Comments on: what is freedom of religion for? http://www.sustainablechina.info/2009/06/17/what-is-freedom-of-religion-for/ researching religious values for ecological sustainability Sat, 07 Jan 2012 17:20:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: james http://www.sustainablechina.info/2009/06/17/what-is-freedom-of-religion-for/comment-page-1/#comment-368 james Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:35:51 +0000 http://www.sustainablechina.info/?p=247#comment-368 Thanks Björn for your interesting response. I think that part of the problem is that discussion about religion is overwhelmingly dominated by people who are either supporters of religion or opponents of religion. The same is not the case for economics or medicine, or music! It is therefore hard for many people to engage in public discussions about the value of religion in a fairly neutral and objective way, accepting that religion is a fact of human existence and trying to see how this might be helpful for developing sustainablity. When discussing religion in China, I often encounter reactions like the one posted in the link above, about the monastery in Vietnam. While I don't think that it's usually a good idea for governments to manage religions (or car manufacturers for that matter), for me this is not the main issue. The main issue is whether or not the religions (or the cars) are helpful or damaging to the quest for sustainable forms of living together on this planet. Thanks Björn for your interesting response. I think that part of the problem is that discussion about religion is overwhelmingly dominated by people who are either supporters of religion or opponents of religion. The same is not the case for economics or medicine, or music! It is therefore hard for many people to engage in public discussions about the value of religion in a fairly neutral and objective way, accepting that religion is a fact of human existence and trying to see how this might be helpful for developing sustainablity.

When discussing religion in China, I often encounter reactions like the one posted in the link above, about the monastery in Vietnam. While I don’t think that it’s usually a good idea for governments to manage religions (or car manufacturers for that matter), for me this is not the main issue. The main issue is whether or not the religions (or the cars) are helpful or damaging to the quest for sustainable forms of living together on this planet.

]]> By: Björn Eriksson http://www.sustainablechina.info/2009/06/17/what-is-freedom-of-religion-for/comment-page-1/#comment-365 Björn Eriksson Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:04:10 +0000 http://www.sustainablechina.info/?p=247#comment-365 Thank you James, I gratefully enjoy your posts on this site. As a promoter of sustainable development in Sweden and also deeply interested in religious issues I feel a bit relieved by your conclusion and report in this post. In the Swedish debate there is a quite strong consensus on the importance and challenge of climate change. Those who oppose this, or more common, oppose deeper environmental concern, often spike their language with religious markers, i.e. Green Fatwa, environmental fundamentalist. And then there is milder versions means that environmental work (read mitigation of climate change) must be based on science and scientific research. Between the lines I read that arguments that is not grounded in natural science is a kind of superstition. With this understanding of the situation I find it hard to convince my fellow promoters of SD to look at the potential of religion. (In this context it would be unfair not to mention that the Swedish church is very outspoken when it comes to climate change and environmental protection. Now when it has separated from the state... Which it did as late as 2000!) There is more to say about this but not just now : ) Here is an interesting link about different view on freedom of religion in a lesser case-study in Vietnam. http://helpbatnha.org/2009/07/old-sightings-from-a-university-dean-may-shed-light-to-bat-nha-situation/ Please spread the word on what is going on in Bat Nha Monastery in Vietnam http://helpbatnha.org/ Best regards Björn Eriksson, Uppsala Sweden Thank you James,
I gratefully enjoy your posts on this site.

As a promoter of sustainable development in Sweden and also deeply interested in religious issues I feel a bit relieved by your conclusion and report in this post. In the Swedish debate there is a quite strong consensus on the importance and challenge of climate change. Those who oppose this, or more common, oppose deeper environmental concern, often spike their language with religious markers, i.e. Green Fatwa, environmental fundamentalist. And then there is milder versions means that environmental work (read mitigation of climate change) must be based on science and scientific research. Between the lines I read that arguments that is not grounded in natural science is a kind of superstition.

With this understanding of the situation I find it hard to convince my fellow promoters of SD to look at the potential of religion.
(In this context it would be unfair not to mention that the Swedish church is very outspoken when it comes to climate change and environmental protection. Now when it has separated from the state… Which it did as late as 2000!)

There is more to say about this but not just now : )

Here is an interesting link about different view on freedom of religion in a lesser case-study in Vietnam.
http://helpbatnha.org/2009/07/old-sightings-from-a-university-dean-may-shed-light-to-bat-nha-situation/

Please spread the word on what is going on in Bat Nha Monastery in Vietnam
http://helpbatnha.org/

Best regards
Björn Eriksson, Uppsala Sweden

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