Activity no.

2 [Religion in Media and Globalization]

Bsed 1-Science: Aldave, Eloisa N.

How Religion Benefited Global Aspects ( Media and Globalization )

In the new millennium scientific discoveries and their applications in

technology will occur at a rate unprecedented in human history, and their
influence will be global. What contribution could the religious traditions of the
world make to the future of technology and globalization?

Many religions, including Taoism in China, Zen Buddhism in Japan, Hinduism

in India, and Native American and African cultures have emphasized harmony
with nature and respect for all forms of life. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have
drawn a sharper line between human and nonhuman life. The biblical verses
giving humanity dominion over other creatures have often been interpreted as
justifying unlimited exploitation of nonhuman nature. But recent authors have
pointed to neglected biblical themes that can be recovered today. Stewardship of
nature is called for because the earth belongs ultimately to the God who created
it. Celebration of nature is prominent in many of the psalms; it goes beyond
stewardship in affirming the value and diversity of nature in itself. Sacramental
views of nature attribute even greater value to it, holding that the sacred is
present in and under it. With the view of Social Justice, “Let justice roll down
like waters, and righteousness like an everrolling stream.” The church’s record in
practice has been very mixed. The same tradition that accepted slavery in the
18th century was a major factor in the abolition movement in the 19th century
and the civil rights movement in the 20th. Issues of justice arise in relation to
technology because its benefits and its risks fall very unevenly on different
segments of the population. If we relied on the free market alone, people
downstream or downwind of a factory would bear a disproportionate burden of
risks. Church groups have been active among the nongovernmental organizations
working for social justice at sessions in parallel with recent UN conferences on
global issues. In the new millennium religious traditions could be a strong voice
for policies designed to make sure that the poor of the earth are not left behind
by new technologies. The biblical tradition is idealistic in its affirmation of creative
human potentialities. Through technology we can use our God-given intellectual
capacities to promote human flourishing. But the biblical tradition is also realistic
about the abuse of power. Individuals tend to seek power and institutions
rationalize their own self-interest, whether in corporations, labor unions,
governments or religious institutions. Some people today are optimistic about
technology, the biblical view of human nature would lead us to side with the
contextualists. It would lead us not to oppose technology but to seek to direct it
toward the basic needs of all people. Advances in information technology and
biotechnology will lead to novel possibilities we can hardly imagine today, but we
must have the humility to acknowledge human fallibility and environmental
constraints that can be modified but never ignored. As for the view of
environmental impacts, the International Monetary Fund has made its loans to
developing nations contingent on the promotion of exports above all other goals.
This policy has encouraged rapid deforestation, mineral extraction, and the
growth of crops for export rather than local needs, without regard for
environmental consequences. Within each nation we have recognized that
market prices do not include the indirect social and environmental costs of
production, so we have introduced legislation through political processes to
supplement unregulated market forces, globalization has increased the power of
economic institutions and decreased the power of political ones. The global
market treats people primarily as consumers, and the global media are a
homogenizing influence undermining local cultures. Religious traditions
encourage us to respond to human suffering and to seek a world in which physical
needs for food, housing, and health can be met. But these traditions also assert
that beyond our physical needs, true fulfillment is found in spiritual growth,
personal relationships, and community life.

The primary role of religion in society is to encourage individuals to see

their lives in a wider framework of meaning and to motivate them to act in
response to the needs of others. Particular policy choices require difficult
judgments about economic and political issues on which thoughtful people may
disagree. Churches, synagogues, mosques and temples, can provide stability at a
time of rapid change. They can provide a supportive community to individuals
who feel alienated from the impersonal and distant institutions affecting their
lives, and they can motivate people to act to further the values they hold. Science
can help us to understand our Earth, technology can help us to use its resources
more efficiently. However, Religion can help us to share both resources and
technologies more equitably. There is enough for every need but not for every
greed. Our task in the new millennium is to move toward a more just and
sustainable civilization that includes all the people of planet Earth.

References:

Religion, Technology and Globalization, 2000, Metanexus, Ian Barbour.