Religion

If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character. 
If there is beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the home. 
If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation. 
If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world. ~ Confucius

I. Chinese Religion
The Chinese, in particular, strongly believe that the universal basic criterion for a global ethicshould be: Whatever helps human beings to be truly human is, in principle, good for them. This means that:

• Human beings, whether individuals or societies, should not behave in an inhuman, antihuman, bestial way, as so often happens.
• Rather, human beings, as individuals or in community, should behave in a truly human way, a humane way: towards their fellow men and women, society and nature.

The foundations of Confucian ethics are:

Five Basic Relationships

• Superior – subordinate
• Father – son
• Older brother – younger brother
• Husband – wife
• Friend – Friend

Confucian Virtues

• Proper behaviour
• Humanity
• Doing one’s duty
• Knowing what is right
• Reciprocal care of others
• Respect, fulfilling the obligations of a child

Noble persons first practise what they preach and afterwards preach according to their practise. (Confucius, Analacts 2:13)

II. Buddhism

It has often been asserted that Buddhism is not really a religion but a philosophy. However, Buddhism is not a philosophy. It is a religion; it is a doctrine of liberation and a way to liberation.

There are more than 300 million Buddhists worldwide, divided into the two big schools of Theravada (Doctrine of the Elders), mainly practised in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, and Mahayana(Great Vehicle), mainly practised in China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam as well as in Tibet and Mongolia.

Buddha’s Teachings (EightFold Path)
The five precepts of Buddhism

• I vow to abstain from killing living things.
• I vow to abstain from taking what is not given.
• I vow to abstain from sexual misconduct.
• I vow to abstain from lying.
• I vow to abstain from taking intoxicants.

Practise moderation in all aspects of living without overzealousness, especially in matters concerning religion. ~ Samyutta Nikaya

III. Judaism
Judaism is grounded in Belief in the One God, who liberated the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt — under the leadership of Mosese, through whom the Israelites on Mount Sinai received God’s teaching, the Torah. Worldwide, there are about 14 million Jews; the main currents are Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Liberal. The majority live in Israel and in North America.

The Bible portrays the Jews as a people who have been chosen by God. However, for believing Jews, this is not an expression of superiority and arrogance but an expression of a particular obligation: an obligation to God’s covenant, God’s commandments, God’s teaching — in Hebrew, the Torah.

The Hebrew Bible — the earliest parts of which go back to the tenth century BC — is called Tanak after the initial consonants of its three main divisions (Torah= instruction, Nebi’im= Prophets, Ketubim= Writings). Christians generally call it the Old Testament — as opposed to the New Testament.

IV. Christianity
Christians are those who throughout their personal lives — and everyone has his or her own life to live — are guided by Jesus Christ.

The essence of Christianity is not, as some people think, some great theory, a world-view, or even an ecclesiastical system. It is quite simply Jesus Christ, his life and his teachings. And basically, no organization, no institution, no church can honestly call itself “Christian” if it does not truely refer to him in word and deed.

Global Ethic
The concept of a Global Ethic was first introduced by Professor Hans Kung in 1989, it is in his own words, “not a new invention but only a new discovery” of common principles which are as old as humankind.

The basic contents of Global Ethic: At the root of the fundamental consensus of values, standards and attitudes is a simple but very profound principle: “Treat others as you would like to be treated” or “Do not treat others as you would not like to be treated”. That is the so-called Golden Rule of Life which is found in the scriptures of all major faiths. All other common precepts shared by our different faiths derive from this basic law of humane co-existence of humanity.