The Practice of Altruism: Caring and Religion in Global PerspectiveCambridge Scholars Press, 2006 - 209 pages The study of altruism and altruistic behavior has caught the attention of social scientists especially in recent years. What motivates individuals to cultivate attitudes and actions that promote the wellbeing of others at the expense of, or at the risk of negative consequences for their own? In our contemporary global society marked by conflict and violence among different sectors of the population in various regions of the world, and wherein religion can be a factor that exacerbates such conflict and violence, harnessing the power of religion towards directions of reconciliation, creativity, and altruistic action, remains a crucial task for humankind. This volume addresses a question especially relevant in our day: do people who profess religious commitment or affiliation in a particular religious community tend to nurture altruistic kinds of attitude and action more than others? Social scientists present results of their empirical studies on Japanese society, as well as on North American, European, Indian, and Thai societies, to focus on this issue and offer insightful reflections on the relationship between religion and society. |
From inside the book
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... issues taken up by this association . In the 1890s , when the Ashio Copper Mine pollution ( the first major pollution incident of Japan ) became a public issue , the members of the Buddhist Pure Believers Friends Association tried to ...
... issues . They were recognized on a larger scale as a chance to fill the gaps in services created by the budget cuts in the public sector . ( Helander and Laaksonen , 1999 : 83 ) The church reacted quickly , setting up funds to help the ...
... issues related to New Age , but do not mention measures of altruism or similar concepts , except for the suggestion ... issues , and 5 percent were members of the British Green Party , a political party highlighting ecological issues ...
Contents
Altruism in New Religions in Japan | 12 |
Kamagasaki Ecumenical Network | 43 |
Japanese Buddhist Responses to Terrorism | 60 |
Copyright | |
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Other editions - View all
The Practice of Altruism: Caring and Religion in Global Perspective Ruben Lf Habito,Keishin Inaba No preview available - 2008 |