Mustafa Akyol TED Talk: Can We Untie the Knots of Culture and Religion?

This week we are taking a look at newer, more peaceful and modern interpretations of ancient scriptures and the religions they have inspired.

Our “teachable point of view” at Progress Planet is that it is high time for people of all faiths to distance themselves from scriptures that are inconsistent with modern human rights standards. Many people believe it is no longer acceptable to have only versions of the Bible that continue to promote certain actions that are classified as crimes in the modern world.

It is for that reason that we are releasing The Pacific Bible in January, 2013, to help usher in a new era in which religion can be a more peaceful force in the world.  The Pacific Bible is intended to be a first-in-class effort to create an alternative set of scriptures that is more consistent with the actual lessons of synagogues and churches regarding the fair treatment of people.

It is important as we consider ways to impact global change that we not only look at the Bible. Would our same concept work in Islam or other major religions? We can easily start with the Bible because that is what we know and have come to rely on as somewhat of a cultural moral guidepost, but we must look further and learn the troubling tenets of other global faiths, particularly those which threaten or cause harm to us.

How do some religions adopt traditions that are inconsistent with the core teachings of their scriptures? How is progress in religion achieved?

In the video below, Mustafa Akyol explains how cultural traditions are often fused with religion to encourage deplorable practices such as FMG, stonings, and strict enforcement of the headscarf rules.

Is it enough to encourage modern interpretations of ancient scriptures that support more liberal, gender friendly goals or do Muslims, as we Christians and Jews do, really need to distance themselves from certain passages within Islam in order to fully achieve progress?

In 17 minutes you may be a little closer to knowing more about how, in some cases, culture and religion have fused and about some of the possible ways to untangle the web of strictures they have created over time:

 

Tagged culture and religion, faith vs tradition, Islamic faith, Islamic traditions, mustafa akyol, mustafa akyol lecture, mustafa akyol ted talk, mustafa akyol ted video, The Pacific Bible