I can't say that I agree with Martha about the inherent difference between
western and eastern religions. Christianity is inherently communal. Its
core teaching is "being for others", sacrificing oneself for the sake of
reconciliation and furtherance of God's plan for creation. That this core
focus has been so distorted as to support an individualist philosophy says
more about human nature and rationalization than it does about the
teachings of Jesus Christ.
Our values are shaped by our ethics, and our ethics are often -- in fact
usually -- religiously grounded. The search for a common set of ethics
based on shared and essentially innate beliefs, is a compelling need
supported by the common elements of most religions. Where do we get this
set of shared beliefs? An interesting question, to be sure, and the case
can be made that the notion that they are "self-evident" as the US
Declaration of Independence suggests, rests "solidly" on assertion and a
shared desire that they be true. That we have managed the beginnings of a
consensus that there are universal human rights is hopeful for dealing with
the crisis of the moment, but it needs to be buttressed by action and
extended in scope to encompass the imperative to act collectively to
address climate change and the rape of the environment.
Joel
At 09:40 AM 7/15/09 -0400, you wrote:
The desire for sustainability has more to do with values than with
individual virtues, experience or maturity of enlightenment (although one
could pursue the case of early adaptors in a non-secular argument).
Eastern religions focus on collectivism where Western religions emphasize
individualism (and therefore, indirectly promote capitalism). As a result,
Eastern religions have a value system entirely different from Western
religions. The other issue that must be addressed is morality, which has
been for the most part, lost in Western culture. Up until 100 years ago,
morality constrained capitalism. Now we are dealing with unbridled
capitalism, a very ugly monster indeed. It's not so much that we need a
change of religion to bring about a collective push toward sustainability,
it's that we need to restore morality and change the fundamental values of
the populous. This could be done either through a religious or cultural
shift. Only when we (as a social, religious or cultural group) no longer
hold money as our highest value, can other values become priorities thus
bringing about the change to a more sustainable way of life.
--Martha
Martha Goodsell
Fallow Hollow Deer Farm, LLC
125 Williams Road
Candor, NY 13743
607-659-4635
email: [email protected]
----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 8:29 AM
Subject: Re: [SustainableTompkins] How Confucianism could curb global warming
Gay has raised good questions.
Compassion saves us from the pitfalls of perfectionism. This is the
overarching sense of balance at the heart of any mature, reflective religious
movement, Western or Eastern. And such balance comes from people who have
faced their own paradoxes, contradictions, and hypocrisies and committed
themselves to do a bit better at what promotes wholeness and change that
might
be sustainable. (Fundamentalism in any religious or secular practice never
develops this level of self-awareness.)
What I see of the sustainability movement from a little distance is that
it is still in the "smart" phase of enlightened self interest that seeks the
welfare of the whole as much as the individual. This is not a bad place
to be, but it does not deal with the problems of how individual needs may
run at odds with groups and how groups may too easily become collusive,
group-think exercises that undermine innovations that challenge popular
assumptions within the larger sustainability movement.
While there are many individual and group exceptions, the movement as a
whole remains mostly a secular, enlightenment/modernity concern. It has
only
begun to embrace the deep roots of the religious commitments that define
the peoples of the world.
One reasonably credible breakdown of religious affiliations, worldwide, is
as follows: Just over half of the inhabitants of Earth identify with one
of the Western, Abrahamic faiths: 0.2% Jewish, 32% Chrisitian, 20% Muslim.
The Eastern traditions account for one-half of inhabitants: 12.5% Hindu,
6% Buddhist, 6.5% Tao and Confucian. The non-religious and atheist
account for 12.5% and 2.5%, respectively. The remaining 10% pick up
hundreds of
different traditions.
Sustainability will need to work within the mature practices of each of
these approaches (not the simplistic or fundamental ones), if we are to see
much of a deepening of sustainability worldwide.
Eric
Eric Clay, M.Div., Ph.D.
Community Coach
Shared Journeys, Inc.
832 North Aurora Street
Ithaca, NY 14850
607-592-6874
[email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected])
SHARED JOURNEYS
That all may thrive and none be excluded
**************Can love help you live longer? Find out now.
(http://personals.aol.com/articles/2009/02/18/longer-lives-through-relationships/?ncid=emlweu
> slove00000001)
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_______________________________________________
For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please
visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for:
[email protected]
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