Ethical Code for the XXI century: On the Evolution of beliefs

Friday, 18 January 2008

On the Evolution of beliefs

oddly enough, while our understanding of the world and technology has evolved significantly during human kind history, our beliefs have stood still.

500 years ago, no-one believed the world was round, no-one even though of theories of evolution, telephone, cars, 50 years ago people didn't imagine mobile phones or the internet as plausible futures. Yet, all these and much more came into our lives and we understand them, we use them we accept them as normal. Yet, religion is somehow engraved in our minds and out there such that it is next to impossible to get it out. It passes through the generations as a precious monument you are not allowed to touch or question!

Grab a man from 500 years ago and bring him into todays world. You would have big difficulties explaining him how our world functions, and the possibilities are, what the laws are. You would even have difficulties explaining him about our social structure and behaviour, and our manners. These as well have evolved to take progress into consideration. The things we believe, however, have remained the same...that same man would be able to understand what a church is and what happens there...

Why can't religion adapt to the passing of times...

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Manifesto

Do not kill. Even in self defence avoid the death of your aggressor. Use Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy responsibly and in cases of manifest health risks and consider the alternatives in other cases. But do not accept as dignified the living of beings in extreme pain and suffering and accept that they might prefer to terminate it.
Respect the other. Don’t inflict bodily painful punishments. Don’t use of physical or psychological violence. Don’t insult. Control your aggressiveness. Don’t accept torture under any pretext. Respect yourself and your body and promote hygiene and health in public spaces.
Protect the helpless. In particular care for your elderly and children and avoid their early institutional commitment and abandoning. Protect the sick and safeguard the indispensable care and treatments with dignity, based on medical criteria, not economical. Preserve dignity and respect in death. Be sympathetic.
Consume responsibly. Work to be self-sufficient. Practice a fair consumption towards those that produce the goods, such that they receive a fair price and adequate and decent working conditions. Consider the environmental and social impact of consumer goods in all their life cycle. Minimize waste.
Respect Nature. Don’t kill animals and plants other than for nutritional or medicinal purposes or for the purpose of controlling plagues and deceases. Protect nearly-extinct species. Respect biodiversity and life in general. Contribute for resetting or transferring of green spaces and consider the impact of your actions in the ecosystems. Prevent exhaustion of forest and water resources.
Respect the Environment. Don’t pollute. Don’t create unnecessary garbage. Recycle. Use water and energy responsibly and efficiently. Consider the environmental sustainability of your actions. Don’t leave as a heritage to future generations a worst environment than the one you found.
Do not oppress. Don’t accept or promote any authoritarian or totalitarian forms of government under any pretext (stability, security, nationalism, etc.). History has proven that they are always harmful to populations. Don’t accept imposition on restrictions of free mobility, association and expression. Don’t cooperate or condone in any acts of segregation or genocide.
Get informed. Demand the practice of independent information. Consider the political and economical association of your sources of information. Demand a free (non-politicised), accessible and quality education system. Promote peaceful utilization of science and technology. Promote the defence of History and facts from manipulation for political or economical purposes. Get informed and form your own opinion and participate of public and political life. Preserve cultural wealth and heritages.
Don’t discriminate. Don’t use gender, colour or ethnics, age, health or physical shortcomings, nationality, political, religious, sexual or other preferences as elements to discriminate, neglect, or marginalize groups or individuals from life in society. Accept difference. Fight prejudice. Integrate and include. Promote access to opportunities in equality. Reward merit but support the weak.
Be fair. Use the laws to solve conflicts and punish acts of wickedness. Demand a fair and balanced distribution of wealth, both locally and globally, avoiding accumulation of extremes. Demand and participate in combating poverty. Don’t defend war as a form of aggression towards other people. Defend and support geographical mobility and integration of populations, in particular those originating from hostile or desolate parts of the planet.