Dharma World

October-December 2013, Volume 40

October-December 2013, Volume 40(PDF)

Nuclear Power and Contemporary Religion

The Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami that struck with devastating effect on March 11, 2011, wrecked the lives of many people, as well as entire communities. The lives of many individuals and families have also been disrupted by the resulting accident at the nuclear power plant in Fukushima. Radiation contamination forced nearby residents to leave their homes and communities not knowing when they might be able to return. Countless families worry about the possible effects of radiation on their children, born and unborn. The accident has also alarmed people around the world, imposing an incalculable responsibility on future generations.

Nuclear power was once called “the energy of the future,” and the Japanese are among its beneficiaries, but they have largely ignored its potential dangers. The use of nuclear power affects the health of workers in uranium mines and in nuclear power plants. The production of large amounts of high-level nuclear waste places a tremendous burden on the environment, since the waste remains radioactive for millions of years. The Japanese have just learned at first hand the lesson that it takes only one nuclear accident to cause widespread alarm and threaten physical harm.

Since the 2011 nuclear disaster, many religious denominations and new religious movements in Japan have issued statements calling for a world that does not rely on nuclear power. An international interreligious conference was held recently in Fukushima to discuss nuclear power.

Rissho Kosei-kai’s statement of June 2012 urges the need to concentrate knowledge and wisdom on developing and using renewable sources of energy, and above all to reconsider the values and lifestyles that have endlessly escalated energy consumption at the cost of great sacrifice by so many people.

The world needs to stop putting material prosperity, which depends on nuclear power, above all else. We believe religions offer moral principles that can persuade the world to do without nuclear power, and we invite religious leaders and scholars of religion to offer their views on the use of nuclear energy and suggest what religions can do to foster a world where all people live in harmony with each other and the environment.

Dharma World

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  2. Autumn 2022, Volume 49

    Religion and Happiness

  3. Spring 2022, Volume 49

    The Impact of Cyberspace on a Variety of Religious Traditions and Practices

  4. Autumn 2021, Volume 48

    Religion's Potential for Advancing Sustainable Development

  5. Spring 2021, Volume 48

    What Is Prayer?

  6. Autumn 2020, Volume 47

    Religion’s Role in Building an Inclusive Society

  7. Spring 2020, Volume 47

    Violence in Buddhism

  8. Autumn 2019, Volume 46

    Manga, Anime, and Contemporary Religion

  9. Spring 2019, Volume 46

    Is Emptiness the Goal?

  10. July-December 2018, Volume 45

    The Buddhahood of Plants and Trees: The Environment and Buddha-Nature

  11. January-June 2018, Volume 45

    Buddhism’s One Vehicle in a World of Many Religions

  12. July-December 2017, Volume 44

    Religions Tackling Extremism

  13. January-June 2017, Volume 44

    Religion and Animals

  14. October-December 2016, Volume 43

    Features: Listening

  15. July-September 2016, Volume 43

    Contemporary Ideas about Karma

  16. April-June 2016, Volume 43

    Buddhism and Food

  17. January-March 2016, Volume 43

    Dual Religious Identity: Can One Practice Two Religions?

  18. October-December 2015, Volume 42

    The Modern Significance of Meditative Practices in Religions

  19. July-September 2015, Volume 42

    Religious Rituals and Their Meaning for Today

  20. April-June 2015, Volume 42

    Religion's Contributions to Society

  21. January-March 2015, Volume 42

    Cultivating Hearts That Welcome the Other

  22. October-December 2014, Volume 41

    Buddhism and Language

  23. July-September 2014, Volume 41

    Life After Death

  24. April-June 2014, Volume 41

    Building an East Asian Community: Roles of Religions

  25. January-March 2014, Volume 41

    Aging Societies and Religion

  26. October-December 2013, Volume 40

    Nuclear Power and Contemporary Religion

  27. July-September 2013, Volume 40

    Where Does the Buddha Live Now?

  28. April-June 2013, Volume 40

    Modern Meanings of Festivals

  29. January-March 2013, Volume 40

    Transforming Greed

  30. October-December 2012, Volume 39

    Religions Coping with Prejudice

  31. July-September 2012, Volume 39

    The Significance of Religious Communities

  32. April-June 2012, Volume 39

    Buddhist Teachings on Spiritual Liberation

  33. January-March 2012, Volume 39

    The Meaning of Modern Pilgrimage

  34. October-December 2011, Volume 38

    The Evolution of Funerals in Japan

  35. July-September 2011, Volume 38

    Buddhism in North America

  36. April-June 2011, Volume 38

    Religion and the Power of Women

  37. January-March 2011, Volume 38

    What Is True Wealth?

  38. October-December 2010, Volume 37

    Dialogue Draws Religions Closer

  39. July-September 2010, Volume 37

    Tackling the Question "What Is the Lotus Sutra?"

  40. April-June 2010, Volume 37

    Religion's Role in Abolishing Nuclear Weapons

  41. January-March 2010, Volume 37

    Help in Overcoming Alienation

  42. July-September 2009, Volume 36

    Religion and Prayer

  43. July-September 2009, Volume 36

    Religion and Media

  44. April-June 2009, Volume 36

    Religion and Health

  45. January-March 2009, Volume 36

    The Changing Forms of the Family and the Role of Religion

  46. October-December 2008, Volume 35

    The Meaning of Giving in the Contemporary World

  47. July-September 2008, Volume 35

    Buddhism in the Face of Environmental Crisis

  48. April-June 2008, Volume 35

    The Many Forms of the Bodhisattva Kuan-yin

  49. January-March 2008, Volume 35

    Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution

  50. October-December 2007, Volume 34

    Buddhism and Bioethics

  51. July-September 2007, Volume 34

    Respect for Ancestors

  52. April-June 2007, Volume 34

    Self-Examination and Peace Work

  53. January-March 2007, Volume 34

    Buddhism and Social Responsibility: Boddhisattva Practice Today

  54. October-December 2006, Volume 33

    Buddishm in Dialogue

  55. July-September 2006, Volume 33

    Religions Working for Peace

  56. April-June 2006, Volume 33

    Creating the World of the One Vehicle: The Centennial of the Birth of Rev. Nikkyo Niwano

  57. January-February 2006, Volume 33

    The Human Condition and Religion: A Global Future?

  58. November-December 2005, Volume 32

    Remembering Hiroshima

  59. September-October 2005, Volume 32

    Spirituality and Development

  60. July-August 2005, Volume 32

    Women in Contemporary Japanese Religion and Society

  61. May-June 2005, Volume 32

    Rissho Kosei-kai 67th

  62. March-April 2005, Volume 32

    "Thousand Buddhas," Sanbanggulsa Temple, South Korea

  63. January-February 2005, Volume 32

    Emerging Forms of Spirituality

  64. November-December 2004, Volume 31

    Peace Building Through Multi-Religious Cooperation

  65. September-October 2004, Volume 31

    The Increasing Importance of Dialogue and Cooperation

  66. July-August 2004, Volume 31

    Paths to Reconciliation

  67. May-June 2004, Volume 31

    Religion in Crisis

  68. March-April 2004, Volume 31

    Spiritual Friendship

  69. January-February 2004, Volume 31

    Resolving Conflict

  70. November-December 2003, Volume 30

    Dividing Good From Evil

  71. September-October 2003, Volume 30

    Common Truths: Cooperation Among Religions

  72. July-August 2003, Volume 30

    Niwano Peace Foundation

  73. May-June 2003, Volume 30

    Religionists United in Prayer for Peace

  74. March-April 2003, Volume 30

    Life is Larger Than Globalization

  75. January-February 2003, Volume 30

    Emerging Forms of Spirituality

  76. November-December 2002, Volume 29

    Roundtable Disscussion at the World Congress of the International Association for Religious Freedom

  77. September-October 2002, Volume 29

    Sixth Assembly of the Asian Conference on Religion and Peace, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

  78. July-August 2002, Volume 29

    The Most Reverend Samuel Ruiz Garcia, Recipient of the 19th Niwano Peace Prize

  79. May-June 2002, Volume 29

    National Treasure Tapestry Illustrating Shakyamuni Sermon to the Faithful

  80. March-April 2002, Volume 29

    Celebration of the Anniversary of Shakyamuni's Birth

  81. January-February 2002, Volume 29

    Religious Delegates Gather in New York for WCRP Symposium

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