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Humanist
Association of Korea ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
This is an
official declaration that the Humanist Association of
Korea is having its official launch as an organization
on the Wednesday the 12th of June at the Shankranti
Indian restaurant in Seoul, South Korea. The specific
aim of the organization is to invoke more skeptical
and critical inquiry into religious and ideological
issues through the study of texts both religious and
ideological. As scholars affiliated with scholarly organizations,
we intend to be intellectual Robin Hoods stealing from
the rich in academic knowledge to give to those less
versed in scholarly schools of thought, in order to
engage minds no less brilliant than their scholarly
counterparts, but minds simply out of the loop of scholarly
inquiry. It is our considered opinion as the founders
that academics have too long held a monopoly over learning
that should be shared by those outside the academies.
Academic arrogance is what we most abhor and that is
why we wish to subject this theoretical discourse to
the scrutiny of those with more practical life experience,
who are certain to enrich the field of knowledge through
interaction with scholars who can be taught a thing
or two about the real world. At the same time, the scholars
can offer more critical insights into the various forces
that affect our daily lives by introducing certain theoretical
discourses, which those outside the academic world may
not have considered. The aim is to foster mutual trust
and respect between people of different walks of life
in the hope that we can improve the overall quality
of life by coming together and combining our intellectual
gifts and life experience.
Main
Objective 1: To
scrutinize and subject to critical inquiry the religious
texts of the major world religions such as:
The
Holy Bible The Koran The Hindu Vedic Scriptures
Buddhist Sutras
Main
Objective 2:
To scrutinize more rigorously the ideologies of the
information age that we have been compelled to adopt
and which through Americanization, we have been compelled
to adopt:
The
Free Market Globalization The New World Order
Liberalism The War on Terrorism Consumerism
Questions:
(Not
the Ten Commandments but the ten main postulates)
1. Should everyone be compelled to follow the global
trends in fashion or should we preserve diversity by
taking pride in national dress? Should we all wear suits
to business meetings and conferences? 2. Should
everyone speak English at the expense of the preservation
of our national languages? 3. Should there be a
McDonalds or Burger Kings in every major location in
every major city? Should fast food replace the healthy
cuisine cultivated over generations by ancient cultures?
4. Should we tolerate religious zealots who insist that
we can only be saved by their God or their prophet?
5. Should we tolerate religious zealots from New Age
faiths, who insist that at the time of Armageddon, we
will only be saved by being among the faithful of their
chosen religious flock? 6. Should everyone agree
to their nation surrendering its sovereignty to become
member states in an economic and political block of
nations such as the EU, NAFTA, etc.? 7. Should we
all feel compelled to adopt the manners and customs
of Westerners when we dine together at international
conferences or should we be at liberty to eat with our
hands or with chopsticks as we may prefer? 8. Should
we all be of the same mould or can we create a climate
in which we can all think and do as we please as long
as we do not infringe on the rights of others?
9. Can we replace the current economic system with one
that meets the needs of all the worlds citizens?
10. Can we replace the current political system with
one that addresses the needs of the citizens the governments
are supposed to serve?
Endorsed
by G.B. Singh (Founder), Timothy Watson (Chair), Thandra
Shakir (Coordinator)
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