A religião para além das fronteiras religiosas: uma análise das trajetórias de Martin Luther King Jr e Mohandas Karanchand Gandhi a partir do projeto Weltethos (ética mundial)

Abstract

This thesis intends to investigate the possible existence of a common ethical force among religions and ancient philosophical traditions, as Weltethos (Global Ethic Project) proposes. This project was written by the ecumenical theologian Hans Küng and supported by the World Religions Parliament in 1993. According to this document, the common basis of religions lies in some important aspects. First of all, the ancestral principle of the golden rule: "Do unto others only what you would have them do unto you," complemented by the four immovable precepts: The first one is a commitment to a culture of non-violence and life protection, the second is the commitment to a culture of solidarity and a fairness in economic order, the third one is a culture of tolerance and a life of truth, and finally the commitment to a culture of equal rights and fellowship between men and women. Based on these ideas, the project supports that it is possible to address ways to meet different beliefs through a culture of respect, peace and solidarity. Taking these ideas into account and also the interpretation based on the approach proposed above, it is possible to prove the applicability of common ethical principles in the life of two historical characters from different religious traditions: Mohandas Karanchand Gandhi, known as Mahatma Gandhi, an important religious leader in India during the British domination and Martin Luther King Jr., the leader of the civil rights movements of black people in the United States in the 1960s. Even the dissimilarities inherent in each of them so as their different religious experiences were not an obstacle in the way of sharing common ethical ideals nor for the political action of both.