Religion, the Modern Age, and Global Society

Very good article written by the Baha'i community explaining the need for common values in order to build the new world civilization and the role of the great religions of providing those values for past civilizations. You may click the title to read the whole article.

" There can no longer be much doubt that the next phase in human society is the emergence of a world civilization. The processes by which such a new planetary life is being constructed are collectively known as “globalization.” ............ The real need for humanity today, then, is to agree on a set of common values by which to guide these new processes. Without a set of common values, the prospects for building a cohesive — and peaceful — global community are remote.

Throughout history, the most important source of common values in the process of community building has been religion. “The fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men,” said Bahá’u’lláh. Indeed, religion, with its emphasis on moral conduct, obedience to law, selflessness, and other virtues, has been the cohesive power behind the creation of the world’s great civilizations. Yet, while the world’s great religions of the past have proved capable of building cohesive communities within their respective regions or epochs, it seems unlikely that they are capable of supplying the kind of common values needed for the unique challenges of the global age.

There is, however, another model — one that arises from the experience of the worldwide Baha’i community. That model is for a system of religious belief and values that is fully consonant with the modern ideal and that embodies within it an outlook that is truly global in nature and that is also able to tap into the power of religion in the process of community building. Representing a cross section of humanity, Baha’is come from virtually every nation, ethnic group, culture, profession, and social or economic class. More than 2,100 different ethnic groups are represented, a demonstration of global “unity in diversity.”