This-essay is a9708082.htm which is available at the
web-site www.essayz.com. See more notes at the bottom.
Previous-Essay <== This-Essay ==> Following-Essay
By-Months By-Years By-Words
Webs of Like-&-Un-Like ESSAYS <==> Like-&-UN-Like This-One
==========================================================
%LIMITS RANGE RELIGIOUS RESPONSIBILITY CONTROL+970808
%PRINCIPLES CHRISTIAN MORALITY LAW LEGALISM SIN 970808
Religious leaders often differ as to the proper range
of their responsibilities in regards to other people's
beliefs, thoughts, desires, decisions and actions.
Some overly zealous religious leaders possess the
view that it is their right, privilege, duty and/or
responsibility to be aware of, and/or inquire into, the
private beliefs, thoughts and/or behaviors of other
members of their religious group. Other religious leaders
are of the view that it is not their right, privilege,
duty and/or responsibility to so intrude into or try to
control the private beliefs, thoughts and/or behaviors of
other members of their religious group.
It is enough to bear witness to one's own beliefs,
thoughts and/or convictions about what is right, proper,
helpful and integrative. Such a witness, when offered in
a non-coercive way, is far more likely to be received
respectfully --- than is any attempt to coerce others in
any way.
It is disintegrative to try to control what one
cannot control and has no right, privilege, duty or
responsibility to try to control; e.g., other people's
private beliefs, thoughts and/or behaviors. Attempts to
control most often engender rebellion and alienation, not
compliance or conformity. Religious leaders who try to
control what they cannot control cause wise people to be
skeptical of the merits of the religion of such
disintegrative leaders.
Often religious leaders come into conflict with each
other within and with those outside their own
particular religious community --- over conflicting
interpretations of scriptures, religious laws, and
tacit understandings. There have been long and tragic
religious wars which have lead to personal and communal
disintegration --- all in the name of Jesus of
Nazareth, and others religious leaders who have called
Jesus of Nazareth a great prophet. Such conflicts have
been clearly contrary to the teachings and lifestyle of
Jesus. Such conflicts have led to the continuing
fragmentation of the Judeo-Christian religious
communities: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Muslim,
Bahi, and the endless Protestant denominations
and sub-denominations. Such conflicts have lead
to countless instances of extreme personal and communal
disintegration with the perpetuators of the conflicts
being proud of their "accomplishments."
Many religious extremists, zealots and fanatics have
been able to gather around them disintegrative disciples
---because the followers of Jesus of Nazareth have not
committed themselves to any common set of fundamental
principles of religious morality; e.g. to the following as
being very important to human fulfillment within any group
of interdependent healthy communities:
1. Personal and communal integrity --- which entail
the transcendence of the presence of dishonesty,
coercion, and violence within intra-personal, inter-
personal, intra-communal, and inter-communal conflicts.
2. Traditions which lead to the respecting,
honoring, and selecting of diverse, mature, and healthy
persons to serve as communal leaders --- because the
persons are outstanding models of personal integrity, who
in balanced ways, have contributed to the development and
maintenance of communal integrity.
3. Balanced respect for such integrative leaders and
for articulated guidelines indicating various patterns of
human behavior which help people move together in
cooperative ways towards both personal and communal
integrity.
4. The giving and accepting of free gifts of true
security which is enjoyed as the freedom to be safely
vulnerable in open, honest and intimate dialogue.
5. The open and honest recognition, naming,
description, and discussion of patterns of both personal
and communal behaviors which tragically undermine both
personal and communal integrity through: dishonesty,
deception, arrogance, self-righteousness, coercion,
violence and alienative preoccupations with issues of
control.
6. An emphasis upon balance between various
complementary ideas, ideals and values --- which appear to
be in conflict with each other; and often lead people to
be in conflict with each other over which which ideas,
ideals and values shall be dominant over others.
7. In the presence of any conflict an emphasis upon
the great importance of continued open and honest dialogue
as being essential to the resolution of conflicts in ways
which promote both personal and communal integrity.
8. Honesty about and respect for the limited
quantity of high quality natural resources which are
available to humans on planet Earth: land, soil, water,
air, fuels, minerals, plant species, animal species, etc.
9. Respecting the difference between what people can
and should try to control; and what people cannot and
should not try to control --- because the latter is
dishonest, alienative and leads to personal and communal
disintegrations.
10. Enabling and listening to what diverse people
people want to say about their beliefs, experiences and
perceptions.
(c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in
www.essayz.com Search for Integrity and Honesty
(On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)
==========================================================
Lines beginning with a percent sign are KEYWORDS for use
in ESSAY-System Searches. Their terminal digits are dates
of writing in the format @yymmdd#, where @ = a means 99,
@ = b means 20, and # = is a within-date essay-count.
Links to date-adjacent essays are near page top & bottom.
Find the following links by clicking on CENTER when CENTER
near the top or bottom of a web page of essayz.com
1. Go to HOME PAGE of essayz.com
2. Find brief-essays via keywords
3. Find brief-essay about ADDICTION
4. Search-Helps related to ABOVE-LINK
5. GoTo Action & Information Center
6. Find Regular-Essays via Year/Month
7. Find Regular-Essays via Word-Starts
8. Find Regular-Essay about LOVE
This-essay is a9708082.htm which is available at the
web-site www.essayz.com. These 5 lines echo top lines.
Previous-Essay <== This-Essay ==> Following-Essay
By-Months By-Years By-Words
Webs of Like-&-Un-Like ESSAYS <==> Like-&-UN-Like This-One