1. How a religion and beliefs respond to global issues such as human rightsFormal attempts to guarantee, for all human beings, decent treatment and protection from discrimination and abuses of power. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is based on belief in the 'dignity and worth of the human person'. The universality of human rights appeals very much to humanists., fairness, social justice and the environment?

2. What means are used to bring quality into the discussions posed by these issues?

3. What insights can religion bring to the discussion on these issues?

Hinduism does not claim monopoly in dealing with global issues like human rights, fairness, social justice and environment. It appreciates other religious as well as non-religious world-views on these issues. What it offers is an interesting insight on why these ideas are important. The esoteric terms BrahmanHindu term for ultimate reality and AtmanSelf - Ultimate reality manifesting as the 'I' in the individual promote the idea that the underpinning to the universe is essentially the same Spirit. This spirit manifests as the universe and becomes more visible as living things and becomes most transparent as men and women. The underpinning to everything and everyone is the same Spirit. This gives greater impetus to the idea of why it is necessary to be fair to others or to seek justice or human rights for others. The Hindu response claims that it is because it is the same spirit that underpins everything and everyone, equality arises very naturally - it is just reinforcing this underlying deeper spiritualA word with many religious connotations, often used to describe a multiplicity of phenomena that would include inner, reflective or emotional experiences, and those aspects of life that give it meaning and depth or which are profoundly moving or aesthetic. unity.

Theistic Hinduism will offer the same reasons for why we have to be fair to others or seek justice or look after the environment. It will bring GodWord used to describe a personal transcendent Being into the equation and say that because everything and everyone has been created by the same God, we are obliged to look after his creation. In contrast the non-theistic Hinduism offers a more direct reason for why we should insist on justice and fairness. It is because at a deeper level we are linked to everything and everyone. Hinduism would insist that this linkage is not at the material level (as the materialistic Humanist suggests) but at the deeper spiritual level. A question has not been properly answered. All human beings are clearly quite different from each other at the physical as well as mental levels, so why insist on equality? The satisfactory answer cannot simply be: because we are all human -- because we are so different from each other. The satisfactory answer comes with the declaration that even though we look different, we are the manifestation of the same spirit, hence we insist on equality. This approach promotes spiritual humanismIn the 20th century Humanism came to mean a naturalistic worldview that includes a rejection of religious beliefs and the conviction that moral values are founded on human nature and experience alone; a humanist is someone who holds these beliefs. in contrast to materialistic humanism.

Websites

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atman_(Hinduism)

http://www.boloji.com/hinduism/00601.htm

http://www.boloji.com/hinduism/039.htm

http://www.godrealized.com/Atman.html

http://www.godrealized.com/daan_charity.html

http://www.vivekananda.btinternet.co.uk/secondaryschoolresources.htm

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