MODULE 7: RELIGION AND GLOBAL ISSUES

TOPIC 1: RELIGION AND GLOBAL EPIDEMICS

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE 1: IDENTIFY GLOBAL EPIDEMICS

Definition of EPIDEMICS:

 Affecting or tending to affect a typically large number of individuals within a population,

community, or region at the same time.
 Spreading rapidly and extensively by infection and affecting many individuals in an area
or population at the same time.

What are Global epidemics?

Large numbers of the same disease which has affected the whole world at the same time.

Identify Global epidemics

 Smallpox, Black Death, Typhus, Influenza, Tuberculosis, Measles, Cholera, Chicken

pox, Cancer, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome),HIV|AIDS,etc.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE 2:

Views of ATR on Global Epidemics

 It is attributed to the breaking of Taboos, displeased ancestral spirits.

 Falling moral standards, therefore epidemics are a punishment to people if they fail to
bring them to a proper observance of their morals.
 Health is a symptomatic of a current relationship between people and the environment.
Health is not a phenomenon but part of the entire magi co – religious fabrics.
 Evil forces are causes of epidemics.
 Failure to observe certain rituals, i.e. AIDS is boswagadi- failure to observe the cleansing
rituals and taboos.

Views of Christianity on Global Epidemics

 Traditional view- it is God’s punishment for Adam’s disobedience and sin. (St Augustine
of Hippo).
 It is a challenge for individual to find inner strength and faith in God.
 Man was not created in a perfect state and sinned, but rather regarded man as still in the
process of creation. God deliberately brings epidemics so that we can develop faith and
struggle to be children of God. (Iranaeus). Note: this is the interpretation Iranaeus)

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  Epidemics caused by ignorance and blindness, if people become more aware of the world
they live in and more of themselves and others, then the world will be free from
epidemics.
 Epidemics are caused by selfishness and self centeredness which leads people away from
God.
 Some are self inflicted diseases caused by breaking down of morals in the society thus
encourage people to return to their religious values and believes.

Specific Objective 3: Effects of Global Epidemics in Society.

 Mortality rate increase as people lose their lives.

 Cripples the economy of the country as money will be diverted to buy medicines.
 Families can break.
 Other/Some people can lose hope
 Poverty

Specific Objective 4:

Ways in which religions in Botswana help during natural disasters.

What are natural disasters? The effects of earth’s natural hazards.

Examples of natural disasters are: Floods, drought, storms and lightning (tornado, hurricane),
volcanic eruptions, heat wave, land slide, veld fires.

Effects of natural hazards;

Can lead to financial, environmental and human losses e.g. Haiti, Japan where a lot of lives was
lost and lot of money needed to repair the infrastructure.

Religions provide the following:

 Shelter, clothing and food.

 They contribute money.
 They provide medicines.
 Man power( volunteers)
 They provide counseling.

Specific Objective 5:

How ATR responds to human suffering during epidemics.

ATR is concerned about the holistic man- physical and spiritual. Suffering makes man
incomplete.

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Responses:

 They use religion to find out the causes of epidemics and to find out the right cure.
 To them health can be restored through performing health rituals i.e. in case of epidemics
communal rituals are performed.
 The use of talisman and amulets (objects with magical powers).
 The division between mind and body, spiritual and physical, sacred and profane has
reduced the expected impact of modern medicine on the African population in terms of
their understanding of health and disease.

How Christianity responds to human suffering during epidemics.

 Medicine has always raised ethical question in Christianity and this has resulted in some
Christians accepting the use of modern medicine while others do not accept.
 Those who use medicine see doctors as the instrument through whom God heals the sick.
 Mainline churches- built hospitals (medical intervention)
 Pentecostal churches- faith healing
 AIC’s- Healing objects: Sewacho, Holy oil/ water etc- influenced by the African culture.
 All Christians churches show compassion- provide: Shelter, food, clothing.

References

1. Amanze, J.N (2002) African Religions and Culture in Botswana: A comprehensive text
book.
2. Bourdillo, M. (1990) Religions and Society: A text for Africa
3. Imasongie, O.
4. Masolo, D.A. African Philosophy in search of identity
5. Mbiti, J. (1969) African Religions and Philosophy.

Topic 2: Religion and Justice

Specific objective 1: How the values of Justice are expressed and promoted in Islam and
Buddhism.

Definition of the term Justice:

i. The quality or fact of being just.

ii. A particular distribution of benefits or resources fairly in accordance with a particular
conception of what to count as like cases.
iii. The administration of law according to prescribed and accepted principle.

How the values of Justice are expressed and promoted in Islam.

 Teaching from the Qur’an: All are equal before Allah, be kind and considerate of others.

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  Punishment (Sharia Law) intended to denounce injustice.
 Through practices such as:

-The Zakat (Alms giving)

-The Jihad to struggle in the name of Allah to fight oppression.

How the values of Justice are expressed and promoted in Buddhism.

Through observing the Five Precepts:

 Not to take life

 Not to steal
 Not to be involved in sexual misconducts.
 Not to tell lies.
 No alcohol

Following the Eight Fold Path:

THE EIGHT FOLD PATH

The eight fold path is usually shown as a wheel with eight spokes and each spoke shows what is
necessary for enlightenment.

1. THE RIGHT VIEWS/ VIEW POINT

This is knowing the difference between good and bad and the effects of your actions e.g.
understanding the noble truths.

2. RIGHT INTENTIONS

Doing things for the right reasons without expecting reward or recognition e .g. trying to act
considerably.

3. RIGHT SPEECH

Non- abusive speech, language, and speaking without causing harm or offence to others e.g.
avoiding anger, lies, gossip.

4. RIGHT ACTION

Acting in a socially considerate way to others. Having equanimity for all human beings.
Never hurting or disturbing others e.g. loving honestly, and not harming living things (many
Buddhists are vegetarians.)

5. RIGHT LIVELIHOOD

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 Not earning a living through suffering of others e.g. not selling alcohol, weapons, meat, and
avoiding jobs which harm anyone.

6. RIGHT EFFORT

Striving to perfect your spiritual path rather than improving your material wealth e.g. trying
hard to overcome desire and attachment.

7. RIGHT MINDFULNESS

Having awareness of your thoughts and actions so that you live in harmony with the world
e.g. thinking before speech or actions.

8. RIGHT CONCENTRATION

Practicing medication to gain liberation or NIRVANA, freeing the mind of distractions,

leading to enlightenment and nirvana.

Specific Objective 2:

Characteristics which qualify one to be a Champion of Justice in Islam and Buddhism.

Who are the Champions of Justice?

Islam

 Prophet Muhammad
 The Caliphates
 Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay)- Civil Rights Martyr
 Malcom X

Buddhism

 Dalai Lama
 The Buddha

Characteristics of champion of Justice

 Honesty
 Compassionate
 Love
 Assertive
 Perseverance
 Selflessness

Note: Be able to explain the above characteristics.

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 Specific Objective 3:

How Champions of Justice in Islam and Buddhism contributed towards Justice in

society.

Islam

Muhammad

 Defender of the poor and the under privileged.

 Fought wars of Justice.
 United the different tribes in Medina.

Buddhism

 Came up with teachings which can promote Justice.

 Dalai Lama: taught against the social ills such as war.
 Equality and dignity for all people is thought to be important.
 Buddha proclaimed that everyone has the right to have a fair share of the resources of the
earth.

Topic 3: Religious Prejudice and Fundamentalism.

Specific Objective: 1

Religious Prejudice (fore-deeming);

 Having preconceived ideas about a particular religion. It can also refer to unfounded
beliefs and may include any unreasonable attitude that is usually resistant to rational
influence. Prejudice can also be defined as a feeling, favorable or unfavorable, toward a
person or thing, prior to, or not based on actual experience.
 This usually leads to religious intolerance.

Specific Objective: 2

Prejudice in relation to Islam and Christianity

 Christianity views Islam as a religion of fundamentalist who kill in the name of

religion.(The Holy war –Jihad).
 Islam questions the following about Jesus: His divinity, birth, crucifixion,
resurrection and ascension.
 Christianity has a problem with the practice of polygamy in Islam.

Specific Objective 3: The Effects of Religious Prejudice

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Negative

 Religious wars and conflicts

 Loss of life
 Religious intolerance
 Negative attitude towards other people
 No dialogue between religions.

Positive

 Preservation of one’s religion.

 Deepens one’s faith in his religion.

Specific Objective 4: Religious Fundamentalism

What is Religious Fundamentalism?

 Is the demand for a strict adherence to a specific theological doctrine usually understood
as a reaction against Modernist theology, combined with a vigorous attack on outside
threats to their religious culture.
 The term usually has a religious connotation indicating unwavering attachment to a set of
irreducible beliefs.
 Following very strictly the rules and teachings of a religion.

Issues of Religious Fundamentalism

 Abortion
 Homosexuality
 Feminism(or women’s rights)
 Sex before marriage
 Contraception
 Religion as the basis for laws
 Teaching Religion in schools
 Science

Characteristics of religious fundamentalism

 They are counter modernist; it manifests itself as an attempt to find their refuge in
arming themselves with an identity that is rooted in a past golden age. And this identity is
acted out in an attempt to restore that golden past.
 They are generally assertive, clavorous, and often violent: e.g.

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-The Hindu destruction of the Babri mosque in 1992 and its consequence bloodshed.

-The right of Jews to the Biblical lands of the West Bank (and eventually beyond), along
with the consequent bloodshed.

-The Islamic bombings.

 Intolerance: They view themselves as only one true religion and one correct way of life
and this must be defended against inroads from other religions and secularism. Religious
pluralism is a problem for the fundamentalists. The fundamentalist, whether Christian ,
Jew or Moslem, will accept all but only into one exclusive ‘truth’.
 Public marks of distinction are needed to maintain their superiority and distinctive
identity. E.g. skull caps hijab, tur bans,rituals, food.
 They are the chosen, the elect, and the saved: as such they are privileged or burdened
with a special mission on behalf of their deity and for the benefit of the world.
 Law and authority comes from God .Even civic law must derive from the holy books.
 Female sexuality must be controlled and clear impassable boundaries must be
established between men and women.

Sexuality is controlled within the structure of the patriarchal family. Women are
subordinated in marriage, reproduction, abortion, ordination, access to or emphasis on
education. Female sexuality is associated strongly with ‘animalism’ and pollution-giving
rise to taboos on certain sexual practices.

 Sexual behavior is a major concern of all fundamentalist: the fear of and

opposition to homosexuality.

Specific Objective 5: Ways of Resolving Religious Fundamentalism

 Religious dialogue: conversing with other religious faith.

 Religious Tolerance
 Ecumenism: example, Botswana Council of Churches, Minister Fraternal, Bible
Society of Botswana.
 Honor internal religious pluralism: within congregations people should understand that
the identity of faith is rooted in the free expression of varied religious beliefs and
deepest yearning.
 Celebrate Diversity: Go beyond tolerance to mutual understanding, respect,
appreciation for religious traditions, symbols and beliefs which are different from own.

Topic 4: Religious Tolerance

Specific Objective 1: What is Religious Tolerance?

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-Toleration is ‘the practice of deliberately allowing or permitting a thing of which one
disapproves. One can meaningfully speak of tolerating, i.e. of allowing or permitting, only
if one is in a position to disallow.’

-It has also been defined as ‘to bear or endure ‘or nourish, sustain or preserve.’

-It may signify, ‘no more than forbearance and the permission given by the adherents of a
dominant religion for other religions to exist, even though the later are looked on with
disapproval as inferior, mistaken or harmful.

Religious Tolerance involves the following:

 Accepting, respecting and appreciating other religious beliefs which are different
from our own.
 Viewing other people’s religion as equally true.
 Not imposing your religious beliefs on other people.
 Not denying anyone the right to exercise their religious beliefs.
 Valuing religious pluralism.

Note: Where there is religious tolerance there should be an appreciation that different
religions are like a tree, one tree many branches. On each branch there is a light and the
lights are of different colours.

Specific Objective 2

The Contributions of the World Religions towards religious tolerance.

 Ethic of Reciprocity: all world religions teach the ethic of reprocity which is
often referred to as the Golden Rule in Christianity e.g Christianity: The
parable of the Good Samaritan who helped a victim who was not of his religion.
Jews hated and denigrated Samaritans.
 Equality of Human Beings: World religions teach that although human being
may appear different ,they should be treated with equal consideration and
respect e.g

Christianity: All made in the image of God.

- And Love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Bahai Faith teaches about the principle of unity and oneness:

- Oneness of mankind; religion of God is one that has been taught by many
manifestations.

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 - Oneness of mankind; all are members of the human family and created by the
same creator.
- Appreciate sacred literatures from other religions.
- Promotes inter-religious marriages.

Islam teaches that all people are of equal worth in the sight of Allah.

-Acknowledges that Jesus is the servant of God.

Sikhism: Even non Sikhs are welcome in the Gurdwara and they can share the Langa meal.

Specific Objective 3: The Advantages of interaction between people of different religions.

-Developing religious tolerance: As people interact they exchange knowledge about each
other’s religion, this can lead to a better understanding of the religions. They seek to respect the
others point of view as well as to share their own. They tolerate and defend the others right to
exist as well as welcoming the benefits to the world rendered by other religions.

-Attitude of inclusivity: They will not see themselves as the only true religion, but will see the
worthiness o other religions.

- Edification (to improve someone’s mind and character by teaching them something): they
can be edified by what they learn from religion.

-Wider choice of religions: one can choose religion of choice, based on the teaching / doctrines.

-It provides a common ground for a common cause.

Disadvantages of interaction between people of different religions

-Erosion (destruction /reduction) of belief systems.

-Conflicts between religions which may lead to war.

-Competition of adherents.

Specific objective 4: Challenges of religious tolerance

-Unquestioningly embracing interfaith cooperation: Sometimes people may find themselves just
accepting the intolerable.

-It sets a high standard of thinking, feeling and action for an individual or society. i.e. it calls for
confrontation of fear, ignorance and hatred and calls one to have an introspection to check for
any form of prejudice.

-It calls religious communities to be educated and know who they are in a world of many
different beliefs.

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-It calls for participation in interfaith service projects.

Specific Objective 5: Impact of religious intolerance on social harmony

-Division of religions in societies- discrimination against Muslims is on the rise in the United
States and Western Europe, there is an increasing physical violence against religious minorities
in Iraq and Pakistan, and they are abducted, murdered, tortured and raped.

-Conflicts, wars- religious intolerance has become one of the main causes of persecution of
minorities around the world e.g. fights between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria.

-Fundamentalism (refer to the definition provided). Fundamentalism is often seen as violent,

intolerant, stubbornly backwards, sometime inhuman, godly and sectarian. These traits arise
because of ‘fundamentals’ of religion are held to be those morals, behaviors and beliefs held by
the earliest followers, hence, fundamentalist ideas tend to clash with modern society and modern
morality.

-No religious pluralism (religious pluralism is an attitude or policy regarding the diversity of
religious belief systems co-existing in society. A condition of a harmonious co- existence
between adherents of different religions or religious denominations. It resolves around the
central idea of different belief systems working together. It also means the effort between
different denominations and faiths to form an overall spiritual community).

-No religious growth- Islam, Christianity and Judaism are the only three recognized religions in
Egypt, leaving the Baha’i Faith with limited access to employment, education, medical and
financial services.

Topic 5: Religion and the environment

Specific Objective 1: Relationship between humanity and the environment

African Traditional Religion

-They believe that Modimo(in case of Botswana) is the creator of everything on earth, this belief
encourages humanity to respect and care for the environment.

-Some natural resources are used as symbols for the tribe or family (totem) as such those
resources are respected and cared for.

-Some natural resources are associated with the ancestors and royalty; as such certain taboos are
observed .i.e. animals such as tlhware, eland (phofu), gemsbok (kukama), leopard (nkwe) can
only be killed during special occasions.

-Certain trees are used when rituals performed. For example during healing rituals, death rituals,
agricultural rites. These trees are not used.

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-Some natural environments are viewed as sacred places; they are the meeting places for the
invisible and visible world.

Christianity

- Christians are taught that they are God’s stewards on earth. They have a duty to make sure that
natural resources are shared equally and are preserved. They have certain responsibility towards
all living things because they believe God placed them in a position of stewards for his creation.
The Bible says, ‘the Lord God took man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work in it and
take care of it. ‘Genesis 2:15.

-Christians are taught that although they have been given authority to rule over the environment,
the earth was made by God and still belongs to God not to humans. The Bible says, ‘The earth is
the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Leviticus 25; 23 says, ‘The land
must not be sold permanently because the land is mine and you are but allens and my tenants.’

-Christianity has no liberty to do what they like with their natural environment, it is not theirs to
treat as they like, and ‘dominion ‘is not synonymous with ‘Domination’ or ‘Destruction’.

_As a result of the doctrine of stewardship Christian environmentalists oppose policies and
practices that threaten the health or survival of the planet.

Bahai Faith

-Bahai followers are taught to respect and protect the environment they live in.

-Baha’u’llah taught that all of God’s creation is inter- related. He said because other forms of life
cannot think or reason it is upon man to protect them.

-Followers of the Baha’i Faith are taught that kindness to the environment is good for spiritual
development. Spiritual development requires that people should love and respect all forms of
living and non living things.

-Followers are also encouraged to teach or train their children at a young age on how to protect
the environment.

The Baha’is view on environmental conservation and sustainable development holds;

a) Because the natural universe is a reflection of the majestic qualities and attributes of the
Supreme Being, it inspires and should be accorded the outmost respect.
b) All the creation is interconnected.

Specific Objective 2: How religious practices and beliefs affect the environment.

Negative

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- Pollution of the environment e.g during pilgrimage – (healing, acts of worship)

-Soil erosion- (during pilgrimage, worship).

-Depletion of the natural environment (extinction of trees and animals species: ATR)

-Some practices affects land usage, i.e burying of the dead (ATR and Islam).

Positive

-Taboos (ATR)

-Stewards of the environment- subdue the earth (Genesis 1:28)

-Totemic animals and plants-ATR

Specific Objective 3: The contribution of religious communities in protecting the

environment

-To have campaign of action to prevent issues of global warming, ozone depletion, deforestation,
desertification.

-Religious communities should emphasize environment issues within their teachings.

-To promote environmental education within their religious communities.

Ohio Japan meeting on environmental protection: world religions

-All religious leaders to emphasize environmental issues with religious teachings.

-All religious communities to commit themselves to sustainable practices and encourage

community use of their land.

-Religious leaders to recognize the need for ongoing environmental education and training for
themselves and all those engaged in religious instruction.

-To promote environmental education within their community especially among their youth and
children.

-To implement individual, community and institutional action plans at local, national and global
levels on conserving the environment.

-Religious leaders to pursue peacemaking as an essential component of conservation action.

-To be actively involved in caring for the environment to sponsor sustainable food production
and consumption.

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-To take up the challenge of instituting fair trading practices devoid of financial, economic and
political exploitation.

-To establish and maintain a networking system that will encourage sustainable agriculture and
environmental life system.

-To act immediately, to check and review the policies on conservation issues on a regular basis.

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