© 1991 Peter Laurence
© 1991 The Christian Fellowship of Students of The Urantia Book
By Hans Kung
Crossroad, 1991, 158pp.
"No survival without a world ethic. No world peace without peace between (sic) the religions.
No peace between the religions without dialogue between the religions. That is what this book is about."
Kung begins his introduction with these words and they do, in fact, summarize the message of this book. Starting with the identification of 1918 as a turning point in history, he calls our attention to the significance of the collapse of bourgeois society and the Eurocentric world, leading to the time of polycentrism, a desire for peace, a criticism of industrialism, an emphasis on human rights, and the beginnings of ecumenism. This process has required a dramatic paradigm shift in values:
These values now must become globalized in the same way that other aspects of human life have become globalized. As Kung points out, “The key concept for our strategy for the future must be: human responsibility for this planet, a planetary responsibility.” Responsibility is the essential foundation for a new global ethic. The human race must become responsible for our society and the environment in which we live — and we must do this not just for ourselves but for the generations to follow.
In order to accomplish this we need a coalition of believers and non-believers. “Even believers,” he says, “would have to concede that a moral life is possible without religion.” Secularism by itself, however, is not capable of producing the paradigm shift that is necessary. “In particular, scientists and technologists stress today that while scientific and technological thought is capable of destroying a traditional ethic which has become alien to reality, much of the immorality which has been disseminated in the modern period is not the result of ill will but an unintended ‘byproduct’ of industrialization, urbanization, secularization and organized irresponsibility. But modern scientific and technological thought has from the beginning proved incapable of providing the foundations for universal values, human rights and ethical criteria.”
Therefore the religions of the world are needed to bring about a new global ethic. “…who would be better suited today than the world religions to mobilize millions of people for a world ethic? To mobilize them by formulating ethical aims, presenting key moral ideas and motivating them both rationally and emotionally, so that the ethical norms can also be lived out in practice?”
The world’s religions carry with them common streams of ethical teachings. Through careful study and dialogue, such streams can be identified and restated in a common set of guidelines for human responsibility. “According to the ethics of the world religions are there not something like universal sins, something like ‘world vices’, and happily also virtues which are called for universally, something like ‘world virtues’? If this is the case, why should not the world religions find themselves in the fight against world vices and in the encouragement of world virtues?”
Kung, speaking from his own Christian perspective, describes the Christian contributions that mark a beginning toward a world ethic, and calls upon the leaders of all of the world’s religions to join in the search for a common view. “What would it mean for tomorrow’s world if the religious leaders of all religions, great and indeed small, decided today to give resolute expression to their responsibility for peace, love of neighbor and non-violence, for reconciliation and forgiveness?”
The strategy that can lead to a coalition for a world ethic is dialogue. “…loyalty to one’s own tradition and faith community does not exclude a sensitivity towards those of other faiths that is oriented on dialogue.” Dialogue implies a willingness to be open to the other even while still being rooted in one’s own particular convictions. A prerequisite, however, is that one must be willing to be self-critical, not to arrive at a new syncretic expression, but to overcome historic antagonisms among the religions. “The final goal of all our efforts cannot be a unitary religion; it must be an authentic peacemaking between religions.”
This, Kung says, has already begun. “…a new post-colonial, post-imperialistic, postmodern world constellation is in the making, and thus a polycentric world which is being bound ever closer together by new communication technologies. But at the same time this polycentric world must be a transcultural and multireligious world.“ ”The slogan of the hour is therefore, “We must begin on global religious understanding here and now!’ We must advance inter-religious understanding energetically in the local, regional, national and international spheres. We must seek ecumenical understanding with all groups and at all levels.”
And Kung ends his book as he began, with
The importance of Kung’s contribution toward creating a climate for dialogue should not be underestimated. For, while the paradigm shift he describes is truly taking place, the inevitable backlash retreat into the security of circumscribed belief systems has taken hold of many individuals and institutions. The risk of reaching out to one’s historic enemy, or to a startling new religious phenomenon, is more than many can bear.
The Urantia Book tells us that a mature planet enjoys the congenial atmosphere of one race, one language, and one religion. But in our present multiracial, multilingual, and multireligious world, only dialogue seems to be the acceptable channel for reconciliation among the religions. Kung’s astute reading of the current situation and his vision of the immediate future should provide a foundation for action in the years to come as a meaningful step toward the more distant horizon illustrated by The Urantia Book.
Peter Laurence, Executive Director of The Temple of Understanding, a global interfaith association located at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine.