Bridging the Divide

by Axworthy, Thomas S.; Schmidt, Helmut

• ISBN13: 9781553392200
• ISBN10: 1553392205
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-07-30
• Publisher: McGill Queens Univ

Summary

Since September 11, 2001, the world has feared that we are in the midst of a clash of religiously defined civilizations. Led by Helmut Schmidt, the former Chancellor of the federal republic of Germany, and the InterAction Council, former world leaders first brought together the representatives of world religions in 1987, and since that date, the Council has regularly been engaged in a dialogue with scholars and leaders of all the world's faiths.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	p. ix
Foreword	p. xi
Contributors	p. xv
The World's Religions: Unity in Diversity?
The Three Abrahamic Religions: Historical Upheavals, Present Challenges	p. 3
The Analects of Confucius	p. 17
Overcoming Ignorance, Greed, and Hatred with Insight, Interdependence, and Peace: A Buddhist Perspective	p. 33
Judaism as a Factor in World Politics	p. 39
Hinduism: The Dalliance of Religion and Politics	p. 53
Japanese Shinto as a Factor in World Politics	p. 59
Buddhism as a Factor in World Politics: A Theravada Experience	p. 65
Shia Islam as a Factor in World Politics	p. 87
Islam as a Factor in Global Politics: Searching for Common Values to Guide a Globalizing World	p. 95
Mahayana Buddhism as a Factor in World Politics	p. 113
Religious Influence: Toward a Universal Ethic or Global Division?
Christianity as a Factor in Global Politics	p. 125
Thirteen Steps for Peace: On Rereading a Jewish Prayer	p. 139
Beyond the Enlightenment Mentality: An Anthropocosmic Perspective	p. 145
Hinduism and Politics: The Role of Religious Antagonisms in Indian History and Politics	p. 153
Sinai as an Emblem of Peace in the World Today	p. 167
Doing Evil To Do Good: Is There an Alternative Approach to Military Intervention in the Clash of Civilizations?	p. 173
Politics and Religion: Speaking Truth to Power or Power to Truth?
Some Contributions to a Universal Declaration of Human Obligations	p. 187
Human Rights and Human Responsibilities in the Age of Terrorism	p. 197
On a Politician's Ethics	p. 203
Conclusions of the InterAction Council
The Rome Statement, 1987	p. 219
In Search of Global Ethical Standards, 1996	p. 227
A Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities, 1997	p. 235
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