{"id":152901,"date":"2020-02-03T12:00:43","date_gmt":"2020-02-03T12:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=152901"},"modified":"2020-02-01T11:13:56","modified_gmt":"2020-02-01T11:13:56","slug":"faiths-religions-and-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2020\/02\/faiths-religions-and-peace\/","title":{"rendered":"Faiths, Religions and Peace"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here is a Table with fifteen faiths organized according to mono-poly-pan-atheism; some might find the table somewhat controversial:<\/p>\n

Table 1.<\/strong>\u00a0 Figures of thought, faiths, and beliefs of true believers<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Figures<\/em><\/td>\nFaiths<\/em><\/td>\nBeliefs<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mono<\/td>\nJudaism<\/td>\nIsrael, Zion; as Chosen People<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mono<\/td>\nCatholicism<\/td>\nPope (infallible), Vatican<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mono<\/td>\nEvangelism<\/td>\nDualism-Manicheism-Armageddon, DMA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mono<\/td>\nIslam<\/td>\nTogetherness under Alla’h, sharing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Poly<\/td>\nHinduism<\/td>\nCreation-Preservation-Destruction<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pan<\/td>\nBuddhism<\/td>\ndukkha-sukha<\/em>, sentient life networks<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pan<\/td>\nDaoism<\/td>\nHolism-Dialectics-Transcendence, HDT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pan<\/td>\nConfucianism<\/td>\nAuthority-Harmony; educated old men<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pan<\/td>\nShintoism<\/td>\nJapan; as Chosen People<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pan<\/td>\nPolynesism<\/td>\nlokahi, ‘ohana, alo’ha, mana<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A<\/td>\nHumanism<\/td>\nHumans; as Chosen species with rights<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A<\/td>\nLiberalism<\/td>\nIndividuals-Choice-Equilibrium;<\/p>\n

Markets<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

A<\/td>\nMarxism<\/td>\nClasses-Struggle-History;<\/p>\n

Plans<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

A<\/td>\nNature<\/td>\nDiversity, Symbiosis<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The focus of Table 1 is on concrete, this world, implications.<\/p>\n

Abrahamism, mono-centric, indicative of a centrism that could serve Occident I.\u00a0 Jesus Christ universalized tribal judaism to global christianity, expressed institutionally in catholicism, and biblically by US evangelics in their world view of good-evil dualism, ending in a violent Armageddon and the Second coming of Christ.\u00a0 Themselves Chosen People, having seen the Truth, they find allies for an aggressive alliance in judaism and (state) shinto, also mono-centric, also Chosen Peoples.\u00a0 But their centrism is too self-centered, setting them apart; moreover, their centers–like for islam–are not in the West.<\/p>\n

The alliance is uneasy.<\/p>\n

There is also orthodox christianity, more similar to catholicism, with center in the Third Rome, Moscow–not in the West either.<\/p>\n

Hinduism, poly-centric, is a counterpoint to the mono-centrism of judaism, evangelism and (state) shinto, in Hindu idiom, but with\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 universal content, having mono-, poly-, pan- and a-theist features.<\/p>\n

Buddhism, multi-centric, often partner to states that destroy buddhist messages of unity of life, alleviation of suffering (dukkha<\/em>) and increasing fulfillment (sukha<\/em>).\u00a0 “Polynesism”, also multicentric, is world-encompassing, and local, like kami<\/em> village shinto.<\/p>\n

Chinese civilization=daoism+confucianism+buddhism; confucianism vertical socially, buddhism horizontal, daoism opening for change from one to the other in this holon<\/em> with contradictions and transcendence.\u00a0 Daoism stands out as the world view counterpoint to Evangelism; HDT vs DMA, underlying so much of the China-USA tension today.<\/p>\n

However, the West had another card up its sleeves as christianity declined: secularisms, the world views of the Enlightenment.<\/p>\n

Humanism–humans as measure of all things (Protagoras) and sacred to each other–homo res sacra hominibus<\/em>–is universal, not Western, but human rights carry an Occident I imprint: individualism.\u00a0 Nor do liberalism and marxism as formulated here carry the idea of global centers in the West, but Market and Plan did, with the US for Market and the SU for Plan, an important aspect of the Cold War conflict.<\/p>\n

That ended with one after the other falling, not strange as Market impedes individual choice for many, with class struggle all over and no equilibrium; and Plan impedes History from running its course, leading to its own overthrow.\u00a0 They appear together in BRICS.<\/p>\n

Then there is nature, with a world view, naturism, a message.<\/p>\n

Not for heaven’s sake, but for nature’s sake: keep diversity with symbiosis<\/em>, not for “sustainability”, but for complexity, evolution.<\/p>\n

Together with buddhism and daoism a voice of sanity.<\/p>\n

The reflections above are pitting hard mono against soft poly-pan-a, as faiths-theology, in the polity, in the economy, in theory.\u00a0 How about that perspective inside the religions, not between them?<\/p>\n

Religions in General: Hard and Soft<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let us conceive of the varieties of religious experience as a circular field divided into sectors, one for each religious discourse; judaism, christianity, islam, hinduism, buddhism, daoism, confucianism and shinto (which has mono-, poly- and pantheistic features); and others.\u00a0 The number of sub-divisions is infinite.<\/p>\n

What matters is the religious temperature in this religio-scape, with maximum in the center of religio<\/em>, the mystic union with all life, all humans, with the Almighty, regardless of religious discourse, beyond any language and culture and tradition, just the oneness of the mysterium tremendum et fascinans<\/em> (Otto).\u00a0 In the center.<\/p>\n

Imagine all the sectors emanating from this center, the core of the religio-scape, in all directions.\u00a0 And imagine two concentric circles around the center: one close to the center, the other further away from the mysterium<\/em>, with the religious temperature falling as we move away from the center of intense union with the transpersonal, however conceived of in the religious idioms known to humankind.<\/p>\n

Inside the inner circle is soft religion<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0 The sense of unity as everyday life, not as mystic experience.\u00a0 Religion is compassionate, reaching everybody, the whole world; seeing the jew, christian, muslim, hindu, buddhist etc in all, without reservation and exception. Brothers and sister all, as St. Francis had it.\u00a0 The borders between religious sectors carry no connotation of near or distant, good or evil; they are merely etiquettes, easily permeated.\u00a0 Like people talking different languages sharing easily translatable messages.<\/p>\n

Very pan<\/em>-theistic, a pantheism latent in all religions.<\/p>\n

However, it costs little to profess love of all of humanity and feel the closeness even when quite distant, socially and-or geographically.<\/p>\n

But, it costs even less to hate even when in fact they are very close; giving in to their sense of chosenness: my religion is right, yours is wrong, the world would be better without you!<\/p>\n

On the other side of that inner circle is the outer circle of hard religion<\/em><\/strong>, the hard aspect of any<\/em> religion; it is not true that some religions are only soft and gentle, and others only hard and rough.<\/p>\n

There is no sharp border between the soft and hard aspects of a religion.\u00a0 But as we move away from the heat of the epicenter that melts hardened souls, the religio-scape changes dramatically.\u00a0 The demarcation lines between faiths and sub-faiths become more clear-cut, sharp, stark.\u00a0 A we move still further out the temperature falls; hearts get frozen; people see what divides, not what unites.<\/p>\n

Exclusiveness comes to their minds through dogma, and into their behavior through exclusive organizations ([i]<\/a>). Dogma and organization take on their own lives far away from the key message of union, uniting, ligare<\/em>; sustained by cold, frozen souls.\u00a0 Violence and war easily sprout where unity has died, and hatred where love has died.<\/p>\n

Just as the inner circle of the religio-scape is pantheistic, the outer circle is mono, not necessarily -theistic, but mono-religious; with the possibility of making them all more inclusive, pantheistic.<\/p>\n

As we move still further out we come to the border of humanity.\u00a0 What is on the other side of the outer circle?\u00a0 The animal kingdom?\u00a0 How dare we insinuate that animals are extrapolating from the evils practiced in the name of hard religion!\u00a0 Atheism, humanism, ideology?\u00a0 No, those are other faiths, also with union in the center, then inclusion, then exclusion.\u00a0 No, outside is pure Evil<\/em>.\u00a0 Satan.<\/p>\n

What characteristics of religions correlate with this distance from the core, this soft-hard, unite-divide, include-exclude dichotomy?<\/p>\n

Here are some hypotheses related to the religious discourse: the nature of God, the existence of Satan, the pantheon, the nature of reality and the relation to other religions and the State:<\/p>\n

Table 2. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 HARD RELIGIONS\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 SOFT RELIGIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n

[1]\u00a0 God is transcendent, above\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 God is immanent, inside<\/p>\n

[2]\u00a0 God has Chosen People\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 People have Chosen Gods<\/p>\n

[3]\u00a0 There is a Satan, below\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There is no Satan<\/p>\n

[4]\u00a0 Satan as Chosen people\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 People have Chosen Satans<\/p>\n

[5]\u00a0 Monotheism\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Polytheism, pantheism<\/p>\n

– unitarian\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 – trinitarian, quaternarian<\/p>\n

[6]\u00a0 Dualism\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Monism<\/p>\n

[7]\u00a0 Universalism-singularism\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Particularism-pluralism<\/p>\n

[8]\u00a0 State has Chosen Religion\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Religion has no Chosen State<\/p>\n

All controversial, but they give concrete meaning to hard-soft.<\/p>\n

Thus, a transcendent God is outside Human beings, as a Father-Sky even outside the planet.\u00a0 If in addition He is choosey, preferring some people to others (“all humans are His children, but some more than others”), then there is not only divisiveness but also hierarchy:<\/p>\n