened One.Buddhists do not understand the UltimateReality, the Absolute, as a personal deityor a creator god.
Buddha’s teachings were gathered togetherover a long period; the most importantare the Theravada canon (the Tripitaka) andthe Mahayana sutras.
There are more than 300 million Buddhistsworld-wide, divided into schools of Theravada(Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos)and Mahayana (Vietnam, China, Korea,Japan, Tibet).
The five precepts
of Buddhism
I vow to abstain from killing
living beings,
I vow to abstain from taking
what is not given,
I vow to abstain from sexual
misconduct,
I vow to abstain from lying,
I vow to abstain from taking
intoxicants.
The avoidance of what is evil;
the undertaking of good;
the cleansing of one’s mind;
this is a teaching of the
awakened ones.
(Dhammapada 183)
◗ Do not be led by reports, nor by
tradition, nor hearsay.
◗ Do not be led by the authority
of religious texts, nor by mere logic or
inference, nor by considering
appearances, nor by the delight in
speculative opinions, nor by seeming
possibilities, nor by the idea ‘this is
your teacher’.
◗ But when you know for yourselves
that certain things are unwholesome
and wrong and bad, then give them
up.
◗ And when you know for yourselves
that certain things are wholesome
and good, then accept and follow
them.
(Vimamsaka Sutta)
Aung San Suu Kyi
Dalai Lama
Nikkyo Niwano
Buddha
Todaiji temple, NaraStone footprint of Buddha, Bodh-Gaya
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HebrewBible
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The Bible portrays the Jews as
a people who have been chosen
by God.
However, for believing Jews this is
not an expression of superiority and
arrogance but an expression of
a particular obligation: an obligation
to God’s covenant, God’s
commandments, God’s teaching – in
Hebrew the Torah.
That certainly does not mean that all
the commandments of the Jewish
sacred law were given from the very
beginning. And of course there were
also elementary commandments
of humanity among the peoples
outside Israel.
What was new was that the
commandments of humanity were
now put under the authority of one
and the same God.
No longer was there the general
statement, ‘You shall not kill, lie,
steal, commit adultery.‘
Now we hear, ‘I am the Lord
your God, you shall not kill, lie,
steal, commit adultery.‘
At a very early stage these
commandments were summa-
rized, the most important
of them in the Ten Words, the
‘Decalogue‘. They were also
taken over by the Christians.
There are parallels to them
in the Qur’an.
They form the basis of a
common fundamental ethic
of the three prophetic
religions. Grounded in belief
in the one God, these Ten Words
of Israel form the great legacy
of the Jews to humankind.
The TEN COMMANDMENTSI am the Lord your God, you shall have
no other gods before me.You shall not make for yourself an idol.You shall not make wrongful use
of the name of the Lord your God.Remember the sabbath day and keep
it holy.Honour your father and your mother.You shall not kill.You shall not commit adultery.You shall not steal.You shall not bear false witness against
your neighbour.You shall not covet your neighbour’s
house, you shall not covet yourneighbour’s wife, or male or femaleslave, or ox, or donkey, or anythingthat belongs to your neighbour.
(Exodus 20.1-21)
You shall love your neighbour as yourself.(Leviticus 19.18)
The stranger who resides with you shall beto you as the citizen among you;you shall love the stranger as yourself.
(Leviticus 19.34)
Which of you desires life,and covets many days to enjoy good?Keep your tongue from evil,and your lips from speaking deceit.Depart from evil, and do good;seek peace and pursue it.(Psalm 34.13-15)
Talmud
Jewish everyday life in New York
‘The tomb of Abraham’, Hebron
Muhammad
Jesus
ConfuciusBuddha
Judaism
A Jewish family in Nazi Germany
B C
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Judaism is grounded in belief in the OneGod, who liberated the people of Israelfrom slavery in Egypt – under the leadershipof Moses, through whom the Israeliteson Mount Sinai received God’s teaching,the Torah.
The Hebrew Bible – the earliest partsof which go back to the tenth century BC –is called Tanak after the initial consonants of itsthree main divisions (Torah = instruction,Nebi’im = Prophets, Ketubim = Writings).Christians generally call it the Old Testament –as opposed to the New Testament.
A rich body of religious writing developedamong rabbinic scholars from the secondcentury CE onwards, including the Talmud.
World-wide there are about 14 million Jews;the main currents are Orthodox, Conservative,Reform and Liberal. The majority live in Israeland in North America. About 6 million Jewswere killed in the Holocaust.
Theodor Herzl
Martin Buber
Elie Wiesel
Moses
When a man appears before the
throne of Judgment, the first question
he is asked is not,
Have you believed in God?
or, Have you prayed and fulfilled
the precepts?
but, Have you dealt honourably,
faithfully in all your dealings with
your neighbour?
(Talmud, Shabbat 31a)
The world rests on three things:
on justice, truth and peace.
(Talmud, Avot 1.18)
You may modify a statement in the
interests of peace.
(Talmud, Yebamot 65b)
It may not be granted you
to complete the work, but you
are not free to withdraw from it.
(Talmud, Avot 3.21)
The seal of God is truth.
(Talmud, Shabbat 55)
Torah scroll
Orthodox Jews before the Western Wall in Jerusalem
14
NewTestament
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Christianity
It would be wrong to identify Christ-
ianity with ecclesiastical power struct-
ures and bureaucratic institutions.
Christians are those who throughout
their personal lives – and everyone
has his or her own life to live – are
guided by Jesus Christ.
We might think of Oscar Romero,
the Archbishop of El Salvador, who
was shot at the altar during a service;
of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Protestant
theologian and resistance fighter;
of Martin Luther King, the American
Civil Rights activist; or of Jerzy Popie-
luszko, the Polish priest.
Common to them all is that:
◗ They were committed Christians.
◗ They stood up for their fellow men
and women in a non-violent way.
◗ And they were all eliminated with
brute force.
But that also makes them like the
one who was their model in
their life, suffering and
struggles: Jesus of Nazareth.
That takes us right to the heart
of things. What is the real
essence of Christianity?
The essence of Christianity is
not, as some people think, some
great theory, a world-view,
or even an ecclesiastical system.
It is quite simply Jesus Christ.
And basically, no organization,
no institution, no church can
honestly call itself ‘Christian’
if it cannot truly refer to him in
word and deed.
The NEW TESTAMENT
From Jesus’ ‘Sermon on the Mount’Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven.Blessed are those who mourn, for they
will be comforted.Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit
the earth.Blessed are those who hunger and thirst
for righteousness, for they willbe filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they willreceive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for theywill see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for theywill be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecutedfor righteousness’ sake, for theirsis the kingdom of heaven.
(Matthew 5.3-12)
Love your enemies and pray for those
who persecute you.
(Matthew 5.44)
But if anyone strikes you on the right
cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone
wants to sue you and take your coat,
give your cloak as well; and if anyone
forces you to go one mile, go also the
second mile. Give to everyone who begs
from you, and do not refuse anyone
who wants to borrow from you.
(Matthew 5.39-42)
The measure you give will be the
measure you get.
(Matthew 7.2)
Peter and Paul, Rome
Russian monk, Moscow
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul
Muhammad
Jesus
ConfuciusBuddha
B C
OldTestament
15
Christianity is named after Jesus Christ,a Jewish itinerant preacher, who lived inPalestine in the early part of the first century.During his brief public activity – perhapsonly a few months, at most three years –Jesus proclaimed the coming kingdom of Godwith its promises and standards.
He gathered a group of disciples aroundhim, came into conflict with the religious andpolitical establishment, and was crucifiedaround the age of thirty.
Christians believed and still believe thatGod has raised him from the dead to eternallive and exalted him to be the Christ(‘God’s anointed’).
Jesus himself did not write down any sayings.His teachings and his life are handed downin the four Gospels, which with twenty-threeother writings form the New Testament.
There are around 2 billion Christians world-wide: Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant,Anglican and others.
Mother Teresa
Pope John XXIII
DietrichBonhoeffer
Alexander Men
Christ
You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, and with all your
soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and first
commandment.
And a second is like it:
You shall love your neighbour as
yourself.
(Matthew 22.37-39)
Whoever wishes to become great
among you must be your servant,
and whoever wishes to be first
among you must be slave of all.
(Mark 10.43-44).
It is more blessed to give than
to receive.
(Acts of the Apostles 20.35)
The shanty-town of La Chacra, San Salvador
St Patrick’s Cathedral, New York
Martin Luther
16
Qur’an
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The QUR’AN
In the Name of God, Most Merciful,Most Compassionate,
Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds,the All-merciful, the All-compassionate,Master of the Day of Reckoning.
Thee alone do we worship; and to Theealone do we turn for help.
Guide us in the straight path, the pathof those whom Thou hast blessed,
not of those against whom Thou artwrathful,
not of those who have incurred Thy wrath.(Qur’an, Surah 1)
The Muslim code of duties
In the Name of God, the Merciful,the Compassionate,
Set not up with God another god, or youwill sit condemned and forsaken.
Thy Lord has decreed you shall not serveany but Him,
and be good to parents.And give the kinsman his right, and the
needy, and the traveller.And slay not your children for fear of
poverty. Nor take life, which God hasmade sacred.
And approach not fornication.And do not touch the property of the
orphan.And be true to every promise.And give full measure when you measure,
and weigh with the straight balance.And do not pursue that of which you have
no knowledge.And walk not the earth with insolence.(Qur’an, Surah 17.22-38)
For Muslims, the Word of God
did not become a man but
a book. And it is the Qur’an, the
original version of which lies
with God himself, that forms the
centre of Islam.
So Islam is a religion of the
book par excellence. The Qur’an
completes the Torah of the Jews
and the Gospel of the Christians.
For Muslims it is unsurpassable,
perfect, absolutely reliable.
So it is also solemnly recited
and above all learnt by heart by
the experts.
Yet Muslim theologians, too,
have discussed the question
whether as the word of God the
Qur’an is not also a human
word, the word of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Believers recite the Qur’an
The Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem
Qayrawan
Muhammad
Jesus
ConfuciusBuddha
B C
There is no doubt that through
the prophet Muhammad the Arabs
were raised to the level of an ethical
high religion, grounded in belief in
the one God and in a basic ethic
of humanity, with clear imperatives
for more humanity and more justice.
From its origins onwards, Islam was
a religion not so much of the law
as of an ethic. And there is also some-
thing like the Ten Commandments,
the basis of a common ethic of
humanity.
Muslims see Muhammad as the
seal of the prophets, the messenger
of God who brought God’s final
revelation to humankind. However,
Muslims attach the greatest
importance to the fact that the
Prophet Muhammad does not stand
at the centre of Islam, as Jesus Christ
stands at the centre of Christianity.
17
Islam means submission to the will of God.It is the message of the Prophet Muhammad,which was gradually revealed to him in thesixth century by an angel and was later writtendown in the Qur’an by Muhammad’s compan-ions and followers.
The five pillars of Islam are:◗ belief in God and Muhammad ashis messenger,◗ daily ritual prayer,◗ obligatory contribution for the poor,◗ Ramadan, the annual month of fasting,◗ to go on pilgrimage to Mecca if possibleonce in a lifetime.
There are around 1.2 billion Muslims;the most important movements are the Sunniand the Shi’ites.
Most Muslims today live in South-East Asiaand India, Central Asia, Africa, the Middle Eastand Turkey.
Let there be no compulsion
in religion.
(Qur’an, Surah 2.256)
Let there be one community
(of believers), calling to good,
and bidding to honour,
and forbidding dishonour;
those are the prosperers.
(Qur’an, Surah 3.104)
O believers, be you securers
of justice, witnesses for God.
Let not detestation for a people
move you to deviate from
justice.
(Qur’an, Surah 5.8)
And if they incline to peace, you
should also incline to it and place
your trust in God.
(Qur’an, Surah 8.61)
And avoid the abomination of idols,
and avoid the speaking of falsehood.
(Quran, Surah 22.30)
Do you see him who calls the
Reckoning a lie?
He is the one who casts the orphan
away,
who fails to urge the feeding of one in
need.
So woe to those that pray and are
heedless of their prayers, to those who
make display and refuse charity.
(Qur’an, Surah 107.1-7)
Muhammad Iqbal
Muhammad Abduh
Gamaladdin al-Afghani
‘Muhammad’
Daily ritual prayer
The Ka’ba, Mecca
18
Immanuel Kant,
philosopher
Act in such a way
that you always
use humankind,
both in your person
and in the person
of anyone else,
at the same time
as an end, never as
a means.
Henry Dunant,
founder
of the Red Cross
In an age in which
people talk so much
about progress and
civilization, is there not
an urgent need,
since unfortunately
wars cannot always be
avoided, to insist that
with a sense of true
humanity and
civilization a way be
sought at least to
diminish their terrors
to some degree?
Rosa Luxemburg,
politician
Freedom only
for the supporters of
a government,
only for the members
of one party – however
numerous they may be
– is no freedom.
Freedom is always only
freedom of the one
who thinks otherwise.
Thomas Mann,
writer
The tendency towards
some form of world
organization is
unmistakably present,
and nothing of this kind
is possible without
a strong dose of
secularized Christianity,
without a new
Bill of Rights, a basic
law of human rights
and human decency
binding on all,
which universally
guarantees …
a minimum of respect
for man made
in God’s image.
In the face
of all inhumanity
our religious
and ethical convictions
demand that every
human being
must be treated
humanely.
This means that every
human being
without distinction
of age, sex, race,
skin colour, physical
or mental ability,
language, religion,
political view,
or national or social
origin
possesses
an inalienable and
untouchable dignity.
And everyone,
the individual as well
as the state,
is therefore obliged
to honour this dignity
and protect it.
DECLARATION
TOWARD
A GLOBAL ETHIC,
THE PARLIAMENT
OF THE WORLD’S
RELIGIONS,
Chicago 1993
Every human beingmust be treated
humanely
19
Martin Luther King,
Nobel Peace Prize
1964
I have a dream …
that one day the sons
of former slaves
and the sons of former
slave owners
will be able to sit down
together at the table
of brotherhood …
I have a dream
that my four children
will one day live
in a nation where
they will not be judged
by the colour
of their skin but by the
content of their
character.
Yehudi Menuhin,
musician
The will and the
capacity to exterminate
whole peoples are more
widespread today
than ever.
My aim, which I seek
to achieve with
music and in my
educational projects,
has long been
to work against this evil
by encouraging
understanding between
peoples, by
strengthening the
feeling that we are
all human beings
and are dependent
on one another.
Hannah Arendt,
philosopher
Regardless
of whether it appears
in a religious or
a humanist form,
the idea of humanity
contains a duty
to a shared
responsibility.
Nelson Mandela,
Nobel Peace Prize
1993
No one is born
to hating another
person because
of the colour of his skin,
or his background,
or his religion.
People must learn
to hate, and if they can
learn to hate,
they can be taught
to love, for love comes
more naturally
to the human heart
than its opposite.
Even in the grimmest
times in prison …
I would see a glimmer
of humanity in one
of the guards.
Albert Schweitzer,
Nobel Peace Prize
1952
If we are disposed
towards humanity we
are true to ourselves,
in that we are capable
of being creative.
If we are disposed
towards inhumanity
we are untrue to
ourselves, and thus
exposed to all error.
Human dignity is unassailable.
To respect it and to protect it is the responsibility
of every state authority.
Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, Article 1 (1949)
All human beings are born free and equal
in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act
towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1 (1948)
20
CHINESE RELIGION
Do not do
to others
what you
do not want them
to do to you.
Confucius, Analects 15.23
HINDUISM
This is
the sum of duty:
do nothing
to others
which would cause
you pain
if done to you.
Mahabharata XIII.114.8
JAINISM
A person
should
treat
all creatures
as he himself
would
be treated.
Sutrakritanga I.11.33
The ‘Golden Rule’in the world rel ig ions
21
CHRISTIANITY
In everything
do to others
as you
would have them
do to you.
Matthew 7.12; Luke 6.31
BUDDHISM
A state
that is not pleasant
or delightful
to me
must be so
for him also;
and a state
which is not pleasant
or delightful
for me,
how could I inflict that
on another?
Samyutta Nikaya V,353.35-354.2
JUDAISM
Do not do
to others
what you would
not want them
to do to you.
Rabbi Hillel, Shabbat 31a
ISLAM
No one
of you is a believer
until
he desires
for his brother that
which he desires
for himself.
40 Hadith(sayings of Muhammad)of an-Nawawi 13
22
Haverespect
forl ife!
kil l ?
tor ture ?
torm
ent ?
wound
?
23
Violence may not bea means of settl ing differenceswith others.
In the great ancient religious and
ethical traditions of humankind we find
the directive:
You shall not kill! Or in positive terms:
Have respect for life!
Let us reflect anew on the consequences
of this ancient directive:
◗ All people have a right to life, safety
and the free development of personality
in so far as they do not injure the rights
of others.
◗ No one has the right physically or
psychically to torture, injure, much less
kill, any other human being.
◗ And no people, no state, no race,
no religion has the right to hate,
to discriminate against, to ’cleanse‘,
to exile, much less to liquidate a ’foreign‘
minority which is different.
Let no one be deceived:
There is no survival for humanity
without global peace!
Young people must learn at home and
in school that violence may
not be a means of settling differences
with others.
Only thus can a culture of non-violence
be created.
From the ‘Declaration Toward a Global Ethic’ of the
Parliament of the World’s Religions, Chicago 1993.
Grim reality of e-stalking.
Internet intimidation is coming
to a home near you.
Glasgow Herald
Violence rising
at football grounds.
Affray, missile throwing
and violent disorder were all up.
Daily Telegraph
Jailed for Life at 12.
A 12 year old boy has been given
life for beating a girl of 6 to death.
Daily Mirror
Fuelling Africa’s Wars.
War is spreading from Sierra Leone
to Ghana. Traders, profiting
in arms, diamonds and oil, help
to keep West African wars going.
Economist
Tide of cruelty sweeps
through our care homes.
They should be safe havens, but
one in ten hide stories of violence.
Observer
Sharp rise in attacks
on hospital staff.
Shocking figures show that
there has been a 217 %
average increase.
Glasgow Herald
Concern over huge rise
in classroom violence.
Attacks on teachers rose by more
than 50 per cent last year.
Scotsman
Apocalypse soon
for half of wildlife.
Global warming will destroy
almost a third of plant
and animal habitats by the end
of this century.
Glasgow Herald
Violence at home is worst peril
for women.
Up to 5.7 million incidents
of domestic violence occur
every year.
Times
The railway children
who dice with death.
Vandalism and trespass
are biggest threat
to rail safety.
Guardian
24
steal ?
exploit ?
brib
e ?
corru
pt ?
Dealhonestly
andfair ly!
25
Greedy peoplelose their ‘souls’ –what makes them human.
In the great ancient religious and
ethical traditions of humankind we find
the directive:
You shall not steal!
Or in positive terms: Deal honestly and
fairly!
Let us reflect anew on the consequences
of this ancient directive:
◗ No one has the right to rob or
dispossess in any way whatsoever any
other person or the commonweal.
◗ Further, no one has the right to use her
or his possessions without concern for the
needs of society and Earth.
Let no one be deceived:
There is no global peace without global
justice!
Young people must learn at home and in
school that property, limited though it
may be, carries with it an obligation, and
that its uses should at the same time
serve the common good.
Only thus can a just economic order
be built up.
From the ‘Declaration Toward a Global Ethic’ of the
Parliament of the World’s Religions, Chicago 1993.
Fat cats still creaming pay.
A close-knit highly paid elite in
Britain’s top companies are awarding
each other massive pay rises.
Glasgow Herald
Three found guilty of selling
meat condemned as pet food
to humans.
Independent
Bribery scandal threatens
President.
Times
Sleaze unites all the parties
in French election.
Daily Telegraph
You go out thieving to buy
your drugs.
There’s nothing else to do.
Independent
Corruption brings fear for safety
of China’s Three Gorges Dam.
Daily Telegraph
Slavery ‘worse now than
under Roman empire’.
Slaves are cheaper and more plentiful
than ever.
Independent
Not worth a shrug.
If you think that corruption is
a victimless crime, try Tanzania.
Guardian
Greed is good again.
The stock market has become
the vehicle for a mass pursuit
of instant riches.
Guardian
Corruption halts relief
convoys in Albania.
Dozens of lorries have been
trapped for days.
Daily Telegraph
26
l ie ?
deceive ?
forg
e ?
manip
ulat
e ?
Speakand act
truthfully!
27
Every human beinghas a right to truth andtruthfulness.
In the great ancient religious and
ethical traditions of humankind we find
the directive:
You shall not lie!
Or in positive terms: Speak and act
truthfully!
Let us reflect on the consequences of this
ancient directive:
No woman or man, no institution,
no state or church or religious community,
has the right to speak lies to other
humans.
Let no one be deceived, There is no
global justice without truthfulness and
humaneness.
Young people must learn at home and in
school to think, speak, and act truthfully.
Without an ethical formation young
people will hardly be able to distinguish
the important from the unimportant.
In the daily flood of information, ethical
standards will help them discern when
opinions are portrayed as facts, interests
veiled, tendencies exaggerated and facts
twisted.
From the ‘Declaration Toward a Global Ethic’ of the
Parliament of the World’s Religions, Chicago 1993.
Fraud over drug firms costs NHS
up to £ 60 m.
Daily Telegraph
Why so many politicians are liars.
Daily Mail
E crime and net raiders
cost US $ 10 bn.
Computer fraud and theft is double
that of the previous year.
Guardian
And now you can’t even trust
the wine.
Ten people arrested in what may
be one of the biggest wine scandals
of recent years.
Guardian
Hospitals sold living tissue
of children.
Times
Forgers ready to cash in over Euro.
Independent
Downfall of a firm built
on deceit.
False passports, the dead buying
shares …
Guardian
Lies as printed.
Three on $ 800 m forgery charges.
Daily Telegraph
Fake deaths
abroad are a growing problem for
insurers.
New York Times
Fraud in Europe hits £ 45 bn a year.
Daily Telegraph
28
Respect andlove
one another !
cheat ?
abuse ?
hum
iliat
e ?
dish
onou
r ?
29
Responsibi l i tyfor your par tner ’shappiness.
In the great ancient religious and
ethical traditions of humankind we find
the directive:
You shall not commit sexual immorality!
Or in positive terms:
Respect and love one another!
Let us reflect anew on the consequences
of this ancient directive:
No one has the right to degrade others
to mere sex objects, to lead them into
or hold them in sexual dependency.
Let no one be deceived: There is no
authentic humaneness without a living
together in partnership.
Young people must learn at home and
in school that sexuality is not a negative,
destructive or exploitative force, but
creative and affirmative.
The relationship between women
and men should be characterized not
by patronizing behaviour or exploitation,
but by love, partnership, and
trustworthiness.
From the ‘Declaration Toward a Global Ethic’ of the
Parliament of the World’s Religions, Chicago 1993.
They took my body from me
and used it.
Drugged and raped in her hotel room.
Guardian
Paedophile network abused
200 children.
Independent
Call girls to be questioned in cricket
scandal.
Observer
Britons face jail over Internet
paedophile club.
The Times
Sierra Leone Rebels practised
systematic sexual terror.
Washington Post
Women ‘sold into sexual slavery’.
Irish Times
Sex trade enslaves East Europeans.
Washington Post
South Africa new centre for
child sex.
The Times
I million children are ‘abused
every year’.
Daily Telegraph
Domestic Violence Explodes.
An epidemic of domestic violence
is sweeping Britain’s homes.
Guardian
30
Basic Documents
DECLARATION TOWARD A GLOBAL ETHICParliament of the World’s Religions, Chicago 1993 (extract)
We women and men of various
religions and regions of Earth there-
fore address all people, religious and
non-religious. We wish to express the
following convictions which we hold
in common:
◗ We all have a responsibility for
a better global order.
◗ Our involvement for the sake of
human rights, freedom, justice, peace,
and the preservation of Earth is ab-
solutely necessary.
◗ Our different religious and cultural
traditions must not prevent our
common involvement in opposing all
forms of inhumanity and working for
greater humaneness.
◗ The principles expressed in this
Global Ethic can be affirmed by
all persons with ethical convictions,
whether religiously grounded or not.
◗ As religious and spiritual persons
we base our lives on an Ultimate
Reality, and draw spiritual power and
hope therefrom, in trust, in prayer or
meditation, in word or silence. We
have a special responsibility for the
welfare of all humanity and care for
the planet Earth. We do not consider
ourselves better than other women
and men, but we trust that the
ancient wisdom of our religions can
point the way for the future.
After two world wars and the end of
the cold war, the collapse of fascism
and nazism, the shaking to the foun-
dations of communism and colonia-
lism, humanity has entered a new
phase of its history. Today we possess
sufficient economic, cultural, and
spiritual resources to introduce a
better global order. But old and new
ethnic, national, social, economic,
and religious tensions threaten the
peaceful building of a better world.
We have experienced greater
technological progress than ever
before, yet we see that world-wide
poverty, hunger, death of children,
unemployment, misery, and the
destruction of nature have not
diminished but rather have increased.
Many peoples are threatened with
economic ruin, social disarray,
political marginalization, ecological
catastrophe, and national collapse.
In such a dramatic global situation
humanity needs a vision of peoples
living peacefully together, of ethnic
and ethical groupings and of religions
sharing responsibility for the care of
Earth. A vision rests on hopes, goals,
ideals, standards. But all over the
world these have slipped from our
hands. Yet we are convinced that,
despite their frequent abuses and
failures, it is the communities of faith
who bear a responsibility to demon-
strate that such hopes, ideals, and
standards can be guarded, grounded,
and lived. This is especially true in
the modern state. Guarantees of
freedom of conscience and religion
are necessary but they do not
substitute for binding values,
convictions, and norms which are
valid for all humans regardless of
their social origin, sex, skin color,
language, or religion.
We are convinced of the fundamental
unity of the human family on Earth.
We recall the 1948 Universal Decla-
ration of Human Rights of the United
Nations. What it formally proclaimed
on the level of rights we wish to
confirm and deepen here from
the perspective of an ethic: The full
realization of the intrinsic dignity
of the human person, the inalienable
freedom and equality in principle
of all humans, and the necessary
solidarity and interdependence of all
humans with each other.
On the basis of personal experiences
and the burdensome history of our
planet we have learned
◗ that a better global order cannot
be created or enforced by laws, pre-
scriptions, and conventions alone;
◗ that the realization of peace,
justice, and the protection of Earth
depends on the insight and readiness
of men and women to act justly;
◗ that action in favor of rights and
freedoms presumes a consciousness
of responsibility and duty, and that
therefore both the minds and hearts
of women and men must be
addressed;
◗ that rights without morality cannot
long endure, and that there will be no
better global order without a global
ethic.
By a global ethic we do not mean
a global ideology or a single unified
religion beyond all existing religions,
and certainly not the domination
of one religion over all others. By a
global ethic we mean a fundamental
consensus on binding values, irre-
vocable standards, and personal
attitudes. Without such a fundamental
consensus on an ethic, sooner or later
every community will be threatened
by chaos or dictatorship, and indivi-
duals will despair.
31
CHARTER OF HUMAN RESPONSIBILITIESInterAction Council, 1997 (extract)
Article 1: Every person, regardless ofgender, ethnic origin, social status,
political opinion, language, age, natio-
nality, or religion, has a responsibility
to treat all people in a humane way.
Article 2: No person should lend
support to any form of inhumane
behavior, but all people have a
responsibility to strive for the dignity
and self-esteem of all others.
Article 3: No person, no group
or organization, no state, no army or
police stands above good and evil;
all are subject to ethical standards.
Everyone has a responsibility to
promote good and to avoid evil in all
things.
Article 4: All people, endowed with
reason and conscience, must accept
a responsibility to each and all, to
families and communities, to races,
nations, and religions in a spirit of
solidarity: What you do not wish to be
done to yourself, do not do to others.
Article 5: Every person has a res-
ponsibility to respect life. No one has
the right to injure, to torture or to
kill another human person. This does
not exclude the right of justified self-
defense of individuals or commu-
nities.
Article 12: Every person has a
responsibility to speak and act
truthfully. No one, however high or
mighty, should speak lies. The right to
privacy and to personal and pro-
fessional confidentiality is to be
respected. No one is obliged to tell all
the truth to everyone all the time.
Article 16: All men and all women
have a responsibility to show respect
to one another and understanding
in their partnership. No one should
subject another person to sexual
exploitation or dependence. Rather,
sexual partners should accept the
responsibility of caring for each
other’s well-being.
A CALL TO OUR GUIDING INSTITUTIONSParliament of the World’s Religions, Cape Town 1999 (extract)
Building Community in DiversityDiversity is a hallmark of our con-
temporary experience. Today every
metropolitan center is home to a
striking variety of cultures, ethnic and
national groups, and religions. Never
before has the encounter between
people from different paths and
perspectives been so widespread,
touching individuals and communities
everywhere, enriching the tapestry of
our lives together, and recasting the
dynamics of our world. When such
encounters take place in an atmo-
sphere of respect and mutuality, then
new understanding and cooperation
can emerge. More evident at present,
however, are the tensions, hostilities,
and even violence that arise from
misunderstanding, fear, and hatred of
those who are different. The urgent
task is to embrace human diversity in
such a way that we no longer erect
barriers out of differences but, by
understanding and appreciating them,
build bridges to harmonious, vibrant
community.
Commitment to SustainabilityThe issue of sustainability addresses
the relationship of basic human needs
to the continued viability of the Earth.
Today the human family numbers
nearly six billion. If our present rate of
population growth and resource
consumption continues, we are likely
to approach and then exceed the
limits of the Earth’s ability to support
us. Economic analysis suggests that to
meet even the basic needs of so many
would require a huge increase in
agriculture and industry, prompting
thoughtful persons to ask whether the
Earth can possibly sustain such
demands. For example: levels of
atmospheric carbon dioxide have risen
dramatically; one-half of all land has
already been transformed for human
32
CROSSING THE DIVIDEDialogue among Civilizations. A Manifesto for the United Nations, 2001 (extract)
use; and one-half of all accessible
fresh water has been claimed to meet
current human needs. As a result, one
of every eight plant varieties and
evergreater numbers of animal species
are at risk of extinction, a prospect
that further imperils the planet and its
human community. The challenge is to
find sustainable ways to peacefully
meet the needs of all people while
preserving the integrity of the whole
community of life on Earth.
Striving for JusticeCurrently, four-fifths of the world’s
people live on one dollar (U. S.), five
rand (South Africa), or fifty rupees
(India) per day or less. Wrenching
poverty, exacerbated by systemic
injustice and inequitable distribution
of resources, gives rise to disease,
crime, violence, and hopelessness.
Current trends toward globalization
and modern models of ‘development,‘
which are rarely community oriented,
have often increased hardship
and privation for millions of people.
Injustice of this kind and scope
poisons the familial, social, and
spiritual life of us all. It is imperative,
from both an idealistic and a prag-
matic point of view, that the sufferings
of a majority of the human community
be alleviated through urgent eco-
nomic, political, and social reform.
of us, no matter how this recon-
ciliation process is achieved, to
discover and to establish a global
ethic. A global ethic for institutions
and civil society, for leaders and for
followers, requires a longing and
striving for peace, longing and striving
for justice, longing and striving for
partnerships, longing and striving for
truth. These might be the four pillars
of a system of a global ethic that
reconciliation, as the new answer
to the vicious circle of endless hatred,
is going to provide us.
•••
Whether we are moving towards
a clash of civilizations, or towards
greater human solidarity against those
who murder innocents only because
they are different, is really up to each
of us. The choice is neither pre-
determined nor unavoidable; that is
why each of us individually chooses
and takes personal responsibility.
‘Crossing the divide’, whatever that
divide seems to be, is the first step in
the process of learning how to
manage and appreciate diversity. It is
a quality that new generations may
find indispensable. Have we, the older
generation, committed the sin of
passing on the fear of diversity? We
may well have. If that is so, it is
equally important that the youth of
our societies be aware of our mistake
and find the courage to go a step
farther, to learn what we have not, to
see what we did not see and to extend
a hand where we failed to do so. The
young generation can and does aspire
to do more and do a better job than
we have done, to build a more just
society than we have. No ‘lesson’
from the past can dampen the dreams
and aspirations, the visions and
expectations, of the generation that is
taking over. For most of us, the fact
that something was not done before
does not mean it cannot ever be
done. This, if anything, is an incentive
to strive for more.
If we have failed to cross the divide,
to realize that diversity is not a
synonym of ‘enemy’, and in so doing
we have built walls rather than tearing
them down, it does not mean that the
new generation cannot transform
those walls into bridges and walk
across them. A new generation can
expect no less from itself than to do
what previous generations have not
done or have done poorly.
•••
Reconciliation is the highest form of
dialogue. It includes the capacity to
listen, the capacity not only to
convince but also to be convinced and
most of all, the capacity to extend
forgiveness. In essence, it is dialogue
as a basis for the future, not dialogue
as a recrimination for the past. …
It is reconciliation that may lead all
33
Tracing the Way
A fascinating topic
What do we know of men and women of other faiths
and their religions?
Why do we so often unthinkingly reject what is alien
and unknown?
All religions have a dark side and a bright side;
they contain traditions and visions; they are
fascinating, and indeed beautiful. Hans Küng now
makes it possible to experience this by examining the
four-thousand-year history of the world religions for
traces which help us to understand one another and
bring us together more closely.
A unique project
Hans Küng, one of the outstanding theologians of
our days, has set out to describe the spiritual
substance of the world religions in an authoritative
and vivid way, explaining them in a way which
everyone can understand. He invites us to an
exciting search for traces through every age and
every continent.
Hans Küng describes, narrates and explains the
whole spectrum of the religions. He divides the
enormous amount of material into seven sections:
◗ Indigenous Religions
◗ Hinduism
◗ Chinese Religion
◗ Buddhism
◗ Judaism
◗ Christianity
◗ Islam
In each of the seven parts Hans Küng describes the
development of the religion, points out connections
with other religions and works out what divides the
religions and what they have in common.
Tracing the WaySpiritual Dimensions of the World Religions
Published in October 2001 by Continuum UK and
USA. ISBN 0-826-45683-9. Published Price £ 20.
Seven part video series
Hans Küng’s ‘Tracing the Way‘ is available as seven
part video series ‘On the Trails of World Religions‘:
www.films.com
34
Posters
Li terature
The exhibition in poster size
The exhibition is also available in twelve posters:especially useful for schools and training institutions.The posters show all exhibition panels in the originallayout but downsized to 84.1 x 59.4 cm.
Please order them from the Global Ethic Foundationby e-mail, fax or mail (for contact see page 35).The posters are only available as the entire set oftwelve.
BASIC LITERATURE
Hans Küng, Global Responsibility. In Search of a New
World Ethic (SCM Press, London 1991 / Wipf & Stock,
Eugene, Oregon 2004).
Hans Küng – Karl-Josef Kuschel (Eds.), A Global Ethic.
The Declaration of the Parliament of the World’s
Religions (SCM Press, London / Continuum, New York
1993).
THE RELIGIOUS SITUATION OF OUR TIME
Hans Küng, Judaism (SCM Press, London / Crossroad, New
York 1992).
Hans Küng, Christianity. Its Essence and History (SCM
Press, London / Continuum, New York 1995).
Hans Küng, Islam. Its History, Present and Future
(Oneworld, Oxford 2005).
FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION
Karl-Josef Kuschel, Abraham. A Symbol of Hope for Jews,
Christians and Muslims (SCM Press, London / Con-
tinuum, New York 1995).
Hans Küng (Ed.), Yes to a Global Ethic (SCM Press,
London / Continuum, New York 1996).
Hans Küng, A Global Ethic for Global Politics and
Economics (SCM Press, London 1997; Oxford University
Press, New York 1998).
Hans Küng (Ed.), A Global Ethic and Global
Responsibilities. Two Declarations, with H. Schmidt
(SCM Press, London 1998).
Giandomenico Picco and others, Crossing the Divide.
Dialogue among Civilizations (Seton Hall University,
South Orange / NJ 2001).
Hans Küng, Tracing the Way. Spiritual Dimensions of the
World Religions (Continuum, London, New York 2002;
7 Video films ‘On the Trails of World Religions’:
www.films.com).
35
FounderBoard President
Vice-President
Secretary GeneralSenior Advisor
Address
PhoneFax
E-mailInternet
Bank
Page 3Stephan Schlensog, Global Ethic FoundationPages 6, 7 / Table 1(Hinduism)Title: Stephan Schlensog, Global Ethic FoundationPicture frieze bottom: Stephan Schlensog, Global EthicFoundationContemporary representatives: Süddeutscher Verlag;Ullstein BilderdienstPages 8, 9 / Table 2(Chinese Religion)Title: Stephan Schlensog, Global Ethic FoundationPicture frieze bottom: Stephan Schlensog, Global EthicFoundationPages 10, 11 / Table 3(Buddhism)Title: Stephan Schlensog, Global Ethic FoundationPicture frieze bottom: Stephan Schlensog, Global EthicFoundationContemporary representatives: Süddeutscher Verlag;Richard Vogel, Süddeutscher VerlagPages 12, 13 / Table 4(Judaism)Title: Stephan Schlensog, Global Ethic FoundationPicture frieze bottom: Stephan Schlensog, Global EthicFoundationContemporary representatives: dpa, SüddeutscherVerlag; dpa, Süddeutscher Verlag; dpa, SüddeutscherVerlagPages 14, 15 / Table 5(Christianity)Title: Depiction of Christ, Viktring/Kärnten,fourteenth century, Buch-Kunstverlag EttalPicture frieze bottom: Stephan Schlensog, Global EthicFoundationContemporary representatives: SüddeutscherBilderdienst; UPI, Süddeutscher Verlag; AP,Süddeutscher Verlag;S. Bessmertnyj
Organizat ion
WORLD RELIGIONS – UNIVERSAL PEACE – GLOBALETHIC
© 2000, Global Ethic Foundation, Tübingen(June 2005)
Graphic and educational conception and realization:Christoph Lang, Rottenburg a. N.
Printing: Gulde, Tübingen.
English translation by John Bowden.
Impressum Credits
Pages 16, 17 / Table 6(Islam)Title: Kufi writing of the name Muhammad on a mosaictile, Tabriz, Iran, thirteenth century, LindenmuseumStuttgartPicture frieze bottom: Stephan Schlensog, Global EthicFoundationContemporary representatives: UllsteinPages 18, 19 / Table 7(Every human being must be treated humanely)Picture frieze bottom: Süddeutscher Verlag; LotharKucharz, Süddeutscher Verlag; epd, SüddeutscherVerlag; R. Schwerin, Süddeutscher Verlag; Ingrid v. Kruse,Süddeutscher Verlag; IP, Süddeutscher Verlag; UP,Süddeutscher Verlag; dpa, Süddeutscher Verlag; Scherl,Süddeutscher VerlagPages 20, 21 / Table 8(The ’Golden Rule‘)Picture frieze bottom: all KNA-BildPages 22, 23 / Table 9(Have respect for life!)Title: Regina Recht, plus 49Picture frieze bottom: Gary Knight, VISUM;SABA / Haviv, VISUM; Jérôme Brunet, Picture Press;KNA-Bild; KNA-Bild;Christoph LangPages 24, 25 / Table 10(Deal honestly and fairly!)Title: Regina Recht, plus 49;Picture frieze bottom: KNA-Bild; KNA-Bild; GregorSchläger, VISUM; KNA-Bild; KNA-Bild; S. Attal, plus 49Pages 26, 27 / Table 11(Speak and act truthfully!)Title: Regina Recht, plus 49;Picture frieze bottom: Stefan Borgius, plus 49; KNA-Bild;Andre Gelpke, VISUM; KNA-Bild; Christian Bruch, plus49; Michael Wolf, VISUMPages 28, 29 / Table 12(Respect and love one another!)Title: Regina Recht, plus 49;Picture frieze bottom: KNA-Bild; Gebhard Krewitt,VISUM; Katrina Dickson, VISUM; KNA-Bild; KNA-Bild
Count K. K. von der GroebenProf. Dr. Hans KüngProf. Dr. Karl-Josef KuschelDr. Hans-Henning Pistor
Dr. Stephan SchlensogDr. Günther Gebhardt
Waldhäuser Strasse 23D-72076 TübingenGermany
0049 7071 626460049 7071 610140
Deutsche Bank TübingenBLZ 640 700 85Account 12 12 620
Board FounderPresidentVice-President
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Address
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Martita Jöhr-RohrProf. Dr. Hans KüngHeinz MüllerDr. Josef Studinka
Lic. phil. Guido Baumann
[email protected]/schweiz.htm
0041 41 24117 070041 41 24117 08
GeschäftsstelleBildungszentrum MattCH-6103 Schwarzenberg LU
UBS CH-8098 ZürichAccount 230-506.795.01 L
Global Ethic Foundation Tübingen Global Ethic Foundation Switzerland
No peace among the nationswithout peace among the religions.
No peace among the religionswithout dialogue between the religions.
No dialogue between the religionswithout global ethical standards.
No survival of our globe without a global ethic.
Hans Küng
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