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THE 1981 UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON THE ELIMINATION
OF ALL FORMS OF INTOLERANCE AND OF DISCRIMINATION
BASED ON RELIGION OR BELIEF
QUESTIONNAIRE
THE ULTIMATE MEANING OF LIFE
AND HOW TO LIVE ACCORDINGLY
This Questionnaire is part of The Tandem Project Human Rights Education
Manual, How toMonitor Human Rights and Freedom of Religion
or Belief. The Questionnaire asks for a response to questions on
deeply-held beliefs. The answers to the Questionnaire will be kept confidential
and will be used in a Community Assessment Report on Human Rights and
Freedom of Religion or Belief
The United Nations Human Rights Committee in a General Comment on Article
18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)-defines
the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief as
protecting; “theistic, non-theistic and atheistic beliefs as well
as the right not to profess any religion or belief. The terms belief
and religion are to be broadly construed. Article 18 is not limited in
its application to traditional religions or to religions and beliefs
with institutional characteristics or practices analogous to those of
traditional religions.”
The United Nations Human Rights Committee “therefore views with
concern any tendency to discriminate against any religion or belief for
any reasons, including the fact that they are newly established, or represent
religious minorities that may be the subject of hostilities by a predominant
religious community.”
Highlight a category which
generally describes
your beliefs
Answer each question below and SUBMIT after each answer. It will be
sent by e-mail to The Tandem Project. Once you hit a Submit your screen
will empty and you must start over if you want to edit the answer or
move on to the next question Take as long as you like to complete the
Questionnaire. The e-mail answers will be kept in a personal file for
you and updated as the Questionnaire is filled out.
Describe your vocation or work in a few words:
I. The Ultimate Meaning of Life
What is the ultimate meaning of your life is a religious, spiritual
or non-religious question described in philosophy as a question of metaphysics,
a core concern or first principle.
1) In a few sentences describe the ultimate meaning of life according
to the teachings or understandings of your religion or belief. If you
do not have an ultimate meaning of life or have not thought about the
question explain what you think it may be.
2) How did you come to know the ultimate meaning of life according to
your religion or belief? What role do the doctrines or sayings of your
religion or belief play in knowing the truth of this meaning? What role
does faith play in this knowledge?
3) In your opinion, what do you think is the ultimate meaning of life
if you do not know the teachings of your religion or belief, or if you
do not have a religion or belief?
4) Are there other religions or beliefs that hold these truths on the
ultimate meaning of life in common with your beliefs? If so how?
II. How to Live Accordingly
Individuals and communities of like-minded individuals, have a code
of values called morality or ethics which teaches them how to live according
to their understanding of the ultimate meaning of life. How to live accordingly
is expressed in three ways; as an ethical system applying only to the
individual or like-minded community, as an extension of this code of
values through politics applied to the public at-large, and as conscious
or unconscious expressions of their ultimate meaning of life and how
to live accordingly through beauty and the arts (see Integrated View
of Life in the Reference Documents).
1) Briefly describe how your understanding of the ultimate meaning of
life is applied through a code of ethics or morality. How does your religion
or belief live according to its understanding of the ultimate meaning
of life? What is the basis (sources of rules, norms and traditions) for
this?
2) If you have no understanding of an ultimate meaning of life, what
is your code of values, morality or personal ethics based on?
3) How are your values and ethics you or your like-minded community
of religion or belief expressed through politics in the community at-large?
Do representatives of your religion or belief guide or instruct their
members on how to apply ethics and morality to politics? Explain.
4) How do you or members of your community of religion or belief give
expression to the ultimate meaning of life through beauty and the arts?
In a few sentences, briefly describe particular ways, in which, for instance,
you give expression through sacred music, art, or if you have no understanding
of the ultimate meaning of life through spiritual or secular expressions.
III. Intolerance and Discrimination
Religions or beliefs bring tremendous hope, consolation and healing,
as well as tension, intolerance and conflict within and between them.
This paradox creates a need for human rights on freedom of religion or
belief. Human rights are legal protection from intolerance and discrimination
by states and others. They redress incidents of discrimination based
on religion or belief.
1) Do you believe sources of morality (discerning good from bad) are
based on diverse religious, philosophical and social traditions? Can
an atheist have a concept of morality? What happens when sources of morality
differ with each other?
2) Can you name aspects of your religion or belief that could create
conflicts with the way other religions or beliefs view the ultimate meaning
of life?
3) Intolerance and discrimination based on some extremist views of religions
or beliefs has been a source of conflict throughout the ages. Why?
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