Source: (2003) Paper presented at International Conference on Globalization and Religion, Payap University, Chiang Mai, Thailand, July. Downloaded 12 August 2005.
As the pace of globalization increases, the world’s religions find themselves in a perilous
dilemma which they have yet to resolve either in practical or conceptual terms. On the one hand, the
globalization of markets exerts a powerful pressure toward consumerist and materialist values which
undermines and undercuts religious perspectives and sensibilities. On the other hand, the
globalization of war heightens the intensity of these religious perspectives and sensibilities, and
distorts them in the direction of violence and religious extremism. This dilemma plays itself out in
different ways in the developed and developing world but, as the term “globalization†indicates, it is a
problem for all of us. Governments in developing countries, especially, often find themselves forced
to choose between one horn of the dilemma or the other, with often disastrous results as they take one
or the other side in a “west versus the rest†scenario. In the long run, the only viable solution is one
that addresses both horns of the dilemma at the same time., and this is possible in turn only if
religions themselves become truly global. This will require a large-scale and focused cooperative
effort in which the religions of the world actively and jointly engage with both problems, working
with governments, NGO’s, religious communities and interfaith groups to harmonize religious life
with economics and to promote a culture of peace and justice.(excerpt)
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