Showing posts with label peace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label peace. Show all posts
9/10/2010
On Religious Differences
If I had more time to write, I would say something along these lines. Thanks, Mark, for putting it well.
4/03/2009
TED on Morality and War in an Age of Robots
The TED talks series is always interesting, and thought-provoking. One of the recent talks offered intriguing overtones concerning morality: PW Singer's presentation on the quickly changing world of war in an age of robots. Singer's brief talk addresses fascinating questions of psychology, motivation, and morality. If you are interested in psychology and religion, you will find the questions Singer raises to be provocative. And the implications, horrible.
After reading that, stop by The Lucifer Effect for a related discussion on morality, this one in the context of the Khmer Rouge tribunal.
After reading that, stop by The Lucifer Effect for a related discussion on morality, this one in the context of the Khmer Rouge tribunal.
10/24/2008
Religion, Peace, Conflict
My Inbox held a coincidence for me today. First, an email pointing me to a page for news reporters highlighting resources on religion and peacebuilding. The very next item in my inbox was a link to a story illustrating just why we need to understand religion and peacebuilding, in this case, Hindus telling Christians in Eastern India to "convert or die". Coincidence? Irony? You be the judge.
9/17/2008
APA Referendum Passed
Good news! You can infer more on my view from here and here. Having said that, please be aware that I am swamped right now and unlikely to be able to engage in an ongoing discussion. (Which is why I haven't even finished posting my thoughts about this year's convention. Sigh.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008
CONTACT: APA Office of Public Affairs
APA MEMBERS APPROVE PETITION RESOLUTION ON DETAINEE SETTINGS
WASHINGTON -- The petition resolution stating that psychologists may not work in settings where “persons are held outside of, or in violation of, either International Law (e.g., the UN Convention Against Torture and the Geneva Conventions) or the US Constitution (where appropriate), unless they are working directly for the persons being detained or for an independent third party working to protect human rights” was approved by a vote of the APA membership. The final vote tally was 8,792 voting in favor of the resolution; 6,157 voting against the resolution. To become policy, a petition resolution needs to be approved by a majority of those members voting.
Per the Association’s Rules and Bylaws, the resolution will become official APA policy as of the Association’s next annual meeting, which will take place in August 2009. At that time, the APA Council of Representatives will also determine what further action may be necessary to implement the policy.
The approval of the petition resolution represents a significant change in APA’s policy regarding the involvement of psychologists in interrogations. The petition resolution limits the roles of psychologists in certain defined settings where persons are detained to working directly for detainees or for an independent third party to protect human rights, or to providing treatment to other military personnel.
This new petition resolution expands on the 2007 APA resolution, which called on the U.S. government to ban at least 19 specific abusive interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, that are regarded as torture by international standards. The 2007 resolution also recognized that “torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment can result not only from the behavior of individuals, but also from the conditions of confinement,” and expressed “grave concern over settings in which detainees are deprived of adequate protection of their human rights.”
APA will continue to call upon the Department of Defense and Congress to safeguard the welfare and human rights of detainees held outside of the United States and to investigate their treatment to ensure the highest ethical standards are being upheld.
# # #
The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 148,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting human welfare.
###
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008
CONTACT: APA Office of Public Affairs
APA MEMBERS APPROVE PETITION RESOLUTION ON DETAINEE SETTINGS
WASHINGTON -- The petition resolution stating that psychologists may not work in settings where “persons are held outside of, or in violation of, either International Law (e.g., the UN Convention Against Torture and the Geneva Conventions) or the US Constitution (where appropriate), unless they are working directly for the persons being detained or for an independent third party working to protect human rights” was approved by a vote of the APA membership. The final vote tally was 8,792 voting in favor of the resolution; 6,157 voting against the resolution. To become policy, a petition resolution needs to be approved by a majority of those members voting.
Per the Association’s Rules and Bylaws, the resolution will become official APA policy as of the Association’s next annual meeting, which will take place in August 2009. At that time, the APA Council of Representatives will also determine what further action may be necessary to implement the policy.
The approval of the petition resolution represents a significant change in APA’s policy regarding the involvement of psychologists in interrogations. The petition resolution limits the roles of psychologists in certain defined settings where persons are detained to working directly for detainees or for an independent third party to protect human rights, or to providing treatment to other military personnel.
This new petition resolution expands on the 2007 APA resolution, which called on the U.S. government to ban at least 19 specific abusive interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, that are regarded as torture by international standards. The 2007 resolution also recognized that “torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment can result not only from the behavior of individuals, but also from the conditions of confinement,” and expressed “grave concern over settings in which detainees are deprived of adequate protection of their human rights.”
APA will continue to call upon the Department of Defense and Congress to safeguard the welfare and human rights of detainees held outside of the United States and to investigate their treatment to ensure the highest ethical standards are being upheld.
# # #
The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 148,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting human welfare.
8/29/2008
Journal of Religion & Society
If your interests are in the area of religion's social effects, you might want to look at the Journal of Religion and Society, a free, online journal. The current issue deals with such things as religion & war, terrorism, and racial attitudes.
8/18/2008
Giving APA a Second Chance
About a year ago I became disenchanted with the American Psychological Association over its stance on psychologists' involvement in torture. At the encouragement of a few people whose opinions and experience I respect, I decided to give APA a second chance. How long I am a member remains to be seen, but I was persuaded that in the current atmosphere if people who object to the policy leave, the organization is less likely to change. Instead, I decided to look for a way to improve things in the organization.
I recognize that there is still a very real danger that psychological work may be - and probably is - being misused, as this story from Inside Higher Ed describes. I also agree with the people who protested APA policy at the 2008 Convention. While I respect those who have renounced their membership in APA, I see less opportunity to facilitate change if I am outside the organization than if I am inside it.
So, I decided to go to Boston to attend the 2008 convention. It was a good conference in many ways. I will post a few thoughts about it during the coming few days.
What did I find in my efforts to help improve APA? Two things. One tangible way that you and I can affect the organization is to vote for Steven Reisner for APA president. I have no delusions that Reisner will win the election, but I do hope that he attracts enough votes that he causes more people in the association to reconsider their position. Even if he were elected president, I question whether one person's energy is enough to change bureaucratic inertia.... But still, if a significant portion of the votes went to him, I think that the bureaucracy would take note.
Another way I found came to me in the form of an invitation to serve as program chair for Division 36. At a minimum, it is a tangible way to help APA be the best it can be, and to help advance scholarship on the psychology of religion. So, if you have an interest in developing a symposium or other presentation for the 2009 convention in Toronto, get in touch with me. I would especially love to see proposals - whether symposia, papers, or posters - that dealt with the question of religion and war, nationalism, terrorism, or other aspects relevant to our troubled times. Of course, all proposals will go through the normal vetting process, but proposals that deal with these issues seem particularly timely. Proposals will be due at the beginning of December; the APA webpage will soon have more details, which I will pass along here.
I recognize that there is still a very real danger that psychological work may be - and probably is - being misused, as this story from Inside Higher Ed describes. I also agree with the people who protested APA policy at the 2008 Convention. While I respect those who have renounced their membership in APA, I see less opportunity to facilitate change if I am outside the organization than if I am inside it.
So, I decided to go to Boston to attend the 2008 convention. It was a good conference in many ways. I will post a few thoughts about it during the coming few days.
What did I find in my efforts to help improve APA? Two things. One tangible way that you and I can affect the organization is to vote for Steven Reisner for APA president. I have no delusions that Reisner will win the election, but I do hope that he attracts enough votes that he causes more people in the association to reconsider their position. Even if he were elected president, I question whether one person's energy is enough to change bureaucratic inertia.... But still, if a significant portion of the votes went to him, I think that the bureaucracy would take note.
Another way I found came to me in the form of an invitation to serve as program chair for Division 36. At a minimum, it is a tangible way to help APA be the best it can be, and to help advance scholarship on the psychology of religion. So, if you have an interest in developing a symposium or other presentation for the 2009 convention in Toronto, get in touch with me. I would especially love to see proposals - whether symposia, papers, or posters - that dealt with the question of religion and war, nationalism, terrorism, or other aspects relevant to our troubled times. Of course, all proposals will go through the normal vetting process, but proposals that deal with these issues seem particularly timely. Proposals will be due at the beginning of December; the APA webpage will soon have more details, which I will pass along here.
6/03/2008
Religion & Media in Iran
Iran is holding its second International Conference on Religion and Media this coming November 9 - 12, 2008. Topics of special interest are divided into two areas: Religion and Media Communication, and Religion in the Media. Papers should be submitted soon, by June 15, and decisions on attendance will be made by the end of June. The conference will be held in Tehran and Qom. Following the conference, an optional tour of Isfahan or Shiraz is available.
The email I received notifying me of the conference states, "We cordially invite all media researchers and scholars, representatives from diverse religious traditions, professionals and students involved with the subjects of the conference to attend and submit a paper.... A few scholarships are available to partially subsidize the costs of participants with selected papers."
Alongside the conference will be a Student Workshop on Religion, Peace and Media held in Tehran, Qom, and the beach of the Caspian Sea.
It sounds like a tremendous opportunity for people involved in the study of religion. Please pass this announcement along to others who might be interested.
The email I received notifying me of the conference states, "We cordially invite all media researchers and scholars, representatives from diverse religious traditions, professionals and students involved with the subjects of the conference to attend and submit a paper.... A few scholarships are available to partially subsidize the costs of participants with selected papers."
Alongside the conference will be a Student Workshop on Religion, Peace and Media held in Tehran, Qom, and the beach of the Caspian Sea.
It sounds like a tremendous opportunity for people involved in the study of religion. Please pass this announcement along to others who might be interested.
5/02/2008
Another Quaker Fired at Cal State
Earlier this year a faculty member was fired from Cal State East Bay over the wording of a loyalty oath. The oath states that the employee defend the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic. In February, Marianne Kearney-Brown, a Quaker, inserted the word "nonviolently" in the oath and was dismissed as a math instructor. Later she was reinstated as part of a compromise involving the state Attorney General.
The L.A. Times now reports that another Quaker at Cal State has been fired over the same passage in the loyalty oath. The state apparently requires all employees sign the oath, although there is evidently wide latitude among state agencies in terms of how they handle objections, which typically come from Quakers and Jehovah's Witnesses. The L.A. Times story documents several such cases over the years, one involving a Methodist minister who has on three separate occasions butted heads with the law.
That the state allows its agencies great latitude in how they interpret the law adds to the confusion. Some school districts apparently ignore the law altogether, while Cal State University strictly enforces it, allowing no alterations or clarifying statements be added by the employee. In between these extremes is the University of California, which offers suggestions to people who object regarding how they can add a statement such as "This is not a promise to take up arms in contravention of my religious beliefs," or "I owe allegiance to Jehovah," according to the Times report. The resulting confusion needlessly complicates the lives of people who take their beliefs and actions seriously.
The L.A. Times now reports that another Quaker at Cal State has been fired over the same passage in the loyalty oath. The state apparently requires all employees sign the oath, although there is evidently wide latitude among state agencies in terms of how they handle objections, which typically come from Quakers and Jehovah's Witnesses. The L.A. Times story documents several such cases over the years, one involving a Methodist minister who has on three separate occasions butted heads with the law.
That the state allows its agencies great latitude in how they interpret the law adds to the confusion. Some school districts apparently ignore the law altogether, while Cal State University strictly enforces it, allowing no alterations or clarifying statements be added by the employee. In between these extremes is the University of California, which offers suggestions to people who object regarding how they can add a statement such as "This is not a promise to take up arms in contravention of my religious beliefs," or "I owe allegiance to Jehovah," according to the Times report. The resulting confusion needlessly complicates the lives of people who take their beliefs and actions seriously.
4/24/2008
Political Extremism and Psychopathology
Two quick items:
1- Richard Koenigsberg offers an online publication, Political Violence and the Concept of Collective Psychopathology. Religion is among the factors he addresses in that document.
2- For those of you who are in the Washington, DC, area:
The 20th annual meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Philosophy and Psychiatry is meeting May 3 & 4, 2008, in Washington DC. The theme of the conference is "Political Extremism and Psychopathology". The group will meet at The Fairmont Washington, Executive Forum (2401 M. Street, NW, Washington DC). I am told there is no fee or registration required.
The program is available (pdf file) at http://www3.utsouthwestern.edu/aapp/Political%20Extremism2008.pdf. Several presentations deal with religion's role(s) in political extremism.
1- Richard Koenigsberg offers an online publication, Political Violence and the Concept of Collective Psychopathology. Religion is among the factors he addresses in that document.
2- For those of you who are in the Washington, DC, area:
The 20th annual meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Philosophy and Psychiatry is meeting May 3 & 4, 2008, in Washington DC. The theme of the conference is "Political Extremism and Psychopathology". The group will meet at The Fairmont Washington, Executive Forum (2401 M. Street, NW, Washington DC). I am told there is no fee or registration required.
The program is available (pdf file) at http://www3.utsouthwestern.edu/aapp/Political%20Extremism2008.pdf. Several presentations deal with religion's role(s) in political extremism.
4/22/2008
Karen Armstrong on Compassion
Karen Armstrong, well-known for her work on the history of religion, can be seen in this TED talk on compassion. Her discussion of religious belief and compassion ranges through history and across religious traditions. She advocates for religion as a force for harmony in the world, based on the Golden Rule. Her ideas deserve a wide hearing and implementation.
3/03/2008
Loyalty to State; Loyalty to Religion
A story from Inside Higher Ed describes a math instructor whose employment was terminated because she did not endorse a loyalty oath. The article begins:
Oaths and statements of belief are not unheard of in academe, but they seem most often to help in self-selecting. For example, a friend of mine is a Catholic, and sought employment at a Protestant University. After consulting with his priest, he felt comfortable in working at the institution because he saw his beliefs to be consistent with the institution's statement of faith. Nowadays, this is the way the scenario typically plays out.
The Kearney-Brown case is a bit different, of course. A state institution demanding a loyalty oath of an employee, who wishes to make clear that she is not willing to support violence because of her religious beliefs. It strikes me as heavy-handed and unevenly applied, given that she altered other oaths in government employment in the past, with no consequence. At the same time, I do not understand why she thought it inadequate that she add a statement of her views. Perhaps there are legal or other consequences of which I am unaware.
At any rate, it is an interesting story in higher ed. And in the senseless bureaucracy that US Education has become, the real irony is revealed in the San Francisco Chronicle's coverage of the story:
- "Many people think of loyalty oaths as relics of the McCarthy era, long ago outlawed or abandoned. In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court has banned only certain kinds of loyalty oaths, permitting others. Last week, a mathematics instructor at California State University East Bay lost her job for refusing to sign one.
"Marianne Kearney-Brown, who is also a graduate student at East Bay, tried to add a word to the state’s Oath of Allegiance so that it would conform with her Quaker beliefs. The university offered her the chance to add a statement with her views, but insisted that she sign the oath, unaltered, and said that it had no choice but to fire her when she refused. "
Oaths and statements of belief are not unheard of in academe, but they seem most often to help in self-selecting. For example, a friend of mine is a Catholic, and sought employment at a Protestant University. After consulting with his priest, he felt comfortable in working at the institution because he saw his beliefs to be consistent with the institution's statement of faith. Nowadays, this is the way the scenario typically plays out.
The Kearney-Brown case is a bit different, of course. A state institution demanding a loyalty oath of an employee, who wishes to make clear that she is not willing to support violence because of her religious beliefs. It strikes me as heavy-handed and unevenly applied, given that she altered other oaths in government employment in the past, with no consequence. At the same time, I do not understand why she thought it inadequate that she add a statement of her views. Perhaps there are legal or other consequences of which I am unaware.
At any rate, it is an interesting story in higher ed. And in the senseless bureaucracy that US Education has become, the real irony is revealed in the San Francisco Chronicle's coverage of the story:
- "I was kind of stunned," said Kearney-Brown, who is pursuing her master's degree in math to earn the credentials to do exactly the job she is being fired from.
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