Network of Spiritual Progressives

Network of Spiritual Progressives

The Network of Spiritual Progressives (NSP) is an international political and social justice movement based in the United States that seeks to influence American politics towards more humane, progressive values.[1][2] The organization also challenges what it perceives as the misuse of religion by political conservatives and the anti-religious attitudes of many liberals.[3] In the international sphere, the NSP seeks to foster inter-religious understanding and work for social justice.

The NSP was founded in 2005 by Rabbi Michael Lerner, who serves as co-director of the organization with Cornel West and Sister Joan Chittister. More than 1,200 activists attended each of the group's conferences in Berkeley, California (July 2005) and Washington, D.C. (May 2006).

As of December 2007, the NSP had chapters in 31 states as well as Toronto, Canada; Melbourne, Australia; and in Costa Rica.

Contents

Basic tenets

The Network of Spiritual Progressives was founded based on three basic tenets:

  • Changing the bottom line in America.
  • Challenging the misuse of religion, God and spirit by the Religious Right.
  • Challenging the many anti-religious and anti-spiritual assumptions and behaviors that have increasingly become part of the liberal culture[4].

Changing the Bottom Line in America

Today, institutions and social practices are judged efficient, rational and productive to the extent that they maximize money and power. That's the old bottom line. The NSP advocates a new bottom line: that they should be judged rational, efficient and productive not only to the extent that they maximize money and power, but also to the extent that they maximize love and caring, ethical behavior, ecological sensitivity, kindness, generosity, non-violence and peace, and to the extent that they enhance our capacities to respond to other human beings in a way that honors them as embodiments of the sacred, and enhances our capacities to respond to the earth and the universe with awe, wonder and radical amazement.

Challenging the misuse of religion, God and spirit by the Religious Right

The NSP seeks to educate people of faith to the understanding that a serious commitment to God, religion and spirit should manifest itself in social activism aimed at peace, universal disarmament, and social justice with a special focus on the needs of the poor and the oppressed. This involves a commitment to end poverty, hunger, homelessness, inadequate education and inadequate health care all around the world. The NSP also advocates nuclear non-proliferation, environmental protection and repair of the damage done to the planet by 150 years of environmentally irresponsible behavior in industrializing societies.

Challenging the many anti-religious and anti-spiritual assumptions of liberal culture

The NSP also seeks to challenge the extreme individualism and "me-firstism" that permeate all parts of the global market culture. It also encourages people in social change movements to distinguish between their legitimate critiques of the Religious Right and their illegitimate generalizing of those criticisms to all religious or spiritual beliefs and practices. It also wants to help social change activists, and others who identify with liberal and progressive movements, to become more conscious of, and less afraid to affirm, their own inner spiritual yearnings and to reconstitute a visionary progressive social movement that incorporates the spiritual dimension, of which the loving, spiritually-elevating and connecting aspects of religion has been one expression. This is not meant to imply, however, that secular progressive movements are not also expressions of community, and even expressions of a kind of secular belief and spirituality (faith in the working class, oppressed communities, historical materialism, enlightenment, humanity or progress for example).

References

  1. ^ Kirkwood, Peter (April 9, 2010). "Rabbi takes on Religious Right". Eureka Street. http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=20495. 
  2. ^ Spencer, Metta (Oct.-Dec. 2007). "Progressive Spirit: A Conversation with Rabbi Michael Lerner". Peace Magazine. http://archive.peacemagazine.org/v23n4p16.htm. 
  3. ^ Lerner, Michael (April 6, 2006). "Bringing God Into It". The Nation. http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060424/lerner. 
  4. ^ "Our Mission". Network of Spiritual Progressives. http://www.spiritualprogressives.org/article.php/tenets. 

See also

Further reading

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Michael Lerner (rabbi) — Michael Lerner Born 1943 Newark, New Jersey Nationality American Ethnicity Jewish Education Ph.D. Alma mater …   Wikipedia

  • Progressive Reconstructionism — The Progressive Reconstructionist movement is a loosely knit interfaith community found principally at this time in the developed world. It comprises activist adherents of Reconstructionist Judaism (and of some other Jewish Traditions) and the… …   Wikipedia

  • Tikkun (magazine) — Tikkun January/February 2007 issue Editor Michael Lerner Frequency quarterly Country United States Based in …   Wikipedia

  • Cornel West — For the area of the Ithaca campus, see Cornell West Campus. Cornel West Cornel West in 2008 Born June 2, 1953 (1953 06 02) (age 58) Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. Era …   Wikipedia

  • Criticism of the Israeli government — State of Israel …   Wikipedia

  • The Left Hand of God (book) — The Left Hand of God: Taking Back Our Country from the Religious Right is a 2006 book by Rabbi Michael Lerner. In it, Lerner argues that that in order for progressive politics to survive in America, liberals must develop a respect for progressive …   Wikipedia

  • Phyllis Curott — is a theologian and attorney, filmmaker and public speaker. She is also a best selling author with her works published in thirteen countries.She received her B.A. in philosophy from Brown University and her Juris Doctor from New York University… …   Wikipedia

  • A More Perfect Union (speech) — This article is about the 2008 speech by Barack Obama. For other uses, see A More Perfect Union (disambiguation). A More Perfect Union was viewed on YouTube over 1.2 million times within the first 24 hours of its posting. A More Perfect Union [1] …   Wikipedia

  • Interreligious organisation — An interreligious organisation or interfaith organisation is an organisation that encourages dialogue and cooperation between the world s different religions. In 1893, the Parliament of the Worlds Religions held, in conjunction with the World… …   Wikipedia

  • NSP — is a three letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, including: Afghan National Solidarity Programme Nankoku Shōnen Papuwa kun, a Super Famicom game National Ski Patrol Netaji Subhash Place (Delhi Metro) National Solidarity Party, a political… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”