Religious Communication in Asia

 

“Religious Communication in Asia” (with Keval J. Kumar).  In The Handbook on Religion and Communication, edited by Yoel Cohen and Paul Soukup, 99-116. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell, 2023.

 

This chapter examines religion and communication in Asia. As a large, heavily populated region, Asia has many religions; thus, the chapter addresses Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Jainism, the Bhakti tradition, and Sikhism – religions that appear throughout the areas. (The chapter does not address Christianity and Islam since other chapters do so.) Asian religions were never uniform and monolithic; they were, and continue to be, characterized by numerous sects and cults, and centered on orthopraxy rather than orthodoxy. They are largely “open” faith systems, nondoctrinal and often nonsectarian too, and their historical evolution through the early, medieval, and modern periods focused on the use of the varieties of forms of oral and traditional media, and later of modern mass media and the new digital media. 

In each case, the chapter introduces the religion and its general approach to communication, any ethical teachings that touch on communication, and its use of communication and digital communication technologies. 

 

 

Becoming Human, Intercultural, and Inter-creational: Movements toward Achieving Ecoflourishing

 

“Becoming Human, Intercultural, and Inter-creational: Movements toward Achieving Ecoflourishing.” In Ecoflourishing and Virtue: Christian Perspectives Across the Disciplines, edited by Steve Bouma-Prediger and Nathan P. Carson, 179-190. UK: Routledge, 2023.

 

Introduction 

The deep dive by humanity into the digital age with its increasing preoccupation with digital technology and virtual spaces strongly calls for critical reflection on what it means to flourish as a species and exist as part of an interconnected network of beings within the vast cosmos. Indeed, ongoing efforts have yielded insights affirming that human flourishing can no longer be conceived independently of the well-being of other entities surrounding us. Neither can environmental flourishing be achieved without genuine spiritual and social transformation on the part of humanity. Pope Francis, for example, asserts that the natural ecology is inherently connected with the human ecology, which demands embracing an “integral ecology.” He says, “We are not faced with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather one complex crisis which is both social and environmental.”1 Thus, ecoflourishing where all entities – biotic and abiotic – achieve a state of balance and harmony can be attained only when the agency and contribution of all are recognized and accounted for. 

To this end, religious systems around the world have much to contribute in terms of instilling this consciousness into human beings, by and for whom religions have been created. Because religions tend to focus on the human condition and soteriological aspirations, discussions on promoting ecoflourishing from the religious perspective must necessarily give due consideration to the human role and agency in both being the cause and the solution to any ecological problems. Religious teachings, which aim for human spiritual progress, often do so within the framework of relationships with self, community, and the cosmos/the divine. In other words, the signs of progress or regress in one’s spiritual and moral state are in one way or another reflected in the quality of this constellation of relationships. This chapter proposes that religions can contribute to ecoflourishing by helping their adherents to carry out three separate but interconnected movements: (1) becoming human, (2) becoming intercultural, and (3) becoming inter-creational. These movements, as we will see, hold personal, social as well as ecological implications. While each movement can be considered on its own, ultimately each movement will be impacted by the others in a continuous cycle of spiritual reinforcement. To make the case for these movements, this chapter utilizes insights from three major traditions – Abrahamic, Indian, and Chinese.