Faith and secular global bodies learn to live together

THERE are many reasons why sceptics might find fault with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, along with 169 associated targets, which the leaders of the world (including the pope) will adopt, with some fanfare, in New York this week. One problem, as a colleague has written, is that they are simply too numerous. As the French statesman Georges Clemenceau expostulated in 1919, when presented with Woodrow Wilson's "14 points" for a new world order, "le bon Dieu n'avait eu que dix", ten [commandments] were enough for the good Lord.A different critique was put forward recently by a representative of the Bahai faith, which originated in 19th century Persia but is now flourishing in smallish pockets throughout the world, while facing persecution in its homeland. At a gathering of envoys from 24 faith groups from around the world that gathered in the English city of Bristol this month to present to a UN representative their responses to the challenges of the SDGs, one of them, Daniel Perell, said of the UN manifesto that lays out the new goals: "In Agenda 2030, words like selflessness, sacrifice, love, compassion,...Continue reading
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