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Faith and development: exploring the link
By Katherine Marshall
The trains run exactly on time in Switzerland, and when it snowed in Bern last week the streets were plowed instantly. The cows trek down from their summer pastures to winter stables on a well established timetable. So it should come as no surprise that Switzerland's international development programs are run with meticulous care. What's perhaps somewhat more surprising is that Switzerland has been one of the leaders globally in a thoughtful and probing approach to the question of why religion matters when it comes to fighting poverty.
Last week a conference in Bern reflected on a decade-long exploratory project that has tackled three provocative questions: why does religion matter, what should we do about it, and how? A hundred people, from the government and a range of private organizations, most of them linked to Christian churches, met for a day-long discussion that was open and informed. I was there to bring some international experience.
The starting puzzle is why, when religion is so obviously a powerful force in the world's poor societies, the very word "religion" has long been essentially taboo in almost all Swiss official debates and even academic literature on development. Some reasons are pretty obvious: European traditions of separation of church and state are especially strong, and good civil servants squirm when the word is mentioned. Other reasons are more complex and are a link to new questions about how to address religion in contemporary Europe. The rise of different forms of fundamentalism, across the Muslim world but also Christian fundamentalism in Switzerland itself, inspire concern that borders on fear. And delving into religion, without much background or a sound framework, can be bewildering because the topic is so complex and full of conflicts and contradictions. Is religion a cause of wars and disputes? How can we distinguish saints and inspired leaders from false prophets, putative terrorists, and outright crooks? Can religion indeed be the force for social justice and world peace that its advocates so passionately claim?
A host of careful studies and exploration of cases in countries as far afield as Haiti, Afghanistan, Bolivia, and Thailand offer unmistakable evidence that religious communities are dense and deep, part of the very social fabric. Ignoring that reality leads to foolish development mistakes. In one Andean country a promising windmill project failed completely because the designers did not realize that faith traditions saw water as coming from the mountains, not from the ground. In countless ways like this, religion does matter. And Switzerland's churches and a host of faith-inspired organizations in practice work with their government in many areas as respected partners. The problem is that the experience is not well captured and analyzed and thus does not always inform policy discussions and plans.
The question of what to do about the logical conclusion that religion matters is tougher to answer, once one appreciates that religion is infinitely complex. Even more challenging, looking hard at religion can force troubling reflections on the motivations of those who work on development. Are their objectives and processes as altruistic as many would claim, or are commercial or other motivations at work? Human rights themselves, a foundation for Swiss development policy, can be called into question by some faith traditions that challenge their realism, suggesting that they are more "western" than "universal." So perhaps, some suggest, the issue of religion is too hot to handle.
But the Swiss development officials and their partners draw a different conclusion. Religion needs to be part of the reflection, but that does not mean backing away from a commitment to human rights. It demands that we delve more deeply into what rights mean, for example in the way western development specialists communicate concerns about gender equality. They acknowledge the need to appreciate and act on the many frustrations around a mantra of working in partnerships, where the reality is of profound differences in real power and resources.
The questions that the Swiss government is posing have no easy answers. Similar questions are being asked, in different ways, in various countries and institutions these days. The existence of religious realities cannot be denied and wise leaders recognize that it is foolish and short-sighted to let the topic of religion remain a taboo subject. Happily, in many places there is a sober appreciation that discussions of religion must avoid buzz words and simplistic solutions. It's a topic that deserves to be taken seriously, with the gravity and diligence that was on display last week in Switzerland.
Katherine Marshall is a senior fellow at Georgetown University's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs, a Visiting Professor, and Executive Director of the World Faiths Development Dialogue.
By Katherine Marshall |
November 29, 2010; 1:36 AM ET
| Category:
Faith in Action
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Posted by: iamamerican | November 29, 2010 7:14 PM
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Religion has convinced the poor so well that they're not worthy that they have become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Posted by: areyousaying | November 29, 2010 5:48 PM
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Remember: SEX IS NOt L-O-V-E. LiFE iS!
ONFAiTH; i had a good laugh when reading your article from the top Main Menu entitled;
"NJ anti-Facebook pastor to resume job in 90 days"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/29/AR2010112901758.html
___
In Spanglish, ooops, American (not speaka English) that a married MAN & a WOMB who enter into a 3rd-Party Sexual-Relationship or where a Man enjoys watching his Wife doing-unto-other man, is called a "CA-BRONE" or "CORBRONE." But
The best Part of the article is when that PESTr said, "You want to log on? Log onto God's words," Miller said while holding up the Bible. "Get your face in this book."
So, Now the GODs-PLAYER is Going-Up TO The-Mountain For 90-Days.
RECOMMENDATION: While Mr. Miller is making Peace or war with his maker that his congregation,for the interim, should log-ONFAITH; "The GREATEST BLOG ON EARTH".
The Brothers & Sisters can enjoy the-Spoils of the LORD, right Here on [This] OPEN Internet; Not PRIVATE [2-Face, Face-Book] a CLOSE Internet full of PREDATORS etc..
iNterestingly; the 'Father' of the World-Wide-WEb, "TIM Berners LEE", said of Face-Books 'Partitioning the CYBER-CITIZENZ/DENIZENZ from a Free'r & more "FREE-SPEECH" BLOG Site. Please See:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=berners-lee-linked-data
EXCERPT: "Twenty years ago I had to encourage people to put their documents on the Web and make links to other documents," says Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the Web, which went live in December 1990. "We have to now do it again, with linked data. [1 of 4 parts]"
So,Brethren C.M.'s Flock Of Sisters & Brothers should interface With ONFAITH [Here] while He's trying to "UN-BOLLIX" the Bollixed-self. And When HE comes down, with TABLETS/COMMANDMENTS is another point;
But his Flock, The Living Word Christian Fellowship Church', will be Safer ONFAITH, become more Honest & Interesting, with ZERO ADULTERY exposure while also Socializing and or doing gods Work etc...,
Tell'm, Tellm, "WE ARE THE NETWORK, NOT ONLY THE WORLD" Yo all Hear?
They can Safely Spend Part of Their After Church Time (Wednesdays & or Sundays) right HERE on "ONFAITH". The "Home-Base of the iNTERFAITH NATION//EXCHANGE". Aye.
PS: Mr. Miller Is Not Running For Any PUBLIC OFFICE is He? Then lets give the Rev, His Wife and the 2nd Man involved (It Was All Consensual anyways) another Chance, Provided The REV. Joins Us and promise to stick it out, thick n thin [Here] Instead of FACE-BOOK. Aye.
"WITH ONFAITH ONE always WINs" but WITH FACEBOOK ONE can only LOOSE". THEN
Open Internet [onfaith] is Better than CLOSED [FaceBook]. Not only G-d, if any, Watches but The Whole-WIDE-World in and.Aye.
Posted by: iamamerican | November 29, 2010 3:36 PM
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Marshall's article is short on specifics as to why international development initiatives can conflict with religious beliefs. Her sole example, the windmill project in the Andes, has echoes of the longstanding bigotry of Europeans against people of darker skins and non-Christian religions. I'm not accusing Marshall herself of bigotry. Instead, I question whether the faith traditions about water were really the cause of the failure, or simply part of the rationalization of the failure. It's possible that the Europeans involved treated the Andeans with condescension, or that the Andeans perceived themselves as being treated as ignorant savages in need of enlightenment. My point is that it's incorrect to assume that only one's own religion is the civilized one and that all other religions are mere superstition. There may be Andeans who dismiss, say, the Catholic belief in transubstantiation as cannibalistic. Marshall should explain exactly what the development mistakes were and what the specific causes were, instead of using vague platitudes such as "It's a complex question with no easy answers."
Posted by: Carstonio | November 29, 2010 12:22 PM
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The long and short of this article is that religious bigots want to have the monopoly on their sheeple's hearts and minds. So they are willing to blackmail the NGOs and secular states from helping the poor. So all the secular NGOs have to make nice with these ignorant bigots, so they can help the people. What else is new in this world filled with the religious ignorants.
Posted by: Secular | November 29, 2010 11:07 AM
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THIS IS NOT A CARTOON:
Amazing, No Grace! {Trying to turn "SHIVA" issue into a copy cat, as if Muhammad Cartoon}.
Mr. PANKAJ JAIN:
For Your INFOrmation or one Eye, THAT
HINDUTVA Agent, and God Player, RAJAN ZED, a Moderator from ONFAITH, here;
Should be shamed of Themselves for a Theocr'Cheap-Shot' picking on our President while Obama Was seeming Weak to them and audaciously 'TESTED' him via RAJAN ZEDs SELF-SERVING" Religious-Noise publicity stunt, complaining about some Pre-Apocalyptic Poly-Theo figure, with many arms who lives eternally and belongs to All Humanity but
OBAMA, as VISHNA?, BLASPHEMOUSLY re-appears on Earth as a Dancing/Joker in front page of NEWSWEEK (Onfaith Sister site by Proxy) in the Juggling Body of split-lip basket ball Obama. Please see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindutva
EXCERPT: "Many Indian Marxist sociologues have described the Hindutva movement as fascist in classical sense, in its ideology and class support specially targeting the concept of homogenised majority and cultural hegemony."
Please See ISTEN (UTUBE)
http://www.thoughtequity.com/video/clip/5110171AA3068_001.do
Where RAJAN ZED is being distracted by some Xrstians observers PROTESTING his ABOMINATING & Appearance before the Senate [July.17] floor as RAJAN ZED (with dot on Forehead & with CHOKRA nerves) observing him giving a HINDU Prayer.
EXCERPT: "... Ommm The Transcendent .. glory of the DEiTY-SUPREME (not Shiva?) who is INSIDE of the HEART of the EARDt, inside the Life of the SOUL of the HEAVEN may HE Stimulate and ILLUMINATE..."
___
And You Mr. JAIN;
YE/YO Sound like another Agent from INDIA's 'G.O's & 'NGO's who works for the ELDERS-of-HINDUTVA community of the WORLD's HINDU ventriloquists scattered around the globe, same like da 'ELDERs AL Taqiyah' Agents do here and or their Cousins of the "ELDER of Zions" or "ELDERS of ROMULUS" as TAX-EXEMPT political manipulators here sucking in FOREIGN MONEY, washed in USA via Offshores to expand their HINDUTVA's Agenda or HINDU Religion, as if it's a PATENT, or as if HINDU Religion & YOGA Positions is a COPY RIGHT?
__
Mr. PANKAJ, Please Tell that nice short rounded-Face Fella Mr. RAJA To Stop!
Wow; Now Mr. ZED & CO.,is Pushing for "Take Back Yoga" WARs, let alone DANCE, FOR THeir HINDUTVA MARXISTs Leftists of Global INDIA NATIONALISM & Political Infiltration of our own SECULAR Government By?
You SEE; "FELLOW AMERICAN"s What Happens When Secular Government Invites a HINDUTVAH CHURCH agent dressed in Religious Garb, Let alone promoted by his Buddy's in Secular Garb??
PS: Next thing You Know HINDU's are gonna Lay CULTtural-Patent-Claims? To the many Cosmic aspects of PHYSICS or like the Words "COSMIC" 'DANCE".So It's not enough HINDU's try to compete with YUDULLA's (Eberu's) claiming that Hindu Religion was before JU & was 1st Written Religion with RULE OF LAW or something, or MAYAN indians stole from their poly-DHARMA-Systems.