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Religion and Development at the Crossroads: Convergence or Divergence?
ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
Religion and Development at the Crossroads: Convergence or Divergence? A statement to the World Summit on Sustainable Development
by the Bahá’í International Community Johannesburg, South Africa August 26, 2002
Over the course of the 20th century, ethnic, racial and national prejudices have
increasingly given way to the recognition that humankind is a single family and the earth its common homeland.1 The United Nations (UN), which was created in response to this dawning recognition, has worked tirelessly
to bring about a world where all peoples and nations can live together in peace and harmony. To help bring about this world, the
UN has crafted a remarkable framework of international institutions, processes, conventions and global action plans that have
helped to prevent conflict and warfare, to protect human rights, to nurture equality between women and men, and to uplift the
material conditions of countless individuals and communities. Despite
these significant achievements, the United Nations has yet to grasp fully both the constructive role that religion can play in
creating a peaceful and prosperous global order, and the destructive impact that religious fanaticism can have on the stability
and progress of the world. This lack of attention to religion can be clearly seen in the development realm, where the United
Nations has, for the most part, viewed religious communities merely as channels for the delivery of goods and services, and as
mechanisms to carry out development policies and programs. Moreover, while the United Nations' human rights machinery has been
used to condemn religious intolerance and persecution,2 UN development policies and programs3 have hardly begun to address religious bigotry as a major obstacle to peace and well-being.4 Religion as the Basis of Civilization and Progress It is becoming increasingly clear that passage to the culminating stage in the millennia long process of the
organization of the planet as one home for the entire human family cannot be accomplished in a spiritual vacuum. Religion, the
Bahá'í Scriptures aver, "is the source of illumination, the cause of development and the animating impulse of
all human advancement"5 and "has been the basis of all civilization and progress in the
history of mankind."6 It is the source of meaning and hope for the vast majority of the planet's
inhabitants, and it has a limitless power to inspire sacrifice, change and long-term commitment in its followers.7 It is, therefore, inconceivable that a peaceful and prosperous global society - a society which nourishes a
spectacular diversity of cultures and nations - can be established and sustained without directly and substantively involving the
world's great religions in its design and support.8 At the same time, it cannot be denied that the power of religion has also been perverted to turn neighbor
against neighbor. The Bahá'í Scriptures state that "religion must be the source of fellowship, the cause of
unity and the nearness of God to man. If it rouses hatred and strife, it is evident that absence of religion is preferable and
an irreligious man is better than one who professes it."9 So long as religious animosities are
allowed to destabilize the world, it will be impossible to foster a global pattern of sustainable development: the central goal
of this Summit. Religion and the United Nations: Working Together for Peace and Justice Given the record of religious fanaticism, it is understandable that the United Nations
has been hesitant to invite religion into its negotiations. However, the UN can no longer afford to ignore the immeasurable good
that religions have done and continue to do in the world, or the salubrious, far-reaching contributions that they can make to the
establishment of a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable global order. Indeed, the United Nations will only succeed in
establishing such a global order to the extent that it taps into the power and vision of religion. To do so will require
accepting religion not merely as a vehicle for the delivery and execution of development initiatives, but as an active partner in
the conceptualization, design, implementation and evaluation of global policies and programs.10 The
historically justified wall separating the United Nations and religions11 must fall to the
imperatives of a world struggling toward unity and justice.12 The real onus, however, is on the religions themselves. Religious followers and, more
important, religious leaders must show that they are worthy partners in the great mission of building a sustainable world
civilization. To do so will require that religious leaders work conscientiously and untiringly to exorcise religious bigotry and
superstition13 from within their faith traditions. It will necessitate that they embrace freedom of
conscience for all people, including their own followers,14 and renounce claims to religious
exclusivity and finality.15 It should
not be imagined that the acceptance of religion as a partner within the United Nations will be anything but gradual or that
religious hostilities will be eliminated any time soon. But the desperate needs of the human family make further delay in
addressing the role of religion unacceptable. Religion and the United Nations: Possible Next Steps For its part, the United Nations might begin the process of substantively involving
religion in deliberations on humankind's future by hosting an initial gathering of religious leaders convoked, perhaps, by the
Secretary-General. As a first priority, the leaders might call for a convention on freedom of religion and belief to be drafted
and ratified, as expeditiously as possible, by the governments of the world, with the assistance of religious communities.16 Such an action by the world's religious leaders, which would signal their willingness to accept freedom
of conscience for all peoples, would significantly reduce tensions in the world. The gathering might also discuss the foundation
within the United Nations System of a permanent religious forum, patterned initially perhaps on the UN's recently founded
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The creation of this body would be an important initial step toward fully integrating
religion into the UN's work of establishing a peaceful world order.17 For their part, religious leaders will need to show that they are worthy of
participation in such a forum. Only those religious leaders who make it clear to their followers that prejudice, bigotry and
violence have no place in the life of a religious person should be invited to participate in the work of this body.
The Promised Reign of Peace and Justice It is evident that the
longer the United Nations delays the meaningful involvement of religion in its work, the longer humanity will suffer the ravages
of injustice and disunity.18 It is equally clear that until the religions of the world renounce
fanaticism and work whole-heartedly to eliminate it from within their own ranks, peace and prosperity will prove chimerical.
Indeed, the responsibility for the plight of humanity rests, in large part, with the world's religious leaders. It is they who
must raise their voices to end the hatred, exclusivity, oppression of conscience, violations of human rights, denial of equality,
opposition to science, and glorification of materialism, violence and terrorism, which are perpetrated in the name of religious
truth. Moreover, it is the followers of all religions who must transform their own lives and take up the mantle of sacrifice for
and service to the well-being of others, and thus contribute to the realization of the long-promised reign of peace and justice
on earth. Notes
2. Unfortunately, the UN has been unable to move
beyond its Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief,
to create a convention on freedom of religion and belief. The ability of the United Nations to transform General Assembly
declarations on race and on women into conventions only highlights its lack of success in the area of religion and belief - i.e.,
after producing the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and the Declaration on the
Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the UN created the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Racial Discrimination and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
3. Although some of the global action plans from recent United Nations conferences suggest
that misuse of religion poses an obstacle to development, the few references that they do contain neither explore the effects of
religious bigotry and violence on development and security, nor offer any notable solutions. (See, e.g., The Vienna
Declaration and Programme of Action, II-22, 38; The Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action, 69; The
Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women, 24, 80 (f), 131, 224; The Habitat Agenda, 25; We the
Peoples: the Role of the United Nations in the Twenty-First Century, 200; and The Declaration of the World Conference
against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, 59-60.)
Agenda 21 mentions
religion, but with no reference to the impact that its misuse has on development (see, Agenda 21, 5.53, 6.1, 6.3, 6.4, 6.12,
6.32, 6.34 (a)(i), 36.13 (a)). Moreover, the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21, which was produced at
the Earth Summit +5, contains no mention at all of religion, and the Draft Plan of Implementation for the World Summit on
Sustainable Development that was negotiated at the Fourth Preparatory Committee session (27 May - 7 June 2002), mentions
religion but once, and then only in the context of ensuring that the delivery of basic health care services is "consistent with
…. cultural and religious values" (A/CONF199/PC/L.5, #45). This omission of the destructive effects of religious fanaticism on
sustainable development from the global action plans emanating from the Earth Summit, the Earth Summit +5, and the World Summit
on Sustainable Development, is all the more striking, given that some of the conferences of the 1990's did, at least, express
concern about religious intolerance.
4. In its efforts to combat terrorism, the
United Nations has been hesitant to address religious fanaticism. Through a series of resolutions, treaties and actions, the
United Nations has sought concerted international cooperation to combat terrorism, branding it "one of the most serious threats
to international peace and security in the twenty-first century" and inimical to "global stability and prosperity." (S/RES1377
(2001)). Yet, at the same time, the UN has been reticent to identify religious fanaticism as a source of terrorism, referring to
it, if at all, mostly indirectly - e.g., "terrorism motivated by intolerance or extremism" (S/RES/1373 (2001)). In those few
instances when it is mentioned directly, it is included in a list of various justifications - e.g., "criminal acts intended to
provoke a state of terror…are...unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial,
ethnic, religious or other nature that may be invoked to justify them." (A/RES/55/158, para 2; see also A/57/37, Annex III,
Article 5, Report of the Ad Hoc Committee [charged with drafting a Comprehensive Convention on International
Terrorism] Established by General Assembly Resolution 51/210 of 17 December 1996; and the International Convention
for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, Article 6). Interestingly, even the various resolutions that were issued
by the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights in response to the terrorist acts of 11
September 2001, failed to identify religious fanaticism as the force animating those acts (to find allusion to this fanatical
motivation, one has to look to speeches by the UN Secretary-General: "We are in a moral struggle to fight an evil that is
anathema to all faiths." SG/SM8013, Message of the Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the Warsaw Conference on Combating
Terrorism, 6 November 2001.) This hesitancy to acknowledge and forcefully condemn the religious bigotry motivating terrorist
acts weakens the effectiveness of the UN's efforts to bring an end to international terrorism. For, it is only by identifying
and understanding the peculiar motivation behind such acts that they can be effectively combated.
5. 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace, Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, Wilmette, IL, 1982, p.361.
6. Ibid.
7. Religion has inspired in whole populations capacities to love, to forgive, to create, to dare
greatly, to overcome prejudice, to sacrifice for the common good and to discipline the impulses of animal instincts. Against all
odds and with little in the way of meaningful encouragement, it continues to sustain the struggle for survival of uncounted
millions, and to raise up in all lands heroes and saints whose lives are the most persuasive vindication of the principles
contained in the scriptures of their respective faiths. Indeed, its fundamental laws and cardinal principles have, throughout
the ages, constituted the warp and woof of the social fabric, uniting peoples into communities and serving as the ultimate
authority in giving meaning and direction to individual and collective life.
8. It is untenable to maintain that a regime of international human rights can replace religious purpose as the force
capable of inspiring the profound sacrifices and driving the extensive changes necessary for the unification and pacification of
humankind. While it is true that international human rights norms and standards are based largely on principles that have their
foundation in the world's great religions, such a regime, standing on its own - unmoored from religious purpose - cannot elicit
the moral vision and commitment required to establish and sustain universal peace and justice. In fact, severed from the virtues
taught by all religions - such as kindness, forgiveness, compassion, generosity, love, sacrifice, responsibility, and service to
others - human rights and fundamental freedoms are often used to justify selfish individualism, anti-social lifestyles,
over-consumption, ethical relativism, cultural aggrandizement and national chauvinism.
9. 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace, Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, Wilmette, IL, 1982, p. 181. This principle is repeatedly stressed in the Bahá'í Scriptures - e.g., "If
religion proves to be the source of hatred, enmity and contention, if it becomes the cause of warfare and strife and influences
men to kill each other, its absence is preferable" (Ibid. p. 298); "If a religion become the cause of hatred and
disharmony, it would be better that it should not exist. To be without such a religion is better than to be with it"
('Abdu'l-Bahá, 'Abdu'l-Bahá in London, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Oakham, England, 1982, p. 28);
"If religion becomes a cause of dislike, hatred and division, it were better to be without it, and to withdraw from such a
religion would be a truly religious act" ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, eleventh edition, Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, London, 1969, p. 130).
10. While religious principles
have had a palpable influence on the UN, most notably in the human rights realm, the UN has yet to accept the world's religions
as genuine partners in its work. The involvement of religious non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in certain activities at the
United Nations; the religious sentiments that UN and governmental officials occasionally express during negotiations; the
Permanent Observer status held by the Holy See (representing the State of Vatican City); and other such means through which
voices of religion are sometimes raised in the UN; can hardly be said to constitute substantive religious involvement in the
deliberations and conceptual work of the UN. This lack of involvement is perplexing, given that the world's religious scriptures
promise an age of universal peace and world-wide harmony - an age whose establishment is the central purpose of the United
Nations.
11. For an interesting view of the influence of religious NGOs at
the UN, see Religion and Public Policy at the UN, Religion Counts, 2002.
12. Such initiatives as the World Faiths Development Dialogue (a collaborative initiative between the World Bank and
several world religions), and the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders (a global gathering of
religious leaders that was held, in part, in the UN General Assembly Hall, and that involved UN officials, but which was not
officially endorsed by the UN) might be seen as initial steps toward directly involving religion in the work of the United
Nations. The UN should build on such rudimentary steps, to establish mechanisms and processes that will bring, in a meaningful
manner, religious values, aspirations and vision into the heart of the world-embracing enterprise that is the UN.
13. Religious leaders will need to accept science and religion as the two indispensable
knowledge systems that must work together if humankind is to progress. At the same time, those who deny the relevance of
religion to the resolution of the seemingly intractable problems confronting humanity must look, with unbiased minds, toward the
insights and guidance of religion in order to ensure the appropriate application of the knowledge and skills generated by
scientific inquiry. A fundamental principle of the Bahá'í Faith is the harmony of science and religion: "God
has endowed man with intelligence and reason whereby he is required to determine the verity of questions and propositions. If
religious beliefs and opinions are found contrary to the standards of science, they are mere superstitions and imaginations; for
the antithesis of knowledge is ignorance, and the child of ignorance is superstition. Unquestionably, there must be agreement
between true religion and science. If a question be found contrary to reason, faith and belief in it are impossible, and there
is no outcome but wavering and vacillation." ('Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace,
Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, IL, 1982, p. 181)
14.
Fostering freedom of conscience includes allowing all individuals to investigate reality, to study and to appreciate other
religions, and to change their religion if they so choose. The Bahá'í Writings stress that force and coercion in
matters of religion and belief are violations of the Divine command: "the conscience of man is sacred and to be
respected." ('Abdu'l-Bahá, A Traveler's Narrative, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, IL, 1980,
p. 91.) Surely, the hallmark of what it means to be human is for the individual to investigate reality for herself, to freely
choose her religion, and to worship God in the manner she believes is right.
15. To move beyond such dogmas will require embracing the notion that all of the world's great religions are equally
valid in nature and origin and are aspects of one divine, progressive, civilizing process, refining humanity's capacity to know,
to love and to serve. Bahá'u'lláh states, "There can be no doubt whatever that the peoples of the world, of
whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God." (Gleanings
From the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, second edition, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, IL, 1976, p.
217.) The future of civilization ultimately rests on acceptance or rejection of this understanding of the nature and source of
the world's great religions.
16. Other initial efforts might include the
creation and ratification of international conventions on education and on the media. Building on the Convention Against
Discrimination in Education, these conventions should unreservedly condemn and forcefully sanction those who, in the name of
religion, use education and the media to oppress freedom of conscience and to promote division, hatred, terrorism, violence and
bloodshed. There should be no tolerance for educational institutions and initiatives, or media policies and programs - whether
public or private - that promote such attitudes and behavior.
17. The
notion that the diversity of religions precludes the possibility of effective religious involvement at the United Nations is
questionable. The world's religions hold many spiritual truths in common and are increasingly coming together, at all levels, to
explore shared values and aspirations, to work to effect governmental policies and programs, and to carry out an array of
initiatives. In fact, the common vision of a peaceable future, held by all of the world's great religions, indicates the immense
dedication, energy and resources that religious involvement in the United Nations could bring to the organization as it seeks to
fulfill its global mandate.
18. The growing danger of a religiously
provoked global conflagration only highlights the need to hasten religious involvement in the work of the UN. However, such a
danger civil government, unaided, cannot overcome. Nor should it be imagined that appeals for mutual tolerance can alone
extinguish animosities that claim to possess Divine sanction. The situation calls on religious leadership for a break with the
past as decisive as those that opened the way for society to address equally corrosive prejudices of race, gender and nation.
Whatever justification exists for exercising influence in matters of conscience lies in serving the well-being of humankind. At
this greatest turning point in the history of civilization, the demands of such service could not be clearer.
BIC Document #02-0826
©Copyright 2002, Bahá'í International Community
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