In his book, One Earth, Many Religions: Multifaith Dialogue & Global Responsibility (1995), Paul Knitter says: The reality and proximity of poverty alongside affluence must bring about a moral proximity; the they and the we must blend into a connected, responsive humanity. Their poverty must somehow become ours. Unless I respond to the murderous reality of poverty, I am less a human being, certainly less a religious being. Religious persons, because they are religious, can and must do something about the monster of poverty that continues to stalk the so-called new world order. I am suggesting that the contemporary spectrum of poverty and the suffering that it causes must affect - is affecting - the way people are religious. The awareness of such suffering is calling for a reform, or a renewal, of how we think and act as religious persons. Whatever their tradition, religious believers are coming to feel that their religion must confront such basic physical needs and sufferings and that whatever salvation or enlightenment or moksha may mean, such beliefs have to say something about this kind of suffering. Hindus, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists are recognizing that if any of their traditional beliefs become the reason or the occasion for ignoring or condoning such human suffering, then such beliefs lose their credibility. Even the most traditionally other-worldly religions are showing concern and trying to formulate some kind of response to our worlds growing awareness of human suffering. Tables bare of bread and water can become the tables around which the religions of the world gather to talk and act.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Sep 2014 03:27:26 +0000