Chapter Thirteen Religion in the Twenty-First Century

1. Chapter ThirteenReligion in the Twenty-First Century Living Religions

2. Religious Pluralism • No single religion dominates the world • Boundaries between religions are hardening • Religions associated with national identities are feeling threatened — which will receive state funding? • Increase in fundamentalism which is often politicized and turned to violent ends • Various religions claiming superiority — but difficult to reconcile with others’ claims

3. Interfaith Movement • Rapid acceleration of interfaith dialogue • Many people of broad vision have noted that many of the same principles appear in all traditions • Golden Rule—Do unto others • exercising control over the mind • setting aside one’s own self interests • harkening to the divine • Contemporary scholars questioning absolute authority of scriptures, casting doubt on exclusive claims to truth

4. Responses to Other Faiths • Three responses to contact between religions (Diana Eck) • Exclusivism —”Ours is the only true way” • Inclusivism —trying to create on world religion or accepting the diversity of all religions • Pluralism —to hold one’s own faith but at the same time ask people of other faiths about their path

5. Interfaith Initiatives • 1986 Pope John Paul II invited 160 representatives of all world religions to Assisi to pray for world peace • 1988 Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on Human Survival • 1990 assembly in Moscow • 1993 centenary celebrations of the Parliament of the World’s Religions —Chicago

6. Interfaith Initiatives • UN effort to draw up interfaith global standard for ethical national behavior • 2000 millennium World Peace Summit of Religion and Spiritual leaders at UN and NY hotel • Internet carries the efforts of many organizations to provide information on the various world religions • Local interfaith initiatives

7. Religion and Social Issues • Genetic engineering • Terrorism • Gap between rich and poor • Deterioration of natural environment • 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro • 1994 Cairo Conference on Population and Development • Banning land mines • Racism and violence • Poverty and injustice

8. Religion and Materialism • Universal spiritual principles swamped by expansion of capitalism • Profit motive uppermost • Late twentieth century reconsidering how to reconcile spiritual motives with earning a living • Beginning of twenty-first century dominated by power-mongering, self-interest, and corruption

9. Religion and The Future of Humanity • Increase in materialistic greed, crime amorality, terrorism —Darkness before the dawn? • At the same time, global increase in interest in religion —Is the world ready to be cured?