Symposium
Report Sections
Introduction
Dr. Marty's Speech
Socratic Dialogue
Morning Session
mprQuestions
Afternoon Session
mprBusiness Group
mprEducation Group
mprPros and Cons
mprEffects
The Should Statements
Symposium Participants
Symposium and Report Credits
About the Public Religion Project
Religion in
Everyday Life
Civic Journalism Initiative
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The Should Statements
Each group's members were asked in the afternoon session to develop
two statements about how they would like to see the role of religion change
in their discipline. Participants were asked to frame these recommendations
as statements that began "We should . . ." or "We should consider . .
." A few groups issued more than two statements; several also issued minority
reports.
Religion
- We should consider the necessity of searching for moral values, on
the basis of which we could speak and act jointly in the public domain.
- We should consider how the morality of society is eroded or numbed
when critical religious voices are silenced or are indifferent.
Media
- We should encourage reporters to cover all aspects of the story, including
values.
- We should personally commit to taking our values to work without proselytizing.
- Minority report: We should encourage organized discourse on religion
and values in the newsroom.
Nonprofits/Foundations
- Nonprofit agencies should explicitly incorporate religious principles
when establishing common workplace values. That should be one source
that can inform workplace values.
- Foundations should fund more religious organizations and projects.
Arts
- We should consider how to create a world in which contemporary artists
are free to create without fear of religious-based censorship.
- We should consider how to bring the contemporary art world to recognize
religious themes and contents as valid forms of artistic expression.
Comment: The artists' first statement generated more comment - and conflict
- than any other group statement made during the afternoon. "When we are
talking about religion or art or values, we have conflict," said Stephen
Young of the Public Policy Forum. "Therefore it seems to me . . . presumptuous
for artists to assume that just because they want to do something which
might be terribly offensive to somebody else, that everybody in the community
is going to stand behind them. How do we have these deep, deep conflicts
of basic values and orientations and yet still have some sort of a) community
or b) human interchange? The issue, it seems to me, is not censorship. That's
a narrow issue of the state."
"What we're saying is that religion has had an effect on contemporary
art through political institutions," photographer Vince Leo responded.
"Religious organizations have been able to influence political organizations
to censor artists - to shut down funding for artists, etc."
Government
- We should seek to develop religious institutions that promote the
practice of civil and civic engagement. Renewal of government and civic
life will require all of the institutions that participate in public
life also to be renewed.
- If we are to have more religious involvement in government affairs,
we should figure out a way to reassure the non-religionists, the minority
religionists, and others among us who have suffered from past involvement
of religious institutions in government affairs. Second, we should learn
to construct rules of engagement which enable a useful dialogue and
permit tolerance of others' beliefs.
Business
- We should identify shared values in business life which religion can
support and motivate. These values therefore would be at the intersection
of religions, where they all come together and people can agree.
- We should recognize that religion can and does both temper and energize
business competitiveness. For that reason, we should encourage religion
in an influential role, although not in a directive role, within business.
Education
- Religion cannot be disconnected from people's lives because it is
part of our culture, history, and social structure; therefore, teaching
about religions should be integrated into day-to-day learning. Religion
survey courses should be available at the high school level.
- We should be attentive to the public sphere itself, to public practices
and public spaces, so that controversial issues and diverse perspectives
may be brought to light in an open environment.
- We should consider education's mission to teach people how to search
for the truth rather than teach the truth.
HealthCCare
- Because the medical model is inadequate, how can religion and culture
broaden our understanding of medicine and help find a more adequate
response, both moral and medical?
- Since 43 million Americans receive inadequate health care, religion
should learn to integrate actions with belief, confessing the harm that's
been done, and work on behalf of economic justice and access to full
health care.
- A dissenting statement: As religion is corruptive to the human thought
process, by teaching youth to believe in unreality such as virgin birth
and resurrection, it is a hazard to mental health.
Public Relations/Advertising
This group offered two divergent viewpoints:
- We should keep role of religion in advertising, public relations,
and polling the same as it currently is.
- We should encourage an open exchange and actively discuss the implications
of our work in creating a more just, humane, and sustainable society.
Note: A large majority of people who attended the whole symposium expressed
support for the latter statement.
Law
- We are glad to have civil law because it empowers pluralism and protects
religions.
- As practitioners, we bring our values to our work (in our roles as
lawyers).
- We should recognize the tension between our religious convictions
and our obligations under civil law.
- Religion is in the shadows, or the penumbra, of the law, and we like
it there. We think it should remain there. If religion is too involved
in the law, it is hurtful both to the broader society and to the specific
religion.
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