Group Discussion Questions
Faith And The City Forum: Interfaith Dialogue on Public Issues

Topic/Title: Faith and Ethics in Public Life
Recorded: May 5, 2003
First Aired: May 6 at 8:00 AM

Faith And The City Forum is one of several initiatives by Faith And The City, a nonprofit organization that works to encourage a sense of community throughout the 20-county metro Atlanta region by amplifying the voices of the many religious traditions represented in the region.

Panelists:

Dr. Michael Berger
Associate Professor, Department of Religion
Emory University

Dr. Jim Fowler
Director, Ethics Center
Emory University

Dr. Khalid Siddiq
Endocrinologist
Director, Al-Farooq Masjid of Atlanta

The following questions are offered to encourage discussion of the above topic:

1. Does your faith tradition address ethical standards for people who hold public office? If so, what does your tradition say? Do you agree on a personal level with the position of your faith tradition?

2. How is your faith tradition's perspective on ethics in public life similar to those expressed by the panelists regarding Judaism, Christianity, and Islam?

3. What is your personal opinion on the need for formal ethics standards for public office holders? Does Georgia or any state need a code of ethics for public officials? Why or why not?

4. Do you see a danger, as one panelist suggested, that a code of ethics rooted in one or more faith traditions might eventually exclude or be used to abuse the rights of members of other faith traditions? Stated another way, could ethical standards based on Judeo-Christian tradition ever threaten the rights of Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Baha'is, Sikhs, or others? Why or why not?

5. Can we live together in a diverse society and shape social ethics that are acceptable to the wide range of faith traditions represented in our society -- and, at the same time, respect the legal rights and unique qualities of each faith tradition? Please explain your answer.

6. Public officials, by definition, are responsible for seeking the common good of the community and society that they serve. Our society and political system emphasizes the rights of the individual -- sometimes to the extreme. Does our preoccupation with self-interest undermine against the responsibility of public officials to support the common good? Does this tendency feed partisan politics and pork-barrel legislation? Please explain.

There is a quick and easy way to express your view on any public issue to our elected and appointed leaders: You can find email addresses for hundreds of leaders from the local to the national level by visiting the "contacts" section of our website at http://www.faithandthecity.org. Why not email your views to your representatives in city, county, state, or federal government? You can do it now by clicking here.