– see their website www.scottishinterfaithcouncil.org
“Whether a person practices religion or not, the spiritual qualities of love, compassion, patience, forgiveness, and humility are indispensable.”Dalai Lama
This Project asked Community Faith and Belief representatives to identify scriptures, teachings and attitudes from their particular tradition demonstrating values which would support the Golden Rule
“Treat others as you would expect to be treated.”
This rule is found in all religions and positive philosophy.
The main aim was to demonstrate the commonality of scriptures, teachings, and attitudes in ten Religions and Humanism that promote good community relations.
The emphasis was on the commonality of humanity that binds us all together on this planet, echoing Teilhard de Chardin’s words that we are all ultimately
“....spiritual beings, trying to express our humanity.”
Typical values identified were love, compassion, respect, justice, mercy, forgiveness, humility, respect for community and nature, concern for strangers, equality of men and women, and codes of moral conduct.
Two unique meetings were held when representatives from Buddhism, Baha’i faith, Christianity, Church of the Latter-day Saints, Hinduism, Humanism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Paganism, and Sikhism came together over a shared meal to discuss the submitted material and the format of its presentation in a printed document.
The Project challenges religious extremism and the increasing tensions between secular society and faith.
Focus groups were held twice with each of the Faiths and Beliefs to provide an opportunity for younger people and women in particular to discuss their representative’s findings.
A secondary aim of the Project was to use the document to raise awareness in focus groups of young men and women of this commonality of Faith and Belief in promoting good community relations.
I was kindly given the opportunity to visit HNC classes in Forth Valley College of Further education for this purpose. Most of the students, average age 23 years, were not aware of the Golden rule, and all felt quite strongly that religion was the cause of war and disharmony. They now understood these teachings as promoting the opposite, but they were very vocal in saying that politics and our own selfish egos were responsible for not following this Golden Rule. Hence the relevance of the Dalai Lama’s words: “Whether a person practices religion or not, the spiritual qualities of love, compassion, patience, forgiveness, and humility are indispensable.”
The Project was funded by the Equality and Human Rights Commission under its “Promoting Good Relations” stream and was managed by the Scottish Inter Faith Council. The document was officially launched in March 2009 and commended by Fergus Ewing, MSP, and Minister for Community Safety.
Geoff Lachlan,
Health Development Officer
In these days of constant change the fact that so many people have such a depth and length of life experience is to be cherished. It is a huge asset.
The Golden Rule should inform all our dealings with the oldest members of our society. But while all of us have been younger than we are now, none of us have been older, and so do not know from our own experience how they would like to be treated, we can only guess.
So we must ask!
We must consult the older people in our families and neighbourhoods, our hospitals, care homes and churches. When dealing with older people with dementia we must make the greatest efforts to find out what lifts their spirits and avoid what crushes them – the “do as you would be done by” Golden Rule in this context involves a leap of imagination and a firm commitment to compassionate care.
Mary Moffett
Faith In Older People
