The Baha'i Studies Listserv I think conventions can hinder moral and ethical development.
Sent from my iPad On Apr 18, 2013, at 14:19, Stephen Kent Gray <skg_z...@yahoo.com> wrote: > The Baha'i Studies Listserv > How come this topic is ignored in favor or Against nature? > > Sent from my iPad > > On Apr 18, 2013, at 12:53, Stephen Kent Gray <skg_z...@yahoo.com> wrote: > >> The Baha'i Studies Listserv >> I forgot to include specific religious ethics. Note, Scientology and Wicca >> are good examples of the hypothesis. The Baha'i Faith and Religious >> Humanism are good examples as well. >> >> The "Declaration Toward a Global Ethic"[34] from the Parliament of the >> World’s Religions[35][36] (1993) proclaimed the Golden Rule ("We must treat >> others as we wish others to treat us") as the common principle for many >> religions.[37] The Initial Declaration was signed by 143 respected leaders >> from all of the world's major faiths, including Baha'i Faith, Brahmanism, >> Brahma Kumaris, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Indigenous, Interfaith, >> Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Native American, Neo-Pagan, Sikhism, Taoism, >> Theosophist, Unitarian Universalist and Zoroastrian.[37][38] In the folklore >> of several cultures{31} the Golden Rule is depicted by the allegory of the >> long spoons. >> The Writings of the Bahá'í Faith while encouraging everyone to treat others >> as they would treat themselves, go further by introducing the concept of >> preferring others before oneself: >> O SON OF MAN! Deny not My servant should he ask anything from thee, for his >> face is My face; be then abashed before Me. >> —Bahá'u'lláh[39] >> Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself. >> —Bahá'u'lláh[40][41] >> And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbour >> that which thou choosest for thyself. >> —Bahá'u'lláh[42][43] >> Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have ascribed to thee, >> and say not that which thou doest not. >> —Bahá'u'lláh[44][45][46] >> Beware lest ye harm any soul, or make any heart to sorrow; lest ye wound any >> man with your words, be he known to you or a stranger, be he friend or foe. >> —`Abdu'l-Bahá[47] >> >> Many different sources claim the Golden Rule as a humanist principle:[55][56] >> Trying to live according to the Golden Rule means trying to empathise with >> other people, including those who may be very different from us. Empathy is >> at the root of kindness, compassion, understanding and respect – qualities >> that we all appreciate being shown, whoever we are, whatever we think and >> wherever we come from. And although it isn’t possible to know what it really >> feels like to be a different person or live in different circumstances and >> have different life experiences, it isn’t difficult for most of us to >> imagine what would cause us suffering and to try to avoid causing suffering >> to others. For this reason many people find the Golden Rule’s corollary – >> “do not treat people in a way you would not wish to be treated yourself” – >> more pragmatic.[55] >> The above is from the website Think Humanism >> Do not do to others what you would not want them to do to you. [is] (...) >> the single greatest, simplest, and most important moral axiom humanity has >> ever invented, one which reappears in the writings of almost every culture >> and religion throughout history, the one we know as the Golden Rule. Moral >> directives do not need to be complex or obscure to be worthwhile, and in >> fact, it is precisely this rule's simplicity which makes it great. It is >> easy to come up with, easy to understand, and easy to apply, and these three >> things are the hallmarks of a strong and healthy moral system. The idea >> behind it is readily graspable: before performing an action which might harm >> another person, try to imagine yourself in their position, and consider >> whether you would want to be the recipient of that action. If you would not >> want to be in such a position, the other person probably would not either, >> and so you should not do it. It is the basic and fundamental human trait of >> empathy, the ability to vicariously experience how another is feeling, that >> makes this possible, and it is the principle of empathy by which we should >> live our lives.[57] >> The above is from the website Ebon Musings >> According to Greg M. Epstein, a Humanist chaplain at Harvard University, " >> 'do unto others' ... is a concept that essentially no religion misses >> entirely. But not a single one of these versions of the golden rule requires >> a God".[58] >> >> These eight words the Rede fulfill, 'an ye harm none do as ye will. >> —The Wiccan Rede >> Here ye these words and heed them well, the words of Dea, thy Mother >> Goddess, "I command thee thus, O children of the Earth, that that which ye >> deem harmful unto thyself, the very same shall ye be forbidden from doing >> unto another, for violence and hatred give rise to the same. My command is >> thus, that ye shall return all violence and hatred with peacefulness and >> love, for my Law is love unto all things. Only through love shall ye have >> peace; yea and verily, only peace and love will cure the world, and subdue >> all evil." >> —The Book of Ways, Devotional Wicca >> >> 19. Try not to do things to others that you would not like them to do to you. >> —The Way to Happiness, Precept 19[73][74] >> 20. Try to treat others as you would want them to treat you. >> —The Way to Happiness, Precept 20[75][76] >> Consistent with the observation by Walter Terence Stace "that 'doing as you >> would be done by' includes taking into account your neighbor's tastes as you >> would that he should take yours into account" (see Criticisms and responses >> to criticisms), Scientologyaddresses the issue concerning differences in >> values or interests by focusing on the values and interests of the recipient >> of the conduct: >> Thus today we have two golden rules for happiness: 1. Be able to experience >> anything; and 2. Cause only those things which others are able to experience >> easily. >> —Scientology: A New Slant on Life, Two Rules for Happy Living[70][71][72] >> >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_ethics >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_ethics >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_ethics >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_ethics >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics_(Scientology) >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiccan_morality >> >> Sent from my iPad >> >> On Apr 18, 2013, at 12:43, Stephen Kent Gray <skg_z...@yahoo.com> wrote: >> >>> The Baha'i Studies Listserv >>> I remember talking about these concepts earlier. Post conventional morality >>> is based on a social contract and universal ethical principles without >>> regards to specific terms on which they need to be based upon. Conventional >>> morality is based on authority and conformity which requires a specific >>> norm and everyone to conform to it. Pre conventional morality is based on >>> rewards and punishments. >>> >>> Don C seem to think the Baha'i Faith is the prime example of a post >>> conventional religion. You can look at them and see which new religious >>> movements are even better examples of a post conventional religion. This is >>> especially with regards to sexual morality and ethics as a subtropical as >>> well. >>> >>> Bahai's tend to have a lot of conventional morality. Just look at the Aqdas >>> and try and see wether or not that qualifies as a convention. >>> >>> To summarize, why is anything more than the platinum rule, golden rule, >>> silver rule, and non aggression principle which are all the same thing >>> enough? Especially when you apply these to sexuality (which was the last >>> topic that spilled over in those topic)? >>> >>> Among major religious groups or world religions: Baha'i Faith, Cao Dai, >>> Cheodogyo, Tenrikyo, Wicca, Sekai Kysuei Kyo, Seicho No Ie, Rastafarianism, >>> Unitarian Universalism, Scientology, Eckankar, LaVeyanism, Raëlism, >>> Neo-Druidism, etc. are all new religious movements. >>> >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_new_religious_movements >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_religious_movement >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UFO_religions >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO_religion >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Kohlberg%27s_stages_of_moral_development >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics_in_religion >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morality_and_religion >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Rule >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-aggression_principle >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_religious_groups >>> >>> Sent from my iPad __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:arch...@mail-archive.com Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto:leave-698410-27401.54f46e81b66496c9909bcdc2f7987...@list.jccc.edu Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to ly...@list.jccc.edu Or subscribe: http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=bahai-st Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/?forum=bahai-st News (on-campus only) - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu