Parliament of Worlds Religion 1999 Capetown SA

Author(s): Parliament of the World’s Religions
Publisher: USA Parliament of the Worlds Religions

Page 8

A CALL TO OUR GUIDING INSTITUTIONS
DECEMBER • 99
RATIONALE
Visions of the World
Visions of the world-as-it-might be have always found expression through religious and spiritual traditions. These traditions embody human aspirations: for meaning and purpose in life; for respect and mutuality between diverse peoples, cultures, and religions; for justice and peace; for the alleviation of suffering; and for harmony with the Earth. In the practice of these traditions, their respective communities have gained a glimpse and a taste of the world as it might be.
in the long historical struggle to realize their respective visions, however, religious and spiritual communities have sometimes adopted divisive, unjust, inhumane, and Earth-denying attitudes and practices. Sadly, this phenomenon has been most clearly manifested in interreligious relations. All too often, these relations have been marred by intolerance, oppression, and even violence, dramatically undermining efforts to build a better world.
Yet, today there is a broad and deep movement toward openness, goodwill, and warm-hearted and loving engagement among religious and spiritual communities around the world. Sustained encounters between people of different religious, spiritual, and cultural traditions have heightened the momentum toward actualizing our many visions of a better world, as well as stronger possibilities for establishing ethical common ground. New awareness of shared ethical principles opens the way into a new era of creative engagement-where we find and implement new modes of outreach, cooperation, and constructive common action, not only among the world's religions but among all of the world's guiding institutions.
Towards a Global Ethic
While the world's religious and spiritual traditions differ profoundly with respect to various beliefs and practices, they nevertheless hold in common certain ethical principles. One formulation of this ethical common ground is found in the document, Towards a Global Ethic: An Initial Declaration, issued on the occasion of the 1993 Parliament of the World's Religions.
The document identifies four universal directives that offer a basis for a "global ethic":
. Do not kill. . Do not steal. . Do not lie. • Do not commit sexual immorality.
1999 PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS
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