Sunday, July 31, 2011

Mormon Inquiry: Truth (Continued) and Compassion

Not all of my posts have an agenda.  This post does.  I want you to sign the Charter for Compassion.

Truth is a word loaded with potential attributions.  Separate yourself for a moment from how you attribute the word, "T/t/ruth".  I am not referring to how we recognize religious truth, but how religious individuals attribute the word.  I see three common attributions to the word “truth” that occur within religion (this is not a comprehensive list).
1. Truth is attributed to actual experience (literal, how an individual experiences life and how life “really” happens)
2. Truth is attributed to how life should be (not necessarily how life actually is, but an idealistic view of how life should be)
3. Truth is attributed to how life will be (not necessarily how life currently is, but how life will be in the future)

First strain of thought:
Using the 2nd and 3rd, the “should be” and “will be” of religious truths, we can measure the 1st attribution of religious truth.  The religious truth equation for this example: is a religion “actually” (1st) producing the “should be” (2nd) and “will be”’s (3rd) of religious truth?

Second strain of thought:
When multiple different religions produce the same principle(s), the same principle(s) should have a higher probability of actualizing (being real or actually occurring) within and outside of their own religious context.

Considering both the first and second strains of thought, what is the most common similar principle between different religions and are religions actualizing that principle?

Recognizing other’s as one’s self, or the Golden Rule, is found in every major religion.

http://www.teachingvalues.com/goldenrule.html

http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Rule

But do religions practice it when they encounter other worldviews, or differing groups of people?  If religions preach compassion, but do not practice it outside of their religious context, are they acting within their proclaimed truth?

Why is it the most common principle found in different religions is not always the most common response to religious difference?

Even though the principle of the golden rule is found in every major religion, religions have a tendency to not practice it when they encounter a different religious group or different groups of people.

Sometimes religions should repent :)

Compassion is a principle worth actualizing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wktlwCPDd94&feature=player_embedded
   and
http://www.charterforcompassion.org/

(first strain of thought)Compassion “should be”(2nd) and “will be”(3rd) the most “actual”(1st) religious principle because it is the most common repeating principle amongst differing religions (second strain of thought).

Compassion should be a Truth. Sign the Charter :)

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