For one semester/quarter courses on Religious Ethics.
Religious Foundations for Global Ethics is an overview of morality in a “nation of immigrants,” starting with the basic question of what morality is, and culminating in an examination of morality as a source of potential conflict, and how those conflicts can be resolved peacefully. The author strives to discuss ethical concerns from a variety of religious, philosophical and psychological perspectives, so that students are able to conside issues outside of their own cultural point of view.
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: The Moral Proclivity 1
An Introductory Overview
Origins of Philosophy and Religion
Contributions from Leading Religions, East and West
Interfaces with Psychology
Four Philosophical Traditions
Contributions from Leading Religions East and West
Religions of the East
Religions of the West
Interfaces with Psychology and Related Disciplines
Experimental Psychology
Sociobiology
Implications for Global Ethics
Notes
Chapter 2: The Moral Person
The Idea of Personhood
Fostering Personal Morality
Contributions of Major Religions
Eastern Religions
Western Religions
Variations on the Golden Rule
Insights from the Social Sciences
Implications for Global Ethics
Notes
Additional References
Chapter 3: The Family as Moral Context
Some Historic Configurations
Light from Six Major Religions, East and West
Eastern Traditions
Western Traditions
Changing Families, Changing Mores
Parenting Issues: To Be or Not to Be
The Sex–Gender Tug of War: Religious Perspectives
Children and Youth: Preparation for Life
The Nuclear Family: Obsolete?
Implications for Global Ethics
Notes
Chapter 4: Can Schools Create an Ethical Society?
The Evolution of Formal Education
The Graeco-Roman Era
The Dark Ages, Reformation, and Beyond
The Assumed Moral Mandate
Families, Congregations, and, Schools in Interaction
Religion and Education in a Pluralistic Culture
Eastern Traditions
Western Traditions
Implications for Global Ethics
Notes
Chapter 5: The Just Society
The Nature of Justice
Religious Sources of Justice
Sources of Injustice: Religious Reflections
The Issue of Human Rights
The Primacy of Human Rights
Implications for Global Ethics
Notes
Chapter 6: The Community of Culture
Religion and the Arts
Hinduism
Buddhism
Confucianism
Judaism
Christianity
Religious Architecture and Artifacts
Religious Music
Artistic Expression in Islam
Shared Art
Religious Reflections on Science
Science and Religion in Dialogue
Technology: Benefits and Challenges
Implications for Global Ethics
Notes
Chapter 7: Value Conflicts in a Pluralistic Society
Migrations: Religious and Cultural Perspectives
Hinduism
Buddhism
Confucianism
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
Majority Rule versus Minority Rights
Religion: Freedom versus Ideological Coercion
Some “Hot-Button” Issues
Ecology’s Impending Crisis
Gender and the Role Definition
Abortion: Freedom of Choice?
Freedom to Choose? Homosexuality
Implications of Hot-Button Issues on Global Ethics
Notes
Chapter 8: Religion, Morality and The Culture of Violence
Death as Entertainment: Freedom and Responsibility
The Death Penalty: A Dead End?
Asian Traditions
Western Traditions
The “Just” War
War Against the Planet
Implications for Global Ethics
Epilogue: Moral Development in an Interdependent World
Notes
About the Author :
Dr. Robert B. McLaren, the author of six books and some sixty articles on science, religion and culture, has presented papers at conferences in the United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and South Africa.
Professor McLaren was co-founder for the department of comparative religions, and has been named the distinguished Faculty Marshal for the college of Human Development in California State University, Fullerton. He has also been elected to receive Distinguished Alumnus Awards from the Springfield Collage in Illinois, and in Park University in Kansas City, Missouri.
